Nyack Public Schools

During the middle years, students continue to develop 21st century competencies in the "Seven C's" - Critical thinking, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, Compassion, Content-mastery, and Cultural awareness -competencies that are critical to success in an increasingly interdependent world.  The English curriculum provides a scope and sequence that allows students to develop these competencies within each unit of instruction. The curriculum is common across each grade level and is aligned to the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards.  Students incorporate the use of various forms of technology in a learner-active, technology-infused classroom structure.  In this environment, students are provided with a great deal of choice in how they approach their learning, while teachers differentiate instruction in order to meet each student's learning needs and goals.  Students acquire and apply close-reading strategies as they develop fundamental analysis skills required for success on the secondary level.  Each unit culminates in a project-based assessment that features the written modes of narration, exposition, or argument.  The NY State ELA exam is administered in April of each year.  Specific information pertaining to each English course can be found in the Nyack Middle School Program of Studies guide.

The curriculum in grades 9 and 10 provides students with opportunities to develop not only critical literacy skills outlined in the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards, but also proficiency in the "Seven C's" of 21st century competencies: Critical thinking, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, Compassion, Content Mastery, and Cultural Awareness.

Students in grade 9 will take either English 9R or English 9H; students in grade 10 will take either English 10R and 10H.

Differences in the degree of instructional scaffolding, pacing, and workload are what primarily distinguish an H-Level course from an R-Level course, but the thematic content and the Next Generation ELA Learning Standards remain the same for all students.  

GRADE 9: English-9 courses (both R and H levels) focus on the themes of identity formation and coming of age.  Student-produced writing assignments fall into three categories: narration, exposition, and argument. Students also prepare an annotated bibliography as part of their investigation into an authentic research question, which culminates in the production of a formal research paper.

GRADE 10: English-10 courses (both R and H levels) focus on the theme of the individual within the society.  Students build upon the foundation of ninth grade, further developing their writing and language use skills in narrative, expository, and argumentative modes of expression, with greater independence and sophistication.  

There are no prerequisites for any English courses offered at Nyack High School.  However, we encourage students to have discussions with their parents, counselors, and English teachers, to consider their prior academic performance in English classes, and to assess the degree to which they actually enjoy the study of English Language Arts, prior to enrolling in advanced-level English classes.

There is no standardized New York State ELA exam in grades 9 or 10.  Students will take the NYS English Language Arts Regents Examat the end of grade 11.

• ENGLISH 11R or ENGLISH 11H - English 11R and 11H are full-year courses that differ only in the degree of instructional scaffolding, pacing of the courses, and the workload.  Both courses explore "The American Experience" as its central theme, and students must demonstrate proficiency in the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards for grade 11 by the end of the year, which are assessed on the NYS English Regents exam.  
• AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION - This is an advanced College Board® English course that is the equivalent of a college-level rhetoric and composition course.  Although Nyack High School has an open-enrollment policy, students should consider their prior performance in English - particularly on written assignments - the degree to which they actually enjoy the study of language, and their readiness to assume the level of commitment required to handle the pace and workload of the course.  For more information, visit the AP English Language & Composition Course Description.
• AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION - Just as the AP Language course is the equivalent of a college-level rhetoric course, the AP English Literature & Composition course is the equivalent of a college-level literature course.  When deciding whether or not to enroll in the course, students should carefully consider their prior performance in English, the degree to which they love and enjoy the study of literature and poetry, and their readiness to commit to the workload and pace of the course. For more information, visit the AP English Literature and Composition Course Description.
• SAT PREP AND COLLEGE READINESS - The SAT prep course is an elective that a student would take in addition to, not in lieu of, a full-year English course.  This is a one-semester course in which students meet with an English teacher and a Math teacher on alternating days.  It is a "Pass/Fail" course that counts for 1/4 English credit and 1/4 Math credit, and is designed specifically for students who wish to improve their SAT scores and, to some extent, their ACT scores. 
• RCC ENGLISH 101 AND 102 - We are proud to offer this fall/spring semester sequence of college level courses in cooperation with Rockland Community College (RCC). Students who successfully pass both courses with a 73 or higher are eligible to earn a total of 6 credit hours (three per semester) at RCC, which are transferable to any other college or university that will accept the credits.  Since these are college courses being offered at Nyack High School, there are registration costs.  RCC English-101 is the equivalent of a freshman level rhetoric and composition course, while the 102 course is the equivalent of a freshman level survey of imaginative literature such as fiction, poetry, and drama.  Each course requires seven or more essays per semester, one of which is a documented essay which students must pass in order to pass the course.   

In senior year, students choose from a variety of course electives to accommodate their interests and goals.  Students may opt to take one full-year elective OR two half-year (semester) electives.

Full-Year Senior Electives: Either the AP English Language & Composition Course or the AP English Literature & Composition Course or RCC English 101/102.

One-Semester Senior Electives - Students must choose two electives if they do not take one of the AP courses.  For a complete listing of senior electives and course descriptions, please see the Program of Studies guide on the Nyack High School Homepage.