Academic Policy

Achieving Excellence

To the Student:

To excel in school you must work hard and develop good study habits. These are some guidelines that will help you make your high school education at the Cobble Hill School of American Studies as successful as possible.

  • Attend school everyday.
  • Arrive on time for all your classes.
  • Be prepared with pens, pencils, a notebook and textbooks.
  • Contact the school if you are going to be absent.
  • Make sure that you understand all homework assignments before you leave that class; ask for help if you do not understand the classwork or the homework assignment.
  • Do your homework carefully; after all, it is your homework.
  • Choose a regular time to do your homework and make it a rule to use that time only for your homework. Choose a time during the late afternoon or the early evening before you get tired. Stick to that same schedule every day.
  • Do your homework in a quiet place where you can concentrate.
  • Read, read and then read more. Read books for pleasure, not just the ones assigned in class. Your teachers will help you select books, magazines and newspapers that will interest you and excite your curiosity. Many students read more than one newspaper a day.
  • Begin work on research and other longer assignments early. Do not wait for the last minute in order to get started.
  • Write down the dates of examinations, school trips, parent-teacher conferences, class presentations and research assignments.
  • Participate in school activities and get involved in student government.
  • Work hard.

Academic Programs
Guidelines for High School Graduation

Requirements for all New York State Students entering High School in September 1999 and thereafter.

Regents Diploma Requirements

Must pass all of the following Regents exams:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • U.S. History & Government
  • Science (1 regents exam)
  • Global History

For advanced Regents diploma all of the above and:

  • Second Language
  • Algebra, Geometry and Trignometry 
  • Second Science Regents

Promotional Requirements

To go to grade 10 - eight credits and passing two terms of gym or one term of gym and health.

To go to grade 11 - twenty credits and passing at least four terms of gym or three terms of gym and health, four terms of English 1-8 and four terms global history 1 through 4 must also be completed.

To go to grade 12 - twenty-nine credits and passing at least six terms of gym or five terms of gym and health.

Grades
Report Cards

Report cards are issued six times a year. Grades on report cards issued at the end of January and at the end of June are recorded on your official transcript and affect your high school average.

Report Cards are distributed at school during the evening of parents/teacher conference. Parents are requested to come to school to pick them up and have conferences with their child's teachers.

Grades are an assessment of how well students have mastered the curriculum in a particular subject. Grades issued within the semester are cumulative. Many factors are considered when a grade assessment is made.

These factors may include but are not limited to:

  1. Attendance
  2. Classroom Preparation
  3. Homework
  4. Class Assignments
  5. Exams and Quizzes
  6. Major Projects

The following is an explanation of the marks:

  • 95-100 Superior achievement
  • 85-94 Above average achievement
  • 75-84 Average achievement
  • 65-74 Achievement of minimum requirements
  • Below 65 - Failure to achieve minimum Requirements

GRADES ARE NOT GIVEN BY THE TEACHER, GRADES ARE EARNED BY THE STUDENT.

Educational Support
Pre-Law Program
The Law program prepares students for the courtroom by allowing them to conduct mock trials at a nearby courthouse.  Students also learn to make logical arguments based on the precedence of laws in our country.
Our four-year Law program promotes student understanding of how laws are made, how they reflect the values of a particluar society, and how they change over time.  Our students are prepared to go on to careers in the legal field. 

PM School
The PM School (3:00- 4:30) is available for students who need to make up courses in order to maintain their correct promotional and graduation schedule. PM School courses meet two days per week for sixteen weeks. Successful completion of a course earns one credit.

Saturday School
Each term, approximately two weeks after the first report card, Cobble Hill opens on Saturdays (except for holiday weekends) to provide extra preparation for Regents examinations. Consult the Assistant Principal for the specific courses offered each term.