ACADEMIC POLICIES   1.   All students must take six courses, as well as   Physical Education, during each year of high school. 2.   All students must be enrolled in Religion, English, and Social Studies during each year of high school. 3.   All students must take the Regents exam at the conclusion of a Regents level course.   A passing grade in a Regents exam only will not constitute passing the course. The final grade must be 65% or higher in order to pass the course and receive school credit.  If a student repeats a Regents exam in the summer or January, the higher grade will be reported on the transcript. 4.   All students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses must take the AP exams in May.  Failure to do so will result in the AP course designation being deleted from the student's transcript. 5.   In the college admissions process, the administration and guidance departments are often asked whether a student has taken the "most demanding" academic program the high school has to offer. In order to receive such a classification a student must take the following:    4 years of Religion      4 years of Social Studies    4 years of English        4 or 5 years of Math    4+ years of Science     4+ years of Foreign Lang 6.    Any student who fails a course must repeat the course in summer school.  No student may repeat a        course that was failed in the next school year.    DESCRIPTION OF COURSE DESIGNATIONS   ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) COURSE is a demanding course which challenges the most competent students. A major focus of the course is the successful completion of the AP Exam.  Students need to meet department requirements and the recommendation of the College Board's "AP Potential" website.   COLLEGE LEVEL COURSE- these courses are offered through St. Thomas Aquinas College for which dual credit is earned. Tuition ($75 per credit) is paid separately to St. Thomas Aquinas College. Credits can be transferred to the college the student attends after high school graduation.   HONORS COURSES- are enriched courses intended to challenge students with high ability to reach their potential for learning.   REGENTS COURSES- are courses which follow the New York State Regents curriculum guideline.   DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS   English Regents Exam Math Regents Exam Global Studies Regents Exam US History/Government. Regents Exam Science Regents Exam   New York State Diploma Requirements   Students entering 9th grade in 2008 and thereafter:  Students must pass all five required Regents exams at a score of 65 or above.   "Advanced" Regents Diploma   Successful passing of 9 Regents Exams in the following 6 disciplines: English, Integrated Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, US History and Government, Global Studies, One Foreign Language, Two Science Regents (one must be a "Life Science," i.e. Biology).   PLEASE NOTE as part of class work in all grade levels, students will learn to research and utilize various subject related Web Sites on the Internet.