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Guidance Program
One of the major goals of our school is to meet the educational needs of all our students to the greatest extent possible. Good planning is required on your part if you are to meet your educational goals. You, your parents and your counselor should be involved in the selection of the courses you will take each year. In doing this, you must consider your record of achievement in school, your educational and vocational goals, and your interests and abilities. All of these factors should combine to form a long-range educational plan tailored especially for you. Each year you should review this plan and modify it as your interests and goals change. Your selection of courses should reflect those changes. However, at all times the selection of courses must be approved by your parents. We hope to introduce you to as many areas of study as possible. This is important for a well-rounded high school education. Therefore, we recommend that you avoid extremes of specialization in any one subject area. Specialization is more appropriate for later levels of education.
You are encouraged to visit the Guidance Office for advice concerning college selections, national testing programs, academic problems and registration for the coming year. When your achievement or behavior indicates the need for adjustment, the counselor may call for you. Parent-initiated conferences are also encouraged.
Preparation for College
If you plan to enter a four-year college or university, be aware
that entrance requirements vary with each institution. Visit the
web sites available to become familiar with entrance criteria. The
college/career planning center Guidance Office boasts an
extensive array of college material that you may borrow. This
collection includes college catalogues, SAT/ACT prep
information, videos/CD’s and career information. Computers are
also available for student use.
You are strongly urged to pursue a rigorous academic schedule
as every college admissions committee looks favorably upon the
student who has studied beyond the minimum requirements, in
addition to high academic achievement, colleges prefer students
who have been involved in co-curricular activities during high
school.
Almost all colleges require the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or
the American College Testing Program (ACT). A practice PSAT is
administered to sophomores. All juniors take the PSAT on campus
and it is also recommended that either the SAT or ACT in the
spring.
Preparation for Employment in Business
If you desire to prepare for employment as a secretary, bookkeeper, typist, file clerk, receptionist, etc., you should select as many courses as possible which are offered for business training. These courses are demanding and should be selected only by those who are willing to do work of average quality or better. We recommend that business students continue to study higher levels of mathematics whenever possible. The study of a foreign language is also appropriate, as are additional English, history or science courses. Careful selection of academic electives, combined with high grades, will improve your opportunities for employment after graduation, or for enrolling in college.
Preparation for General Employment
Not everyone will choose to go on to higher education after high school. Some of you will choose to enter the work force directly, or to attend a technical or trade school. A solid foundation of academic courses is the best preparation for this career goal. Employers want workers who can think, read, write, communicate, follow directions, and get along with other people. Therefore, you should plan to take academic courses which challenge you to your maximum abilities.
Preparation for Trade and Industrial Employment
You can be prepared for employment or for post high school training in one of the variety of trade and technical fields through a program in which you study academic subjects at Manchester Twp. H.S. one-half of each day, and your chosen occupational course at Ocean County Vocational School for the other one-half day. Students are selected for this program on the basis of achievement, aptitude, citizenship and teacher/counselor recommendation. Since the time spent in attending academic classes is limited, students in the vocational/technical program are not always able to choose from the entire list of course offerings. Also, they are limited in the number of elective courses they may choose. However, the benefits of this program for some students may far outweigh its limiting aspects.
Students may continue their education at the vocational school in a post-secondary program after high school graduation. There is scholarship funding of up to $750 available for this option. To apply, see your guidance counselor.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate from Manchester Township High School,
students are required to earn a minimum of 110 credits. Required
courses include:
• Four credit years of English.
• Three credit years of Mathematics.
• Three credit years of Science.
• Three credit years of Social Studies
(World Cultures, US History I and US History II).
• One year of Health/Physical Education
for each year of enrollment.
• One credit year of World Language.
• One credit year of career education and consumer, family and life skills, or vocational technical education.*
• One credit year in visual and performing arts.*
*(Infused into curriculum)
The New Jersey Department of Education is proposing
additional graduation requirements for the incoming freshman
class of 2013 as part of the high school reform initiative. These
changes may include increasing the number of credits required
for graduation to 120 credits and one credit year of visual and
performing arts.
In addition to the above-listed curricular requirements, the state
of New Jersey mandates that students must pass the New Jersey
High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) in reading, writing
and mathematics as a requirement for graduation. The test is
given in the spring of junior year.
Awarding of Credit
Credit shall be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the entire course. This is a numerical average of 70 or better as a final average. You must also adhere to the State of New Jersey's mandatory attendance laws. Students who exceed 20 absences will not receive credit in the course(s) affected.
Make-up of Failed Courses
If you fail a course, you must make it up if it is a course required
for graduation. You must also make up a failed course if the failure
results in a shortage of credits required for graduation. Summer
school is offered on a tuition basis through MOESC.
Grading System
Numerical grades are given at the end of each nine week marking period. Below is an interpretation of the marking system.
93 - 100 Excellent
85 - 92 Above Average
76 - 84 Average
70 - 75 Below Average
69 & Below Failing
WP Withdrawn Passing
IC Incomplete (make-up necessary)
M Medical Excuse
WF Withdrawn Failing
Those students selecting Honors Courses, in accordance with standards established by each department, will have those courses noted on their Transcript Forms.
Manchester Township High School operates on a Single Curriculum Plan. The only required courses are those mandated by the State of New Jersey and the Manchester Township Board of Education. Thus, each student will have an opportunity to plan his/her own program in accordance with his/her educational and vocational goals.
Class Rank
Rank in class refers to the student's relative position in his/her class based on a numerical average.
Rank in class is mainly used by colleges as one of the criteria in selecting students.
In order to accurately and fairly determine a student's class rank, it is necessary to weight some courses. Weighting is based upon academic difficulty.
Each course has been marked with asterisks denoting its relative weight.
The weighting factor is only used in the determination of rank in class. Any course taken during the summer is not included in rank. This includes remedial and enrichment classes.
Class rank is not calculated until the completion of the student's junior year.
OCC Jump Start Program
Ocean County high school students have an opportunity to get a jump start on college and complete up to a semester of college during their junior and/or senior year of high school at greatly reduced cost thanks to the scholarship program created by the Ocean County College Trustees. Through this program, the cost
of tuition and fees are reduced for high school juniors and
seniors. Courses are offered at various high school sites
including Manchester Township High School. Eligible juniors
and seniors must apply to Ocean County College with the
recommendation of the Principal. All juniors and seniors, who
have their district’s approval, are eligible.
Students will be able to attend class for as little as three hours a
week at any of OCC’s convenient locations and may arrange
their own schedule and select their own courses. For more
information, students are encouraged to meet with their guidance
counselors for approval and call the Office of Admissions and
Records at 877-OCC-FIRST.
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