1URBAN SCHOOL Information & Curriculum Guide2019-202URBAN SCHOOL MissionUrban School of San Francisco seeks to ignite a passion for learning, inspiring its students to become self-motivated, enthusiastic participants in their education — both in high school and beyond. Introduction to Urban School 3Graduation Requirements 4Urban’s Schedule 5Evaluation and Grading 6Advising and Personal Development 7The College Process 8Technology at Urban 8Urban’s Athletic Program 9Community Service Learning 10Co-Curricular Activities 10The Curriculum 12Tuition and Fees 60Core Values 61College Matriculation 62© 2019 Urban School of San Francisco TABLE OF CONTENTS3URBAN SCHOOL This document provides an overview of Urban School, including our unique approach to learning and the school’s broad range of academic offerings. For further information about Urban, please contact us at 415 626 2919, info@urbanschool.org or visit www.urbanschool.org.Introduction to Urban SchoolUrban School was founded in 1966 by a group of Bay Area parents seeking an innovative yet academically demanding option to conventional secondary education. Our founders believed adolescents are curious, creative and eager to make sense of the world around them; their self-esteem is best developed in an atmosphere of trust, honesty and mutual respect between students and teachers. They believed high school should be a place where students discover the value of their minds and the excitement of learning, where they take initiative and responsibility for their education, and where they have an opportunity for meaningful engagement with the world outside the classroom.Today Urban has grown from its original 22 students to a student body of 420, but our founding philosophy — a better way to teach high school students — remains the same. Urban strives to ignite a passion for learning in its students and to inspire them to become self-motivated, enthusiastic participants in their education, both in high school and beyond. Urban offers a rigorous college preparatory program in math, science, humanities, the arts and community service, with comprehensive service learning and competitive athletics programs, and a rich selection of co-curricular activities. With an exceptional faculty and staff of more than 100 persons, Urban combines its challenging academic program with imaginative use of the city and Bay Area as an educational resource.Urban fields 28 interscholastic teams in many sports and provides numerous extracurricular opportunities for all students. Through field work, community service and internships, students explore and contribute to both our own Haight Ashbury neighborhood and to the larger Bay Area community.The school draws students from public, independent and parochial schools in San Francisco, the East Bay, the Peninsula and Marin, and is committed to reflecting the ethnic, racial and socio-economic diversity of the Bay Area. Both in and out of the classroom, locally and globally, we instill in our students a consciousness of social justice, an ethic of citizenship, a commitment to service and an education unparalleled in San Francisco.URBAN SCHOOL OF SAN FRANCISCO INFORMATION AND CURRICULUM GUIDE4URBAN SCHOOL English: 4 creditsMathematics: 3 creditsScience: 2 creditsHistory: 2 creditsLanguage: 3 creditsArt: 2 creditsCommunity Service Learning Project: 2 Credits, distributed over 4 yearsAdvanced Coursework: 4 or more additional creditsGraduation RequirementsURBAN SCHOOL requires 22 credits for graduation, distributed across the curriculum. One credit is equivalent to a year-long course. Students take additional classes in mathematics, science, history, languages or the arts. Urban’s curriculum provides an exceptionally strong foundation in college preparatory subjects. Many of our classes have distinctive features that set them apart as particularly challenging and comparable to college level work. These classes, designated as Urban Advanced Studies (UAS), are developed by the Urban faculty and are not limited to the College Board Advanced Placement curriculum. UAS classes are offered in every subject area and are recognized by colleges (including the University of California) as honors-level courses. In completing Urban’s graduation requirements, students exceed the minimum course requirements for admission to the University of California system.Weekly Schedule ExampleMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayA period8:30 - 9:45E18:30 - 9:30B period8:30 - 9:30D period8:30 - 9:30Break9:30 - 9:45Break9:30 - 9:45All-School Meeting9:50 - 10:30D period9:35 - 10:50B period9:45 - 10:45D period9:45 - 10:45B period9:15 - 10:30B period10:35 - 11:50U Period 110:55 - 11:50E210:50 - 11:50Tutorial 210:50 - 11:50Advising10:35 - 11:15Lunch11:50 - 12:35Lunch11:50 - 12:35Lunch11:50 - 12:35Lunch11:50 - 12:35Lunch11:15 - 12:05Tutorial 112:35 - 1:30A period12:35 - 1:35C period12:35 - 1:35A period12:35 - 1:50C period12:05 - 1:20Break1:35 - 1:50Break1:35 - 1:50Break1:20 - 1:35C period1:35 - 2:50A period1:50 - 2:50C period1:50 - 2:50E3 / U Period 21:55 - 2.50D period1:35 - 2:505URBAN SCHOOL The ScheduleUrban organizes the school year using a three-term system rather than a conventional semester system, which exposes students to the independence, depth of understanding and academic challenge they will face in college and beyond.The academic year is divided into three, 12-week terms: fall, winter and spring. Students take four classes each term and many core classes last for one or two terms. Due to longer class periods, a one-term class is equivalent to a semester course and a two-term class is equivalent to a year-long course.Urban’s schedule allows for more concentrated, less fragmented learning than does a traditional high school schedule. The longer class periods enable students and teachers to focus on each area of study in greater depth and approach the material in a variety of ways: in-depth discussions, independent and group projects, films, research and field trips into surrounding communities and environments, all of which make Urban’s teaching and learning approach key to reaching a range of learners.In addition, students may take elective classes including music offerings, Technical Theater Production & Design, UrbanX Tech Lab, Yearbook or Newspaper, which meet during shorter E periods that span all three terms. There are also two U periods per term. 6URBAN SCHOOL Evaluation and GradingUrban’s evaluation and grading practices combine the best of innovative and traditional approaches, consistent with our long history as a nationally recognized educational leader among secondary schools. Designed to challenge students to perform at their highest level, Urban’s assessment practices include cycles of comprehensive teacher feedback and student self-evaluation. Students and parents receive reports every six weeks, at the midpoint and at the end of each course. Each interim report includes a statement of course expectations; an interim rubric which evaluates student progress in key habits, skills and in understanding; a bulleted list of three goals for improvement; as well as summary indication of overall achievement in the course to date. In addition, students have a face-to-face conference with each of their teachers to review the interim report, discuss progress to date and set goals for the remaining weeks of the course.The final course report that students and parents receive at the end of the class consists of a statement of course expectations, a rubric similar to the interim report, a written evaluation summarizing the student’s work and achievement in the class, and a final course grade. Urban students do not receive letter grades on individual assignments during the term; instead they receive ample feedback in the form of written comments and standards-based rubrics that give them a more complete picture of their work and achievement, and which identify areas for ongoing improvement.Our job as educators is to coach students toward their highest academic achievement through meaningful feedback. Urban’s comprehensive approach using multiple forms of specific, differentiated evaluative information fosters high levels of student engagement, depth of understanding and achievement, all of which support our mission to inspire a passion for learning. These short periods are designed to let students explore new activities and interests, and to create space for co-curricular programming, such as mindfulness, well-being, and for incoming 9th graders, our Inside Urban course. U periods include no homework, are ungraded and often multi-grade.Two tutorial sessions are built into the weekly schedule when no other activities or classes are scheduled. All teachers are available during at least one of these study halls, and are present in posted rooms to consult with and support students who need extra help in a particular subject.Students also have the option of participating in physical activity classes or study halls during this shorter elective period. The weekly schedule also includes advising, and a grade-level or all-school meeting.7URBAN SCHOOL Advising and Personal DevelopmentUpon entering Urban, each student is assigned a faculty advisor who is the liaison between student, school and family. Students meet with their advisors frequently in group advising sessions and in individual meetings to review and plan their academic progress. The advisor is also available to discuss areas of concern and offer counsel and support. Equally important to students’ personal growth are their relationships with peers. Recognizing that adolescents often turn first to each other for reassurance, assistance and advice, Urban trains groups of students in leadership, peer counseling and tutoring skills. These groups help educate their peers about issues related to adolescence and sponsor forums across the year on relevant topics. Parents/guardians may also need support from the school and from each other during their child’s adolescent years. Urban builds a strong partnership with parents in order to challenge and support each student consistently. Advisors are the first point of contact for parents with questions about their child’s progress or program. In addition, the school organizes parent meetings for each grade level to discuss academic and parenting issues with school administrators and each other.8URBAN SCHOOL The College ProcessAt Urban, choosing a college is a process of self-discovery. The school’s counselors work closely with students and their families to identify colleges that reflect students’ varied interests, talents, abilities and aspirations. Urban seniors are accepted to a variety of schools, including Ivy League and highly selective public and private colleges and universities, as well as specialized schools for those gifted in science, engineering, and visual and performing arts. Students have the confidence and independence to choose the college or university that best matches their needs.Formal college counseling begins early in the junior year when students and their parents attend a school-sponsored event designed to educate families about the various steps in the college admissions process. Later, juniors and their parents meet individually with the college counselors to create an initial list of schools for further exploration.Each year, representatives from more than 125 colleges and universities visit Urban to present prospective students with information on their schools. Many students take the opportunity to visit colleges during the summer break between junior and senior years.In the senior year, the counselors work closely with students to monitor their progress in the application process. Once students receive acceptances in the spring, the counselors assist them in evaluating their choices and in selecting the school they will attend in the fall.Technology at UrbanUrban School is a leader in integrating digital practices and technology throughout the curriculum in order to deepen and extend student learning. We are a pioneer in developing many of the 1:1 laptop practices now employed at schools across the country and internationally, having first started our program 20 years ago.All students, teachers and staff are issued state-of-the-art laptop computers for school and home use. Student MacBook Pros come fully installed with all the programs used throughout the curriculum such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, specialized programs used in math, science and music, and “distraction free” software, among others.9URBAN SCHOOL All students have their own personal email accounts and have dedicated space online to back-up critical data, as well as having their own portable archive drives. The Herbst Library program teaches students to be independent and thoughtful researchers. The Library has more than 8,000 print books, 80,000 ebooks, and more than 20 subscription databases that give students, faculty and staff access to thousands of periodicals, reference works and more.The Urban BluesMore than 65 percent of the student body participates in the interscholastic athletics program. Urban is a member of the Bay Area Conference and the Bay Counties League-West. One of the strongest Division V conferences in the state, member schools have won several sectional and state championships. Urban competes against independent, parochial and public schools throughout the Bay Area and Northern California.Every interested student is given the opportunity to try out for competitive athletics teams at either the varsity or junior varsity level, depending on the individual’s level of ability and experience. JV teams provide competitive game schedules, and introductory strategy and skill instruction, while varsity teams stress competition and advanced skills. Some sports allow for a Frosh/Soph team to learn basics of the sport. Participation on any team requires a strong commitment and the ability to place team goals ahead of personal ones.Urban’s physical activity requirement stems from our commitment to instill in students the habits and life-long benefits of maintaining a physically active lifestyle. Students not participating in interscholastic team sports must participate in either physical activity classes offered at Urban, or in an approved off-campus program, twice a week for at least one hour per session. The flexibility and range of the physical activity program honors the diversity of interests and abilities of our students. Students are required to participate in the physical activity program during eight of their 12 terms.Next >