For several years, we’ve been taking inventory of our academic curriculum and offerings to ensure the strength of our programs. In receiving invaluable feedback from students, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and the changing secondary and higher education landscape, we saw an opportunity to diversify our academic experience and better prepare students for college.

Beginning in the 2024-2025 Academic Year, an 8-drop-2 schedule will be implemented, meaning each student will have 1 additional period each school year. The addition of that period will immediately create space in a student’s schedule for something new depending on their grade. You can view sample year-by-year schedules above.

In the 2024-2025 Academic Year, All incoming 8th Grade SELECT students and freshmen will immediately begin coursework according to the updated graduation requirements. 

All sophomores and juniors will be grandfathered into the existing graduation requirements with the addition of their grade level’s RIDE-required courses. 

All seniors will be grandfathered into their existing graduation requirements.

Obviously, the addition of another period means more classes, and therefore, more time and effort from students and faculty. However, the goal of electives is to be exploratory and project-based in nature, meaning there will not be the same out-of-school expectations as core curriculum courses. 

Each class period will meet 18 fewer times over the school year in order to create space for Period H in the schedule.

As a result, faculty will be prepared to make adjustments to curriculum and pacing to account for fewer class meetings. Adjustments will be appropriate to the grade and academic level of each course.  

In the new 8-drop-2 schedule, there are no changes to the duration of periods, the bell schedule, or lunches.

With the addition of Period H, all students will have 8 periods and 2 of those periods will drop each day. The schedule is designed so that no period drops 2 days in a row.

No! The schedule is designed so that no class drops 2 days in a row.

This is completely up to each student! All students are required to take a bare minimum of 2.5 credits of electives and .5 credits of an arts elective to graduate from Bishop Hendricken. 

Upperclassmen are limited to the number of free periods they’re permitted to take each year, meaning juniors and seniors will have open periods to fill. Some may elect to fill open periods with additional Modern Language, Science, or Social Studies courses. Other may choose to fill those open periods with electives.

Most electives will be semester courses and worth .5 credits. Year-long electives will be worth 1 credits. Students must take at least 2.5 credits of electives to graduate from Bishop Hendricken.

With the exception of the specific Advanced Placement (AP) courses, all electives are CP1 level. 

Bishop Hendricken will offer all electives currently in our course catalog for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. With additional space and time in a student’s schedule, our hope is that more electives are offered and run than ever before possible. All electives will be contingent upon enrollment following course registration. 

Over the next year, we’ll be working with faculty members to develop additional electives to be offered beginning in the 2025-2026 Academic Year. We’ll provide updates on that process as it moves forward. 

The current course sequence is intentionally designed to allow students progressively more choice as they matriculate.

The structured study is specifically intended for underclassmen in an effort to help hone their student time management skills and ease their transition into high school. 

Once students become upperclassmen, their schedules become more flexible to allow for college exploration via electives.

Beginning in the 2024-2025 Academic Year, all high school students must be able to demonstrate proficiency in three key areas, per RIDE: Civics, Computer Science, and Financial Literacy.

At Bishop Hendricken, all incoming students will be required to take semester courses in each of the three according to the following sequence: Civics for Grade 9, Computer Science for Grade 10, and Financial Literacy for Grade 11. These will go into effect for each grade level beginning in 2024-2025. 

Students will not be required to take RIDE required courses that predate them. To see which RIDE required courses your son will be mandated to take based on their grade level in the 2024-2025 Academic Year, view the year-by-year schedules above.

Upperclassmen may take RIDE required courses that predate them as electives. 

The structured study is being introduced as a means to uphold academic rigor by allowing students time and space to hone their study skills. The structured study will meet each day in the rotation except when the period drops.

All 8th Grade SELECT students and freshmen will be required to take a full year of structured study beginning in the 2024-2025 Academic Year. This will fill 1 of their 8 class periods as part of the new schedule.

Sophomores will be required to take a structured study during the 1st semester beginning in the 2024-2025 Academic Year. Sophomores may opt for a structured study OR elective during the 2nd semester.

Juniors and seniors may opt for a structured study in place of 1 elective/free period each semester. As a reminder, juniors are limited to 2 semesters of free period over the course of the school year, and seniors are limited to 3 semesters of free period over the course of the school year. 

Beginning in the 2024-2025 Academic Year, each student will take 1 full semester of Physical Ed/Health each year. During the semester, class will meet each day in the rotation except when the period drops.

No! Arts and Leadership Academies will remain unchanged and continue to meet prior to the beginning of the traditional school day. 

Absolutely not. There are no additional fees for the implementation of the new schedule and electives.