Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the North Springs Charter High School
Math and Science Magnet Program? The NSCHS math and science magnet program is an interest-based science, math & technology magnet program housed within the comprehensive district school, North Springs Charter High School. What is a magnet program? As the name implies, a magnet is a specialized program within an existing school designed to “attract” students with a strong interest in one or more specialized areas. What is a charter school? As defined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a public charter school is a publicly funded school that, in accordance with an enabling state statute, has been granted a charter exempting it from selected state or local rules and regulations. A charter school may be newly created, or it may previously have been a public or private school; it is typically governed by a group or organization (e.g., a group of educators, a corporation, or a university) under a contract or charter with the state. In return for funding and autonomy, the charter school must meet accountability standards. A school's charter is reviewed (typically every 3 to 5 years) and can be revoked if guidelines on curriculum and management are not followed or the standards are not met. What type of magnet is the North Springs’ Math and Science magnet program? North Springs’ Math and Science magnet program is an interest based program with a focus on research and problem based learning that enables students to explore and study math and science beyond the four walls of the core curriculum. Students are required to earn 12 math/science credits over the course of four years. This includes the eight required core math and science courses. Are magnet students still a part of North Springs Charter High School? Yes, magnet students are still part of North Springs Charter High School. Magnet students can choose from magnet classes as well as school-wide courses that are available to all students at NSCHS. If magnet students choose to no longer participate in the magnet program, they may maintain enrollment in North Springs through the Charter; however, if the student lives outside of the North Springs attendance zone transportation will not be provided. Will magnet students be able to participate in all other activities? Yes. Students in the magnet program will be eligible to participate in all North Springs clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities/programs. From where do the magnets students come? Students come from all areas of Fulton County. Currently there are over 20 different zip codes represented in our Math & Science Magnet enrollment. How many students are in the NSCHS math and science magnet program? Currently there are 151 students participating in the Math & Science Magnet Program only. There are an additional 159 dual magnet students who are participating in the Math & Science Magnet Program as well as the Visual & Performing Arts Program, for a total of 300 students. Are magnet students expected to maintain a certain academic standard to remain in the program? Yes. Magnet students are required to pass all of their classes, maintain an overall average of 80 or higher, and maintain an 80 or higher in all of their magnet elective and core classes. Failure to meet this academic requirement will result in students being placed on probation. Can a student choose to discontinue in the magnet program? Yes. Students from outside the North Springs attendance zone who leave the program may continue as a North Springs student under Charter High School admissions; however, transportation will not be provided. Students also have the choice to return to the home high school in their attendance zone. Students who choose to return to their home school will lose one year of eligibility for varsity level Georgia High School Athletic competition. Who is eligible to participate in the magnet program? All students who live within the North Springs Charter High School attendance zone are eligible for the magnet program. All students who live within the Fulton County School District, but outside the North Springs attendance zone are eligible for the magnet program, but must apply to the charter as well as the magnet program, and should check both boxes on the first page of the application. All Students who live within the South Fulton County School District are eligible for the magnet program, but must apply to the charter and also qualify and be accepted into both the Visual & Performing Arts and the Math & Science Programs. Students wishing to participate in only one program should apply to one of the South Fulton County programs at Westlake High School (Math & Science) or Tri-cities High School (Visual & Performing Arts). South Fulton County students may be accepted under the charter and choose to participate in only one of the magnet programs; however, transportation will not be provided. All students who live outside of the Fulton County School District who are accepted into the charter under the Cost Reimbursement Program are eligible for the magnet program. What are the qualifications for magnet students? Students must have an 80 or higher overall GPA, an 80 or higher in all math and science classes, and successful completion of Algebra I, Math I or higher level math in 8th grade. Students are also required to complete an essay and come in for an interview. How does a student apply to be a part of the NSCHS Math and Science Magnet Program? Students must 1) Complete an application and submit it along with a completed teacher recommendation form (included with application) and a current transcript to include grades from 1st semester of current school year; 2) call the magnet office to schedule an interview. Auditions are by appointment and will take place in February. Applications will be available at North Springs Charter High School and in Fulton County middle schools by November 1, 2009. Applications may be accessed at northspringshigh.com after January 9, 2009 The application deadline is February 5, 2010 What type of transportation will be offered to magnet students from outside the North Springs attendance zone and when will these routes be known? Transportation is provided by the Fulton County School System transportation services. In North Fulton County pick-up and drop-off locations are from and to the home schools. South Fulton County pick- up and drop-off locations are from specific designated locations. School bus information may be found at www.fultonschool.org under the school system links tab. What unique opportunities and experiences are available through the magnet program? Magnet students are exposed to numerous unique math, science and technology based course offerings to include Research Methods in Science, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Engineering, Introduction to Healthcare Science, concepts of Emergency Medicine, Mathematical Technology and Advanced Math Topics, Operating Systems and Management, and Networking to mention a few. Other experiences include opportunities to compete on the local, state, regional and national levels at various competitive events. Clubs/Organizations: Science Club Science National Honor Society Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society Teams: Science Math Competitions: Science Olympiad National Ocean Science Construction Challenge Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) Science Fair Science & Engineering Fair Does the emphasis on academics prevent students from participating in other non-academic activities? No, Students are encouraged to participate in non-academic activities. A large percentage of our magnet students are involved in sports and other extracurricular activities. How would you measure the success of the NSCHS math and science magnet program? The success of our students on the SAT is means of identifying the achievement level of the students who are attracted to our program which speaks to the success of the program as well. For the last three years the scores of the Math & Science Magnet students have exceeded the national average by over 400 points and the State average by over 300 points. In addition, over the same time period six students have scored a perfect score of 800 on the math section and one student scored a perfect 2400. We also measure the success of our program by the accomplishments of our students. Our students took top honors at the state’s science & Engineering Fair in Physics & Astronomy, Engineering, Biochemistry, Animal Science and 2nd in Microbiology; our Construction Challenge Team won at the regional level; our COMAP Team was named Regional Outstanding in the math modeling competition; and we are home to an International Science and Engineering Fair finalist who was also a Siemens AP Scholar, and the recipient of several Presidential Scholars |