Bangor Area High School
Encyclopedia
Bangor Area High School is a four-year public high school located in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Mount Bethel Township is a township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upper Mount Bethel Township is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt....

, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is the only high school in the Bangor Area School District
Bangor Area School District
The Bangor Area School District is a midsized, public school district located in Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It covers approximately serving the Boroughs of Bangor, East Bangor, Portland and Roseto and Upper Mount Bethel Township, Washington Township and most of Lower Mount Bethel...

. Its colors are maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...

 and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...

 and its mascot is the Slater
Slater
Slater is an occupational surname of English origin. A slater is a tradesman.-Surname:* Allana Slater , Australian artistic gymnast* Bert Slater , Scottish football player* Bill Slater , English footballer...

.

Graduation rate

In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Bangor Area School District's rate was 89% for 2010.

According to traditional graduation rate calculations:
  • 2010 - 94%
  • 2009 - 93%
  • 2008 - 90%
  • 2007 - 90%

Graduation requirements

Bangor Area School District School Board has determined that a student must earn 28 credits in order to graduate including: English 4 credits, Math 4 credits, Social Studies 4 credits, Science 3 credits, Health/Physical Education 3 credits, and Elective Courses 10 credits. A significant change in the Program of study begins with the Class of 2014. Fewer electives are permitted while 4 credits are required for science, a new technology requirement is added.

By law, all Pennsylvania high school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.

By Pennsylvania State School Board regulations, for the graduating classes of 2016, students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, English Composition, and Literature for which the Keystone Exams serve as the final course exams. Students’ Keystone Exam scores shall count for at least one-third of the final course grade.

AYP status

Bangor Area High School is in School Improvement I due to chronic low student achievement. In 2009, the school was in School Improvement I. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires schools not meeting AYP to complete and implement a school improvement plan which delineates strategic practices to raise the achievement levels of all students. The high school has developed a school improvement plan. The district is required to permit students to transfer to an achieving school within the district.

11th Grade Reading

  • 2010 - 79% on grade level Boys - 67% / Girls-75% (15% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 66% of 11th graders are on grade level.
  • 2009 - 60%, Boys - 52% / Girls-68% (21% below basic), State - 65%
  • 2008 - 53%, Boys - 40%/Girls - 56% (31% below basic), State - 65%
  • 2007 - 63%, Boys - 58%/Girls - 68% (19% below basic), State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

  • 2010 - 67%, on grade level (20% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
  • 2009 - 52% (29% below basic). State - 56%.
  • 2008 - 43% (38% below basic), State - 56%
  • 2007 - 52% (24% below basic), State - 53%

11th Grade Science:

  • 2010 - 37% on grade level (22% below basic). State - 39% of 11th graders were on grade level.
  • 2009 - 35% (22% below basic). State - 40%
  • 2008 - 28%, State - 39%

College remediation:

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

 study released in January 2009, 15% of Bangor Area High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading, before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

 or community colleges. Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

Dual enrollment

The Bangor Area High School offers the Pennsylvania Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment
In education, dual enrollment involved students being enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. It may also refer to any individual who is participating in two related programs, but such a general form of usage is uncommon....

 program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Under the program, students have full access to all activities and programs at the high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions. The Pennsylvania College Credit Transfer System reported in 2009, that students saved nearly $35.4 million by having their transferred credits count towards a degree under the new system.

In 2010, Bangor High School received a $5,713 to assist students with the cost of fees, books and tuition.

School Improvement Grant

In the Spring of 2011, the district administration did not apply for School Improvement Grant
School Improvement Grant
School Improvement Grants are grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to state education agencies under Section 1003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965...

 funding, from the federal government (over $9.9 million available). The Bangor Area High School was eligible for funding due to chronic, low student academic achievement. The grant stipulates the funds be used for improving student achievement using one of four federally dictated strategies. The strategies are: transformation, turnaround, restart with new faculty and administration or closure of failing schools. The Pennsylvania Education Secretary awarded $66 Million to reform Pennsylvania's lowest achieving schools in August 2011. The funding is for three years.

For the 2010-11 school year, Bangor Area High School administration did not apply for a School Improvement Grant. It was eligible for funding due to the chronic, low achievement.

In 2010, Pennsylvania received $141 million from the federal department of education, to turn around its worst-performing schools. The funds were dispersed via a competitive grant program. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has identified 200 Pennsylvania schools as "persistently lowest achieving," making them eligible for this special funding. Pennsylvania required low performing schools to apply or provide documentation about why they had not applied. The funds must be used, by the district, to turn around schools in one of four ways: school closure, restart - close the school and reopen it as a charter school. The other two options involve removing the principal. One would require at least half the faculty in a chronically poor performing school be dismissed. The second involves intensive teacher training coupled with strong curriculum revision or a longer school day.

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Its main athletic rival is Pen Argyl Area High School
Pen Argyl Area High School
Pen Argyl Area High School is a four-year public high school located in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the only high school in the Pen Argyl Area School District.Its colors are green and white and its mascot is the Green Knight....

. Eligibility to participate is determined by school board policy. n June 2011, the school board restructured of the District’s current physical education programs to enable interscholastic sports that are already provided to fulfill the physical education requirements. Students receive physical education credits for interscholastic/extra-curricular participation, This new program eliminated one physical education teaching position from the high school.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.

Marching band

The Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 heritage of Bangor is recognized by the band, and its uniforms are modeled after Her Majesty's Royal Welsh Guard. The Slater Band has played in the Gator bowl in Gainseville, Florida and won an honorary mention. They have also participated in Disney World's Spectromagic Parade, and went on their "Tribute to Heroes Tour" in Ireland, Wales, and England during Easter Week of 2007 http://www.nwaf-cymru.org/digwyddiadau_events.htm. The band's trademark songs include "Men of Harlech
Men of Harlech
"Men of Harlech" or "The March of the Men of Harlech" is a song and military march which is traditionally said to describe events during the seven year long siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468. Commanded by Constable Dafydd ap Ieuan, the garrison held out in what is the longest known...

" and "Rule, Britannia!
Rule, Britannia!
"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740...

" The band was under the direction of Mr. Craig Paine from 1982 to 2010. It is currently under the direction of Mr. Eric Hahn.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK