 Frequently Asked Questions |
If you have a question or concern, check out our frequently
asked questions listed below. If you don't find your question answered here and don't know
whom to ask, call the public information office at (914) 220-3070.
How many courses must Mamaroneck
High School students carry? Whom do I call to report absences from school? Is there a program to help students adjust to
the high school? Where can I find Mamaroneck High School
policies?
Parking in other areas (in spaces reserved for faculty), in designated handicapped
spaces, in fire lanes, etc.) will result in disciplinary action and possible revocation of
parking.
Why doesn't Mamaroneck weight grades as some
other high schools do? In the past I have seen several studies, reports Paul Martin, which indicate that rank in class is not changed significantly by weighting of grades. Many high schools have moved away from weighting of grades because averages become ridiculously high. This is especially true in times of grade inflation. Because we do not provide exact rank, this should not be a huge issue. Also,you could make a case that weighting of grades places average students,
underachieving students, and students with learning difficulties at a disadvantage. Not
only are they judged negatively because they are not taking honors and advanced placement
courses, but with the weighting of grades their averages would be deflated in value. The
pressure to be in honors and AP courses would be greatly increased by weighting of grades.
We feel students should be encouraged to take harder, more challenging courses. However,
increased pressure to do so because of weighting is not necessary and probably unhealthy.
Like all language skills, mastery of grammar takes years of practice and reinforcement. Therefore, the teaching of grammar cannot be relegated to just one stage of a child's education. The basics of sound grammatical instruction must be taught in elementary school, but this basic understanding must be deepened and extended throughout the child's educational career. This past year, our district has begun conversations on what a well-articulated K-12 grammar instruction program should encompass. In fact, at last month's Staff Conference Day, Hommocks and MHS English teachers voiced unanimous concern about the need for a more consistent approach to the teaching of grammar and pledged to work toward achieving this goal. In the meantime, at the high school much grammatical instruction flows from student writing. Teachers glean mechanical errors (grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation) from a set of student papers, and they conduct lessons based on the real mistakes made by those in the class. In addition, specific, individualized grammatical instruction is part of virtually every writing conference that English teachers regularly conduct with their students. There's a lot of educational research that confirms that an individual "point of error" approach to the teaching of grammar has the greatest long-term effect on a student's acquisition of grammatical skill. Recognizing the need for more grammatical instruction, the high school's English
department is considering the use of a "grammar handbook" for incoming students.
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