General Humanities

All English, Social Studies, ESOL, Reading Courses

HSEN English

HSSS Social Studies

HSEL ESOL

SARD Assisted Reading*

BSRD Basic Skills Reading*

All Health Sciences & Human Services Courses

HSFC2491 Intro to Early Childhood

HSFC4491 Early Childhood Careers & Education

HSFC2460 Human Relations

HSFC 6610 Introduction to the Individual/Family Development

All World Language Courses

HSLC Chinese

HSLS Spanish

HSLF French

HSLL Latin

HSLA American Sign Language

Business Courses

HSBU4452 International Business

HSBU4450 Sport & Entertainment Marketing

General STEM

All Math, Computer Science, Science and Technology Ed Courses

HSMA Math

SNMA Special Needs Math

HSSC Science

HSCS Computer Science

HSTE Technology Education

HSBU2400 Accounting I

HSBU4400 Accounting II

HSBU5450 Advanced Finance & Investments

HSBU2452 Entrepreneurship: Intro to Business

HSBU2453 Financial Literacy

Humanities or STEM

HSSS8702 AP Psychology

HSSS8700 AP Economics

HSSS6650 Human Behavior in a Digital World

HSTE2411 Graphic Design & Photography I

HSTE4411 Graphic Design & Photography II

HSTE 8412 Digital Media & Video Production

HSTE6511 Graphic Design Capstone

HSAR2458 Digital Arts I

HSAR4550 Digital Arts II

HSFC7500 EMS Health Careers Exploration

Arts/Applied Arts Humanities

All Art Courses

HSAR Arts

HSMU Music

HSTA Theater Arts

Applied Arts Courses: Family and Consumer Science Courses

HSFC2470  Introductory Foods

HSFC4481  Baking & Pastry Arts

HSFC4470  Culinary Arts

HSFC6420  Careers in Food

HSFC7420  Leadership in Culinary Arts

HSFC4472  Regional & International Cuisine

Applied Arts, Technology and Engineering Courses 

HSTE2411 Graphic Design & Photography I

HSTE4411 Graphic Design & Photography II

HSTE8412 Digital Media & Video Production

HSTE2403 Game & Web Design

HSTE6511 Graphic Design Capstone

HSTE2420 Engineering & Architectural Design

General Electives

HSCC5700 AP Seminar

HSCC7700 AP Research

HSCC8752 Mastery Experience Independent Study

HSTE4402 Computer Systems & Robotics

HSBU6450 Student Teaching Assistant

ISGE0000 Independent Study

Wellness Education

HSPE7452 9th Grade Wellness (.25 PE/.25 HTH)

HSPE7453 10th Grade Wellness (.25 PE/.25 HTH)

HSPE8451 Cooperative Wellness Strategies 

HSPE7751 Exploration of Peer & Personal Safety

HSPE7951 Personal Fitness & Nutrition

HSPE6453 Lifetime Activities & Sustainable Living

HSPE7852 Kinesiology:  Exercise and wellness for Everyone

HSPE6455 Health & Education in Urban Communities

HSPE6454 Team Sport & Leadership Concepts and Strategies

HSPE7751 Exploration of Peer & Personal Safety

HSPE7651 Transitioning Beyond High School

A student must satisfactorily earn a minimum of 25 credits and have met the credit distribution requirements.  Students must also meet performance standards in literacy, mathematics, and science.

A graduate must earn 25 total units inclusive of the following.

A.  Humanities (9 units)

• English (4 units)
• Social Studies (3 units)
  - inclusive of 1 unit of World History
  - inclusive of 1 unit of US History
  - inclusive of ½ unit of American Government/Civics
• World Language (1 unit) 
• Arts (½ unit)
• Humanities Elective (½ unit)

    
B.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (9 units)

• Mathematics (3 units)
• Science (3 units)
   - inclusive of 1 unit of Physical Science
   - inclusive of 1 unit of Life Science
• STEM Electives (3 units)

C.  Wellness Education (2 units)
     - inclusive of 1 unit of Wellness
     - inclusive of 1 unit of Wellness Elective

D.  Electives (5 units)*

TOTAL: 25 credits

*any subjects chosen outside of the basic requirements for graduation

Legal References:
Public Act 17-42, An Act Concerning Revisions to the High School Graduation Requirements
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-5c, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-14n, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-16b, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-221a, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-223a

A student must satisfactorily earn a minimum of 25 credits and have met the credit distribution requirements. Students must also meet performance standards in literacy, mathematics, and science. A graduate must earn 25 total units inclusive of the following. A. Humanities (9 units) English (4 units) Social Studies (3 units) - inclusive of 1 unit of World History - inclusive of 1 unit of US History - inclusive of ½ unit of American Government/Civics World Language (1 unit)  Arts (½ unit) Humanities Elective (½ unit) B. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (9 units) Mathematics (3 units) Science (3 units) - inclusive of 1 unit of Physical Science - inclusive of 1 unit of Life Science STEM Electives (3 units) - inclusive of Financial Literacy (.5 units) C. Wellness Education (2 units)  - inclusive of 1 unit Wellness  - inclusive of 1 unit Wellness Elective D. Electives* (5 units) Total Credits  25.0 *any subjects chosen outside of the basic requirements for graduation

Credit is granted on a semester basis. For each semester of successful work in a subject meeting five times per week .5 credit is granted. For subjects meeting fewer than five times a week, such as Wellness courses, .25 credit is granted.

WHPS students successfully completing either Algebra 1 or programming equivalent to year one of a high school World Language course taken at the middle school level may have these courses recognized for elective credit on their high school transcript with a grade of PASS.

On occasion, students may request taking a course outside of their home school and apply it to the graduation requirements. A request for external course credit must be submitted and approved prior to enrollment in any such course work. Grades earned in external courses are recorded as PASS on student transcripts and are not factored into the GPA. 

No credit will be given when a student repeats a subject which credit is already earned  except in the performing music courses, in special work experience programs, and in other individual cases with prior approval.

Note: Attendance policy violations may result in the loss of credit. Attendance violations involving the potential loss of credit are subject to administrative review. See the student handbook for details of the attendance policy.

Minimum Credit Requirements for Grade Advancement

Class of 2023 and thereafter:

• Grade 10:  5 credits
• Grade 11:  11 credits
• Grade 12:  17 credits

All students are expected to carry 5.0 credits each year to be considered full-time.  Being a full-time high school student enables students to focus on building a strong educational foundation, which is essential for future career and academic opportunities. 

Students who wish to carry fewer than 5.0 credits must complete the Part-Time Student Request Form.  There are times where being a part-time student can affect athletic eligibility, coverage, discounts, and benefits (e.g. Social Security benefits, car insurance, scholarship eligibility, etc.).  It is the student’s and family’s responsibility to vet these possible circumstances.

It is expected that most students will graduate from high school after having attended for four years (grades 9-12) and having earned the required number of credits.

A formal written request to graduate early must be submitted in writing to the principal. Specific details outlining the reasons for this request must be clearly indicated. Upon approval, the student is moved into the senior class and must meet all graduation requirements.

The following grading system is in use. Please note plus and minus is not computed into GPA.

Letter Grade	Numerical Equivalent
A+	97-100
A	93-96
A-	90-92
B+	87-89
B	83-86
B-	80-82
C+	77-79
C	73-76
C-	70-72
D+	67-69
D	63-66
D-	60-62
F	0-59

Academic Honors and Grade Point Average (GPA)

At the end of each quarter, students who achieve an average of 3.60 or higher in all credit subjects with no grade below a “C” receive maximum honors (at least five such subjects must be on a letter-grade basis). Those who earn an average of 3.0 to 3.59 on a similar basis receive general honors.

In arriving at averages:

• A = 4
• B = 3
• C = 2
• D = 1

An extra .5 is added to the GPA value for each honors or Advanced Placement course. If an honors and AP course are offered in the same subject, the honors course is then weighted by adding a .25 (i.e. Honors Biology).

A grade of ‘P’ (Pass) does not impact the calculation of GPA, but could impact honor roll eligibility. A grade of ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘Z’ or ‘Inc’ (Incomplete) in any subject  will exclude a student from honors.

Students must carry a minimum of 5.0 credits per year to be considered both a full-time student and eligible for Honor Roll status. Any independent study work (DIS) would be considered an addition to these minimum requirements.

Per WHPS BOE Policy 5500, in addition to meeting the coursework and credit graduation requirements, to graduate high school, each student must demonstrate proficiency in the basic skills.

A. Literacy: Students shall, prior to completion of their senior year, demonstrate competency in literacy skills, including reading comprehension, writing, and critical thinking.

B. Math: Students shall, prior to the completion of their senior year, solve problems, explain their reasoning, and justify solutions in writing. Students will also demonstrate procedural fluency and conceptual understanding of core mathematical content.

C. Science: Students shall, prior to the completion of their senior year, successfully demonstrate the ability to apply the Science and Engineering practices.

Benchmarks can be met in one of the following ways for each standard:

Literacy Standards:

1. Achieve the College and Career Readiness Benchmark for PSAT/NMSQT taken during the junior year
2. Achieve the College and Career Readiness Benchmark for SAT 
3. Achieve a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement English exam 
4. Portfolio review and assessment of student work.

Math Standards:

1. Achieve the College and Career Readiness Benchmark for PSAT/NMSQT taken during the junior year
2. Achieve the College and Career Readiness Benchmark for SAT 
3. Achieve a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement mathematics exam
4. Portfolio review and assessment of student work.

Science:

1. Achieve a score of proficient or better on the NGSS assessment taken junior year
2. Achieve a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement science exam 
3. Portfolio review and assessment of student work

Notification:

Students who still need to meet the basic performance standard by the end of the first marking period of senior year shall be notified by their school counselor and will meet with the appropriate department supervisor to create an individualized plan.

Exemptions:

Students with special needs and 504 students will be expected to meet district performance standards of basic skills for graduation unless exempted as indicated in their IEP or 504 Plan.  English Language Learners may be exempted if they have not achieved a determined language proficiency level by the end of the first semester of junior year.  Students who transfer to WHPS during their senior year must meet the performance standards to graduate from WHPS.  The principal may choose to review a student’s prior academic profile and state/national assessment data.

The Parent Portal is an integrated tool that allows parents to use any computer with Internet access to view specific information about their child/children, including items such as attendance, assignments and grades. We believe that this tool will further enhance the communication between parents and teachers and aid in our partnership as we work to provide the best education possible. If you do not have Internet access at home, please visit any branch of the West Hartford Public Library or other community resource centers where computers are available, such as the Elmwood Community Center.

PowerSchool Portal