Bangor Area High School

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Bangor Area High School is a four-year public high school located in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the only high school in the Bangor Area School District. Its colors are maroon and white and its mascot is the Slater.

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.[1]

According to traditional graduation rate calculations:

  • 2010 - 94% [2]
  • 2009 - 93%
  • 2008 - 90% [3]
  • 2007 - 90% [4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]
  • 2009 - 60%, Boys - 52% / Girls-68% (21% below basic), State - 65% [11]
  • 2008 - 53%, Boys - 40%/Girls - 56% (31% below basic), State - 65% [12]
  • 2007 - 63%, Boys - 58%/Girls - 68% (19% below basic), State - 65% [13]

11th Grade Math

  • 2010 - 67%, on grade level (20% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.[14]
  • 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% [15]
  • 2008 - 28%, State - 39%

College remediation

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education 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 or community colleges.[16] 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.[17] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 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 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.[18] Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[19] 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.[20]

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 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.[21]

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.[22]

In 2010, Pennsylvania received $141 million from the federal department of education, to turn around its worst-performing schools. The funds were disbursed via a competitive grant program.[23] The Pennsylvania Department of Education has identified 200 Pennsylvania schools as "persistently lowest achieving," making them eligible for this special funding.[24] 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.[25]

Extracurriculars

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See also: Colonial League

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Its main athletic rival is Pen Argyl Area High School. 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.[26]

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.[27]

Marching band

The Welsh 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 [1]. The band's trademark songs include "Men of Harlech" and "Rule, Britannia!" The band was under the direction of Mr. Craig Paine from 1982 to 2010. It is currently under the direction of Mr. Eric Hahn.

References

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  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ PA Department of Education School Improvement Federal Funds for School Reforms to Boost Student Achievement Awardees 2010
  26. ↑ Bangor Area School District Resolution Curtailment and alteration notice |author=Bangor Area School district Administration |date=June 1, 2011
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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