• General Graduation Requirements:

    Students must complete a total of 22 units of credit to earn a diploma, including the following courses:

    Language Arts4 units
    		American/Arizona History 1 unit
    Math4 units
    		American/Arizona Government 1/2 unit
    Lab Science3 units
    		Free Enterprise or Economics*
    		1/2 unit
    Health/Physical Education
    		1 unit
    		Fine Art or Career & Technical Ed1 unit
    World History
    		1 unit
    		Elective Courses6 units
    *One credit of Marketing 1 & 2 and Adv. Marketing may be substituted for Free Enterprise or Economics


    Students who intend to pursue a University program after graduation must complete two years of foreign language as a portion of their elective work and must also complete one year of fine arts from the selections above.
    All students must also meet the state AIMS requirements to graduate. All students are required to take assessments in reading, writing and mathematics. The state scores the assessments and determines if each individual student meets proficiency in each area.


    Advanced Academics at Boulder Creek High School


    The Certificate of Academic Distinction
    The Certificate of Academic Distinction offers honors students the ability to earn a distinguished program of study while at Boulder Creek High School. Students who sit for the Certificate of Academic Distinction will complete four years of advanced studies, including two years of Advanced Placement and community college curriculum. The certification’s culminating project is an independent interdisciplinary senior thesis program developed by the student in cooperation with faculty mentors. While similar programs exist at the university level, they are rarely found in a high school setting. This distinction places the participates above and beyond high school graduates across the state and increases their competitiveness in college placement and scholarship programs.


    Advanced Placement Courses:

    Boulder Creek High School has a highly developed Advanced Placement program, offering more than 20 courses at the university level. Advanced Placement is a curriculum program supervised by the College Board. The international program designs university-equivalent curriculum and testing for high school students to earn transfer credits. The curriculum and testing are certified by an university professors. The text and materials are university-level work and teachers must be audited by the College Board.
    Advanced Placement courses at Boulder Creek are across six different educational departments; including: Biology, Calculus AB and BC, Chemistry, Comparative Government, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, French, Macro Economics, Micro Economics, Music Theory, Physics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Studio Art, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, World History. Advanced Placement courses are all noted as AP in the course catalog.


    Community College Dual Enrollment Program

    Boulder Creek High School offers dual enrollment through Maricopa County Community College’s partnership with Rio Salado Community College. These courses are community college courses with NCA accreditation. Students pay the community college tuition and earn credit on both their high school and Rio Salado transcripts. Students receive free college textbooks and their teachers are qualified Rio Salado adjunct faculty.
    Boulder Creek High School offers dual enrollment courses in seven departments, including: English 101-102 and English Literature 241-242, College Math 142, College Algebra 151, Pre-Calculus 187, Spanish 101-102 and 201-202, Political Science 110, Psychology 101 and Developmental Psychology 240, Anatomy and Physiology 160, Biology 181-182, Studio Art 130, and over 6 community college courses in technology, marketing, and business. These courses are designated by a Prefix code and Course number. (ex. ENG 101)
    College Preparatory Honors Courses

    Boulder Creek High School offers honors level courses for college preparatory students to prepare them for college and university level work. These courses are for 9-11th graders and are offered in every department. Honors curriculum meets the state educational standards in their subject areas but carry increased rigor and promote critical thinking, college reading and study skills, and 21st Century collaboration skills. In some cases, high school subjects taken in the eighth grade may also receive honors credit. These courses are designated with an H in the course catalog

    WestMec Career Curriculum Partnership

    Boulder Creek High School provides it’s students with the opportunity to attend a number of partnership programs for career readiness. These programs are part of their high school program of study but provide targeted training in a number of career fields with certified faculty. The programs include:

    Automotive Collision Industries – offered at Paradise Valley High School and open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors – students receive 3 high school credits for one school year.
    Automotive Technology – offered at Ironwood High School and open to juniors. This is a 2 year program and students can receive 6 high school credits.
    Aviation Technology – offered at West-Mec Aviation at the Glendale Airport and open to juniors. This is a 2 year program and students can receive 12 high school credits.
    Cosmetology – offered at Cutting Edge Style Academy located in Peoria and open to juniors. This is a 2 year program and students can receive 12 high school credits.
    Dental Assisting – offered at Rio Salado at Northern & I-17 and open to seniors. This is a 1 year program and students can receive 4 high school credits and 31 community college credits resulting in a CDA (Certified Dental Assistant).
    Emergency Medical Technician – offered at Glendale Community College (Main and North campuses) and open to seniors. This is a 1 semester course and students can receive 1 high school credit and 12 community college credits. This course fulfills the industry certification: National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.
    Fire Science – offered at Glendale Community College Main campus and open to juniors and seniors. This is a 1 year program and students can receive 1 high school credit and 12 community college credits. This course fulfills the industry certification: IFSAC Certificate of Completion (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress).
    Medium Heavy Diesel Technology – offered at Freightliner Sterling and Western Star of Arizona in Tolleson, AZ and open to juniors. This is a 2 year program and students can receive 6 high school credits.


    GPA Information


    To reflect the advanced rigor of Boulder Creek’s college preparatory program, honors and AP classes carry additional weighting in the students’ grade point average. This weighting does not include dual enrollment courses.
    The following table indicates honor point equivalents.
     
     
    Grade Honor Points Grade Regular Points
    A
    		 5
    		 A
    		 4
    B
    		 4
    		 B
    		 3
    C3C
    		2
    D1D
    		1
    F0F
    		0
      

    Grading System


    Boulder Creek High School utilizes a standard grading system. Students earn grades over a traditional 18-week semester and take cumulative final assessments. The semester grade constitutes 80% of the course grade and places an emphasis on scoring student mastery of the required standards. The final exam is at least 20% of the semester grade. The grading is numerical; letter grade equivalents and grade points are as follows:
    A = 100 – 90 % Excellent
    B = 89 – 80 % Above Average
    C = 79 – 70% Average
    D = 69 – 60% Below Average
    F = Below 60% Failing
    WP = withdrawn from course passing mark WF = withdrawn from course failing mark
     

    Graduation Class Ranking Program


    The following designated courses will be used when calculating high school class ranking: Courses who carry a designation of Honors or Advanced Placement will receive the increased weighting explained in GPA Information.
    Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
    Language Arts Language Arts Language Arts Language Arts
    Math Math Math** Math**
    Science Science Science** Science**
    Social Studies Social Studies Social Studies
    **These classes are not required for graduation but will be required for class ranking only.

    College Attendance and Scholarships

    Boulder Creek High School exceeds state and national averages for advanced studies after earning a high school transcript. Below are annual averages for graduates:
    4 Year university – an average of 39% Community College – an average of 43%
    Trade/Technical School – an average of 3% Military Enlistment– an average of 4%
    Workforce – an average of 4% Undecided – an average of 7%

    The Graduating Class of 2010 also earned almost million in scholarship monies, 6 Advanced Placement Scholar titles, and one Navy Annapolis Scholarship. In 2009, the graduating class also had a national merit semi-finalist and two military ROTC scholarships.

    Career and Technical Education

    Students completing CTE programs take an end-of-program assessment that evaluates students' skill attainment of the CTE programs' industry validated technical standards. Students who pass this assessment receive a Certificate of Skill Standards Attainment from the Arizona Skill Standards Commission and the Arizona Department of Education.

    Students can complete certifications in: Business Operations, Child Development, Engineering, Graphics Design, Information Technology, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and Media Production.

    21st Century Development and the Certificate of Global Studies

    To maintain a competitive edge in the emerging global economy, Boulder Creek High School delivers curriculum that promotes academic rigor, technological integration, and cultural awareness. These skills will ensure that graduates are employable in the 21st century. To do so the school provides curriculum in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese instruction. The school also provides global awareness curriculum in a variety of departments. Students may also earn a supplement to their diploma, the Certificate of Global Studies. The certificate promotes foreign language fluency, travel abroad, and completion courses signified as global awareness