The state of Pennsylvania is relatively small in size, with an area of 119,282 sq. km (Encarta.msn.com). Regardless of its size, Pennsylvania is determined to have every high school student graduate. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (www.pde.state.pa.us) emphasizes that it is necessary for it to lead and serve the educational community to enable each student to grow and become successful in all their endeavors.
To ensure that all graduates meet the expectations of the state, the Department of Education follows the following high school graduation curriculum:
- Four units of college preparatory English
- Four years of math (to include Algebra I and II and Geometry)
- Three years of science (to include Chemistry, Biology, and Physical Science or Physics)
- Three years Social Studies (including US and World History and civics)
It is recommended that college-bound students study two years of a Foreign Language.
The state of Pennsylvania strongly urges students to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. According to the National Education Association (www.nea.org), Pennsylvania leads the nation in the scope and size of its gifted and talented program. It ranks among the top 3 states in percentage of public elementary schools with gifted and talented programs and among the top 9 states in percentage of public, middle and high schools with gifted and talented programs.
