SPECIAL PROGRAMs

Shrewsbury High School is a comprehensive public high school and as such its curricular offerings are designed to meet the needs of most students. There are times, however, when a student needs special programs or courses. Shrewsbury High School has several programs that may meet the needs of these students. For more specific information, it is important that students discuss these options with their guidance counselors to find out about enrolling in these special programs.

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Academic Support(9507)         

Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor                    Grade (s): 9-12

Academic Support is a supportive academic environment designed to assist students to succeed in a regular education program. Support is provided to enhance organizational skills, study skills, and expectations of the academic classroom and teachers. The goal of this course is to help students to develop the necessary skills for continued achievement in high school. This course meets for 6 days during the 7-day cycle.

SHS Capstone Exhibition Honors (9504)

Elective              Full Year                Grade (s): Grade 11 Semester 2 continuing through Grade 12, Semester 1

Prerequisite: Permission from the coordinator

The intent of this program is to allow a select number of juniors and seniors to engage in Project Based Learning in an area of personal interest. Students will pursue an independent project over the course of the spring of their junior year and the fall of their senior year. The project may center around any of the major academic disciplines, art, music, technology, exercise/fitness, mindfulness, writing, or performance. Students may also consider an internship or paid employment as part of their project. The required public exhibition will be evidence of a student's learning over the course of the year; it will celebrate that learning and showcase a final product that enables students to share their experience with a larger audience. Additionally, students will demonstrate their ability to problem solve, organize time and resources, communicate effectively and reflect on oneself as a learner. Students will be required to demonstrate competence through the creation of a portfolio, exhibition, and reflective journal. Students will be required to meet performance benchmarks to remain in the program. Benchmark assessments will be made by a faculty mentor. Removal from the program is at the discretion of the faculty coordinator; decisions may be appealed to the principal. Students must apply by the end of sophomore year to be considered for this program.

Virtual High School

Elective                Semester or Full Year  Grade(s) 11-12                   A Level, Honors or AP

Virtual High School is a worldwide leader in offering high school courses in an online format. At Shrewsbury High School students can choose from over 200 semester courses and 7 full year Advanced Placement courses. Some of the more popular courses include Criminology, Investing in the Stock Market, Business & Personal Law, Forensic Science, Art History, and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Popular Advanced Placement courses include AP Economics (Micro & Macro), AP Government & Politics, AP Art History, and AP Computer Science. VHS students should be motivated, independent learners who can budget their time effectively, enjoy working independently and want to use current information and communication technologies. Students have a designated class time as they would with any other elective. Check out Virtual High School by visiting the website at www.govhs.org where you can follow the academic link to the course catalog and a demo net course.

Job Shadowing Program (9974)                           

Elective                 Grade(s): 10-12

The Job Shadowing Program provides students with opportunities to explore occupations of interest to them. On an individual basis, students visit an adult at work for one day to gain first-hand familiarity with careers of interest to them. Students may identify their own sponsor for this program. Each job shadowing student may visit one work site per semester. Each participating student is required to research the occupation to be observed before the visit and to write a reflection after the experience. Students may sign up for Job Shadowing as part of the scheduling process, or at the beginning of the school year. This course will be graded as Pass/Fail. Students may earn up to 0.5 credits for each experience.

Cooperative Work Study Program (9988/5 credits), (9989/10 credits), (9990/15 credits)

Elective                 Grade(s): 11-12

Prerequisite: Permission of Program Coordinator, Administration, School Counselor

Cooperative Work Study Program is occupation oriented paid work experience. It gives students an opportunity to integrate on-the-job experience with their chosen career pathway. Students will work to improve industry-based skills and knowledge with skills already developed in school. This program allows students to attend school in the morning and work in a related business in the afternoon and evening. Students are required to complete an application process that will include the program coordinator, administration and school counselor approval to enroll. Students will be required to meet with the program coordinator quarterly to develop a portfolio of vocational materials, comply with program guidelines, and act in a responsible manner to be successful in this program. Credit will be based on period (s) assigned and grading is Pass/Fail.

Learning Skills (9/10, 11/12) (9901)

Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor 

The Learning Skills course is designed to provide students with skills that are necessary to be successful in high school, as well as to prepare students to transition to post-secondary settings (work, college, adult living, etc). Students receive instruction individually and/or in small groups according to students’ individual learning styles. Learning Skills lessons are designed to teach executive functioning, study techniques, career planning, self-advocacy, and self-determination skills. In addition, students will be provided with instruction to develop compensatory strategies skills that will assist them in becoming independent learners.  Students complete a minimum of four activities in the following domains each academic school year as determined by teacher assessment: goal setting and planning, academics and career skills, and self-determination.

Vocational Exploration (9914)

Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor

This course, which features smaller class sizes and more individualized learning experiences, is designed to improve the student's functional job experience within the Shrewsbury High School environment, with explicit teacher instruction and feedback. Skills targeted include initiating communication, appropriately asking for help, accepting feedback professionally, independent problem solving, and building task acquisition skills.  Job tasks have included distributing copied worksheets to teacher mailboxes, organizing and delivering supplies throughout the school, cleaning glasses and measuring them in a lensometer, and window cleaning all of which are meaningful skills that students can bring to other job positions and add to their resume. In addition, this course includes an online component to complete a number of vocation-related lessons related to job-related skills such as communication and problem solving. 

World of Work (9916)

Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor 

This course, which features smaller class sizes and more individualized learning experiences, is designed to improve the student's completion of a variety of vocational routines or tasks. These activities include but are not limited to: reading recipes, preparing food items, stocking items, laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher. In addition, students will complete a variety of interest inventories to then explore preferences for tasks and settings.  In addition, when appropriate students will attend community-based learning activities within the structure of the school day that focuses on money skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and foundational math skills.

Mobile On-Site Vocational Education (MOVE) (9920)

Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor

This course, which features smaller class sizes and more individualized learning experiences, is designed to provide functional job experience in community settings with support. Students travel to a nearby hotel, where they complete a variety of skills including but not limited to housekeeping, gardening, clerical tasks, basic food prep kitchen, and organization of common areas of the hotel.  All students rotate through each work area on a weekly basis.  There are a variety of short-term activities combined with regular long-term projects throughout the year, planned and implemented in partnership with the hotel management.  Students work with a site supervisor, special education teacher, and instructional aides. Skills targeted are individualized but may include, communication with support staff and customers, self advocacy, accepting feedback professionally, independent problem solving, following a list of professional rules, building task acquisition skills, and maintenance of mandated work attire.