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WPHS Course Catalog 2025-2026

 White Plains High School Course Catalog 2025-2026  (please click to access the PDF Version)

This course catalog is intended to inform you of the options available in the various academic departments at WPHS  including required courses for graduation, prerequisites that must be completed in order to pursue specific academic sequences, and elective courses.   In planning your program, the following factors should be considered:

  • Meeting high school graduation requirements
  • Meeting college entrance requirements
  • Preparing for your future career
  • Pursuing special interests and/or talents

Planning a course schedule should extend beyond the next year.  The student, parent, and guidance counselor should map out the entire high school schedule up to graduation.    

Our ability to offer any elective course is dependent upon student enrollment, budget and Board of Education approval.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS (First Entered Grade 9 in September 2013 or Later)

Required Courses 

Credits Required Local Diploma1

Credits Required Regents Diploma2

Credits Required Advanced Regents Diploma2

English

4

4

4

Social Studies

4

4

4

Math*

3

3

3

Science*

3

3

3

World Languages

  1**

  1**

    3***

Art/Music

1

1

1

Health

.5

.5

.5

Physical Education

2

2

2

Sequence/Electives

3.5

3.5

1.5

Total Credits

22

22

22

 

  • Local Diploma: In specific instances, New York State may allow school districts to award a Local Diploma.  A White Plains High School Local Diploma will be issued to any student who meets N.Y. State’s guidelines, as per White Plains Board of Education approval.
  • Diploma With Honors: As per New York State regulations, a student may be awarded a Regents Diploma or an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors.  To earn honors, a student much achieve an average of 90 percent on all Regents Exams (or their equivalent pursuant to section 100.2 (p), required for the diploma.  Averages below 90.0 percent shall not be rounded upward to 90 percent.

    *An integrated course in mathematics/science/technology may be used to satisfy the requirement for a third unit of credit in Math or Science.   This course must be taught by a teacher certified in the area in which the student is receiving credit.

  **Students are required to have completed two units of study in a World Language by the end of their 9th grade year.  One unit of credit is earned either by passing the NY State Proficiency Exam or earning a unit of commencement level credit in a World Language.

***Students acquiring a five unit sequence of credits in one of the following areas may be exempt from the World Language requirement beyond one credit:  The Arts (art, music and/or theater), or Career and Technical Education.

REQUIRED NEW YORK STATE EXAMS* 

Subject

 Local Diploma

 Regents Diploma

 Advanced Regents Diploma

English

Regents Exam in English Language Arts

Regents Exam in English Language Arts

Regents Exam in English Language Arts

Mathematics

Any Mathematics Regents Exam

Any Mathematics Regents Exam

Must take 3: Integrated Algebra or Common Core Algebra I Regents, and Geometry Regents or Geometry Common Core Regents, and  Algebra 2/Trigonometry Regents or Algebra II Common Core Regents

Global Studies

Global History & Geography Regents

Global History & Geography Regents

Global History & Geography Regents

U. S. History

U. S. History & Government Regents

U. S. History & Government Regents

U. S. History & Government Regents

Science

Any Science Regents Exam

Any Science Regents Exam

1 Life Science Regents and 1 Physical Science Regents

World Languages

 

 

World Language Checkpoint B Exam

  *Additional opportunities to earn a local or Regents diploma exist through appeals, Pathways, and – for classified students – compensatory options. Please see your counselor for more information.

COURSE TYPES/LEVELS

Some core courses (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and World Languages) are offered at both Regents and Honors levels.  When this is the case, it will state at the bottom of the course descriptions: “Both Regents and Honors levels are offered for this course”. 

Regents courses are rigorous courses designed to follow the New York State Regents curricula.  

Honors courses go beyond the Regents curricula with regard to both breadth and depth, and require more independent work on the part of the student.  Due to the increased demands and challenge of these courses, students receive a 1.3 multiplier for these course grades when they are calculated as part of the student’s GPA (grade point average). 

AP (Advanced Placement) courses follow College Board (national) curricula that are designed to engage the student in college  work. When a course is at the AP level, this will be indicated in the course title, such as “AP Biology” or “AP U.S. History”.  Students in AP courses are required to pay for and take the AP Examinations associated with their courses in May.  The cost per AP Exam in 2021 was $70.00.  The College Board has raised this price each year, so we anticipate this price increasing.  In addition, for students registering late for the AP exam, the College Board may increase the fee to $140.00. 

Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch pay a reduced fee.  Students who do well on the AP Exam may be awarded college credit for their work.  AP courses receive a 1.3 multiplier.

Dual enrollment courses are courses that allow a student to earn high school and college credit simultaneously.  To do this, a student must register with the college and pay tuition for that course.  Tuition is generally discounted for high school students.  In some cases, a student must pass a college placement test to be eligible to do this.  At the conclusion of the course the student will earn both high school credit, and also–provided the student earns a C or better–college credit that may be applied either to that college or submitted for approval as transfer credit to another college.  White Plains High School offers dual enrollment through Westchester Community College (ECE “Early College Experience” courses), SUNY Albany (Science Research), Syracuse University (SUPA English courses), Marist College, and Rochester Institute of Technology (Project Lead the Way).  When a course is a dual enrollment course, this will be indicated in the course description.   Dual Enrollment courses receive a 1.3 multiplier.

Honors/Advanced Placement Courses   WPHS provides access to honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses to all students.  Students currently in an AP or honors course may plan their academic program for the appropriate subsequent AP or honors course. Since honors and AP courses are rigorous, with increased expectations regarding the level of student work, conversations should take place between the student, parent, and school counselor to determine if placement in one or more of these courses is in the best interest of the student.  Students will, however, still be required to have taken prerequisite courses where applicable.  Please note that our dual enrollment courses taken for college credit from Westchester Community College,  SUNY Albany,  Syracuse University,  Marist College and  Rochester Institute of Technology have specific prerequisites which can be found in the course description. 

 

Seal of Civic Readiness

The New York State Seal of Civic Readiness is a formal recognition that a student has attained a high level of proficiency in terms of civic knowledge, civic skills, civic mindset and civic experiences.

All seniors who earn the Seal will receive a special distinction on their high school diploma and can be eligible for the 4+1 pathway to graduation.

To earn the seal, students must earn six points from the options below.  At least two points need to come from the left side and at least two points must come from the right side.

 

Students will complete the Research project in the 9th grade Global History classes and the Civics Project in their 11th and 12th grade classes.  Please make an appointment to speak with Ms. Jawanda Weston or Mr. Emory Davis to learn more about the Seal or scan the QR code below

 

                                                                

GRADING

Progress reports are mailed five weeks into each quarter.  Report cards are distributed four times a year at the end of each quarter.  White Plains High School uses letter grades and percentages.  The following   ranges apply:

   A+

96.5 – 100

   B+

86.5 – 89.4

   C+

76.5 – 79.4

   D+

66.5 – 69.4

A

92.5 – 96.4

 B

82.5 – 86.4

  C

72.5 – 76.4

 D

64.5 – 66.4

 A-

89.5 – 92.4

  B-

79.5 – 82.4

   C-

69.5 – 72.4

 F

Below 64.5

All grades below 65 are numerical.  In addition, grades issued in Honors and Advanced Placement courses, Science Research and Dual Enrollment English carry a 1.3 multiplier when computing the GPA and the rank in class.

The final grade in a yearlong course is computed using each of the four marking periods, the mid-year exam, and the final exam.  For semester courses, the final grade is an average of two marking periods and the final exam.

WPHS Course Change Policy

Revised 6.2022

Lateral changes (changing periods or teachers but remaining in the same course) are not permitted.

Students who are in Honors or AP courses, especially if this is their first experience with courses at this level, are encouraged to remain for a minimum of five weeks so that they can get used to the difference in depth and pacing before deciding to leave the course. 

Schedule changes that involve adding a new course or changing from a Regents level to an Honors or AP level course must be done prior to the fifth week of a full year course, or the third week of a one-semester course.

Schedule changes that involve moving from an AP or Honors to a Regents level course need to be completed within 5 days of the progress reports during 2nd quarter.  When entering a new course, the student may be responsible for completing assignments in the new course.

A student who drops a course outright (does so without changing levels) may do so up until the halfway point in the course without any notation being made on the student’s transcript.   Any course dropped after that will appear on the student’s transcript with a “W”.

Schedule changes of any kind should be made only after a thorough discussion with the student’s current teacher and his/her school counselor. 

Please note that there are times when schedule changes are prohibited.  No classes may be changed during the first or final week of any quarter. 

White Plains High School Course Catalog 2025-2026  (please click to access the PDF Version)