Academic Intervention Services

Academic intervention classes are required for students who fail a Regents examination with a grade of 60-64 or who have attained a level 1 or a level 2 on an eighth grade state exam.  The school schedules these students to attend small-group sessions every other day in addition to their regular classes.  The State Education Department mandates these programs and the school must add them to a student’s schedule.  Once a student passes the Regents exam, the counselor will remove the AIS class from the student’s schedule.  A student who fails a Regents examination with a grade below 60 will retake the course for a more intense preparation.

Adaptive Physical Education Program

This program provides for the special needs of students within the Physical Education Program.  Participating students still meet course requirements in a modified fashion and they will earn physical education credit for graduation.  School counselors will place students in Adaptive PE based on the recommendation of the PE teacher to the Committee on Special Education.

Advanced Placement Program

The Advanced Placement Program, in conjunction with the College Board, offers honors-level students an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school.  College credit is dependent upon the student’s performance on the Advanced Placement Examination administered in May and the credit policy of the college or university of the student’s choice.  Students MUST sit for the AP Exam in order to be eligible for a passing grade. All examination costs are the responsibility of the student.  Fee waivers are available to eligible students. Currently, the following Advanced Placement courses are available at Liberty High School:

• English Literature and English Language
• Biology

Sullivan County Community College Courses

Presently, students may take Fundamentals of Accounting, Business Mathematics, Composition I, Speech I, Advanced Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Statistics, Digital Photography 2/3, Spanish 4, Spanish 5, United States History 1/2, Political Science, and Advanced Personal Fitness for college credits through Sullivan County Community College.  The students are responsible for tuition to take this course.  Financial assistance is available for eligible students.  More information on these courses is available in the Course Description section of the Programs of Study page.

Career and Technical Education Program

Liberty High School participates in specialized occupational educational programs offered by the Sullivan County Board of Cooperative Educational Services.  Students may enroll in the Career and Technical Education Programs at BOCES when they have attained status as a junior or senior (see section entitled “Class Standing”).  LHS students enrolled in the Career and Technical Education Program at BOCES will attend the AM session as first year students and the PM session as second year students.  Students may earn seven and one-half credits over the two years of enrollment in a CTE program.  A student may earn integrated course credit from a CTE program only if the course does not fit in his or her schedule.  Students must earn a minimum course grade of 65 and must have satisfactory attendance in order to receive a recommendation for the second year of the program. 

Occupational courses offered through the Career and Technical Education Program

• Animal Science
• Auto Body Repair
• Automotive Technologies
• Broadcasting/Music Production
• Commercial Drone Aviation
• Construction Technologies/Electrical Trades
• Cosmetology
• Culinary Arts and Sciences
• Early Childhood Education
• Health Occupations
• Health Occupations/Allied Health
• Innovative Design
• Natural Resources
• New Vision Health
• Public Safety Services
• Welding

Note:

• Occupational courses are subject to availability.
• All Health programs require the passing of a proficiency exam with at least a 90%.  The exam is a competency-based test, which means the student may retake the exam until the student attains a score of 90 percent.

Attendance at CTE follows the same attendance policy as Liberty High School.  Enrollment in a CTE program is an elective privilege; therefore, the school may remove students who do not adhere to the attendance and/or discipline policies from the program.  In addition, a student who does not pass the first year in a CTE program may not return without administrative approval from the High School Principal.  Course descriptions of all CTE programs are available in the Guidance Office.

English as a New Language (ENL) Program

The ENL teacher(s) identifies those students with limited English proficiency using the New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL) and, in cooperation with the regular classroom teachers and school counselors, plans and delivers an educational program that meets the needs of the students.  The school measures the student’s language proficiency annually using the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) to determine progress and further participation in the ENL program.  

In an ENL program, language arts and content-area instruction are taught in English using specific ENL instructional strategies. Some content area classes are Integrated ENL classes.  Students receive core content area and English language development instruction, including the use of the home/primary language as support and appropriate ELL instructional supports to enrich comprehension. Integrated ENL classes are taught by a teacher dually certified in the content area and ENL or are co-taught by a certified content area teacher and a certified ENL teacher. In a Stand-alone ENL class, students receive English language development instruction taught by a NYS-certified teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in order to acquire the English language needed for success in core content areas. The school offers state mandated examinations, required for graduation, to ENL students in their native language.

See a video from recent ENL graduates here:

Awarding of LOTE Credits

A New York State graduation requirement is that students must receive at least 1 (out of a minimum of 22 required to graduate) credit in a Language Other Than English (LOTE). Students may earn 1 high school credit in a Languages Other Than English (LOTE) based on documented residence and school attendance in an “other-than-English-speaking” environment, provided that the experience occurred at age 10 or older for at least one year and that the residence resulted in direct contact with that environment, its language and people.

At Liberty High School, students who provide the above mentioned documentation will receive 1 high school credit. Students may earn an additional 2 high school credits (3 total) with documented school attendance and residence in an “other than English-speaking” environment as stated above, and the student must pass the locally developed Checkpoint B examination. Students who receive 3 credits through this avenue may also receive LOTE credits through the successful completion in other courses such as Spanish Language Arts, Spanish 4 and Spanish 5.

If the student wishes to use the LOTE sequence in order to meet the requirements for a Regents diploma with advanced designation, the student must pass the locally developed Checkpoint B examination, thus receiving the 3 credits.

Special Education Program

Special Education is a comprehensive and integrated approach to assisting students who have learning difficulties that interfere with their potential for development.  Each year, the Committee on Special Education (CSE) develops an Individual Education Program (IEP) to meet the student’s intellectual, emotional, and physical needs.

The Special Education Program includes the student in regular education classes as often as possible.  Special Education teachers work with the regular education teachers to help assure student achievement and success.  The school provides access to all available resources as well as remediation techniques, establishment of short and long-term objectives, and assessment. In addition, self-contained special education classes exist on an as needed basis reflective of student individual education plans.

All students who have an Individualized Education Plan will interact with a case manager.  The case manager will serve as a liaison for the student, parent/guardian, and school personnel.  The case manager will attend meetings, provide feedback from teachers, and participate in the transition planning process for students.  A parent may contact the case manager and/or the school counselor with any questions or concerns regarding their son or daughter’s educational program or progress.