NCSSM Residential Program

1 NCSSM Residential Program 2015-2016 Profile ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a districts, NCSSM 's students vary in their backgrounds, public, Residential , coeducational high school for juniors yet are similar in their motivation to achieve academically and seniors with high intellectual ability and commitment and in their determination to prepare for professional to scholarship. It was established by the North Carolina careers and positions of leadership. General Assembly in 1978 to provide challenging educational opportunities for students with special In July 2007, NCSSM became the 17th constituent interests and potential in the sciences and mathematics. institution of the University of North Carolina system. The School is accredited by AdvancED Southern Association NCSSM opened in September 1980 with its first class of of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and 150 juniors, a sample of the many talented and highly School Improvement.

2 NCSSM is also a founding partner motivated students in North Carolina. With a student of the 210-member National Consortium of Specialized body that represents North Carolina's 13 congressional STEM Schools. compete for enrollment with other students within STUDENT SELECTION their congressional district rather than competing with Students interested in applying to NCSSM must be in every applicant from across the state. This ensures that their sophomore year of high school and their parent/. applicants with access to the same community resources legal guardian must maintain residency in North Carolina. are competing with one another. Students are selected during their 10th-grade year through a competitive process that considers each Organized to make recommendations on the enrollment applicant's interest in science and mathematics, and of candidates, the Admissions Selection Committee includes a review of standardized test scores, past includes leaders and educators from across our academic performance, special talents, accomplishments, state, along with NCSSM faculty and staff members.

3 And extracurricular interests. Students' essays and their The Selection Committee examines each student's current schools' assessments of student characteristics accomplishments and looks for evidence of potential, also help present a complete picture of each candidate. particularly in science and mathematics. In order to assure NCSSM the benefits of a diversified student body, The application process is highly competitive because the committee also considers extenuating circumstances, there are a limited number of enrollment spaces as well as geographic and other demographic variables in (approximately 340 per class). NCSSM is legislatively its review process. mandated to enroll a roughly equal percentage of students from each of the state's 13 congressional Currently, 680 11th- and 12th-grade students from districts. Students applying to NCSSM 's Program thus across North Carolina live and learn at NCSSM .

4 DEMOGRAPHICS: CLASS OF 2015 SCHOLARSHIP. Race/Ethnicity Frequency Percent Seventy-one NCSSM students from the 34 graduating classes since the school's inception have won the American Indian or Alaska Native 1 Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill. Sixty- 103 two students have been named Park Scholars by NC. Asian State University since the Program began. African American/Black 37 Hispanic/Latino 12 White 167 Unknown 1 Two or More Races 19 Total 340 100%. Under new federal guidelines, students report race/ethnicity in a two-step process. First, students designate whether they are of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and secondly, they designate their race. Students may self-identify as many races as apply. Students who designated more than one race are counted in the Two or More Races category. Gender Frequency Percent Female 161 Male 179 Total 340 100%.

5 INSTRUCTIONAL Program STUDENT LIFE Program . The instructional Program at NCSSM takes advantage of The Student Life Division provides a nurturing setting a Residential learning environment, a well-trained and for the holistic development of every student. The dedicated staff, and a highly motivated and talented Residential environment increases the depth and breadth student body to provide a unique learning experience of all students' experiences as they take advantage of for each student. The school's philosophy is to ensure the rich opportunities and support that are available that each student obtains a thorough grounding in the within the NCSSM community. The Counseling Services sciences, mathematics, language arts, history, and a Department provides personal, academic, college, and world language; that each student becomes proficient career counseling, and support for students on study skills in the use of computers, laboratory facilities, and other and time management.

6 The Physical Activity and Wellness means by which knowledge is acquired and processed Department offers a wide variety of core and elective in the sciences and mathematics; and that each student courses including Resistance Training, Sports Medicine adopts a sequence of study that includes investigating I & II, Self-Defense, Archery, Dancing, and Fencing; an areas of academic interest in-depth through high-level eighteen-sport interscholastic Program ; an intramural course offerings and such activities as mentorship, Program with more than 85 percent participation, and research courses, independent studies, seminars, many other recreational opportunities. directed group studies, and Mini-Term. The Residential Education Department offers a required Students in the Class of 2015 were typically enrolled Residential Education 102 course that students complete in in four or five core academic courses per trimester as the first trimester junior year.

7 Students must also complete juniors and five courses per trimester as seniors. These at least three additional Residential Education courses over include the following minimal requirements of trimester the remaining five trimesters of enrollment. These courses credits earned: are graded using NCSSM 's letter-grade scale, though the grade does not compute in the GPA. 6 Science, 5 Mathematics, 4 English, 2 Social Science, 3-6 World Language (varies with competency), 1 Physical Through the Student Services Department, students Activity & Wellness, plus sufficient electives to equal the are required to perform 60 hours of service learning for required number of credits. a non-profit organization in North Carolina before their senior year. Each student is also required to perform three Each student must also successfully complete two hours of work service each week for an area like cafeteria years of Mini-Term, two years of campus work service or grounds or in another capacity such as Residential Life involvement, a service learning project, and the Assistant, Student Ambassador, Peer College Counselor, or Residential Education curriculum.

8 Multicultural Peer Counselor. In addition to meeting core graduation requirements, students participate in a number of elective academic programs . The curriculum includes extensive opportunities in the arts and music. There are SERVICE LEARNING. opportunities to participate in selected online courses Requirements: offered through NCSSM Online. - Sixty hours of service learning in North Carolina before the start of the senior academic year NCSSM graduates are prepared for learning successfully - Three hours each week of work service at NCSSM . in a collegiate environment. Throughout the curriculum, they are expected to develop their independent Beyond expectations: The Class of 2015 logged 25,970 hours of service. investigative skills, solve novel problems, function as leaders and participants on project teams, and appreciate Students worked with hundreds of service organizations the learning advantages that a diverse community offers.

9 Across North Carolina, serving a total of 80 counties, during the summer of 2014. The readiness of NCSSM students for college is also enhanced by articulation agreements with universities. Over the past three years, the student-led NCSSM Food Drive has collected and delivered more than 1 million These agreements award university credit for courses pounds of food to help fight hunger across North Carolina. taken at NCSSM without a requirement for an Advanced Placement Exam or other placement or exemption testing. NCSSM currently has articulation agreements in place with 17 colleges and universities. In the Class of 2015, students sat for 831 AP exams in: Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, EVALUATION. Chinese Language & Culture, Computer Science A, Students at NCSSM are evaluated at the end of each Economics: Macro, Economics: Micro, English Language trimester and are given letter grades.

10 Although NCSSM . & Composition, English Literature & Composition, assigns quality points to courses and calculates grade Environmental Science, French Language, Government & point averages, students are not ranked. This GPA system Politics: United States, Music Theory, Physics 1, Physics has been implemented solely to help describe each 2, Physics B, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, Physics student's performance and course selections as part of C: Mechanics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Statistics, the process of applying to schools and programs outside Studio Art: Drawing, and United States History. of NCSSM . CLASS OF 2015 STATISTICS. SAT TEST PERFORMANCE ACT TEST PERFORMANCE. 340 (100%) students took the SAT exam 249 ( ) took the ACT exam READING MATH TOTAL ENGLISH MATH READING SCIENCE COMPOSITE. MEAN: 684 721 1404*. MEDIAN: 690 730 1420* SAT statistics were compiled using the best verbal and best math scores reported for each student.