High School
In high school, students embark on the path to college readiness through a rigorous program of core academics, honors, AP, and college classes, and enrichment courses that broaden their perception of what learning is.
In 9th and 10th grades, students focus on building a foundation for continued academic success in more rigorous classes. They also start to explore college and career pathways through opportunities to discover their passions and the careers that relate to these interests.
In 11th and 12th grades, students participate in SOF’s Senior Institute, a program designed to prepare them for the demands of college. Students take honors and AP classes and choose Pathways Courses that let them explore their passions more deeply. SOF provides students with the opportunity to do both external and in-house internships (tutoring, restorative justice or tech support). Students who score high enough on their PSATS in 10th grade are also eligible to take College Now courses at Baruch College or Hunter College.
As a Consortium member, School of the Future has a NY State waiver that allows students to demonstrate mastery in a core subject by completing Exhibitions, rather than by taking Regents exams. As such, SOF students take the ELA Regents exam only and complete Exhibitions for the core subjects (English, Science, Math, Social Studies)—a research paper of 10-20 pages on a focus area within the subject. In each of their final four semesters, students work on one Exhibition and present their paper and an oral defense of their ideas to a panel of student peers and teachers. The composite score from their paper/presentation is submitted as a student’s state test score for that subject area. An Exhibition is a more comprehensive and applied method to gauge a student’s knowledge and ability than a test for which they might prepare but ultimately leave behind once it’s over.