WPHS Freshman Course Catalog 2024-2025

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS First Entered Grade 9 in September 2013 or Later

Required Courses	Credits Required Local Diploma 1	Credits Required Regents Diploma 2	Credits Required Advanced Regents Diploma 2
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

¹ 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.

² 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.