SALEM HIGH SCHOOL

School Profile
Updated:
February 2014

400 SPARTAN DRIVE

SALEM, VA 24153
Telephone (540) 387-2437

http://salem.k12.va.us/shs

PRINCIPAL:

MR. SCOTT HABEEB

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:

MR. W ILLIAM T. GERROL

MS. SANDRA A. HADAWAY
MR. CHRIS KING

Facsimile (540) 387-2543

Grading Scale
A = 94-100
B = 87-93
C = 79-86
D = 70-78
F = 0-69

DIRECTOR OF GUIDANCE: MS. REGINA MEREDITH (LAST NAMES K-Q )

MR. STEPHEN KITCHEN (LAST NAMES A-E )
COUNSELORS:
DR. KRISTI SNOW (LAST NAMES F-J )
MRS. KELLY DALASKI (LAST NAMES Q-Z )
GUIDANCE SECRETARY:

MRS. TAMMY CHITWOOD

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR:

MS. SANDRA A. HADAWAY

ACCREDITATION:

VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

ENROLLMENT:

1205 IN GRADES 9 - 12

2013 GRADUATES:

Grade
Classification
Sophomore 5 units
Junior 11 units
Senior 17 units
Grade
Point Average
Weighted
IB 5.0 point scale
Pre-IB 4.5 scale

47% FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE; 31% TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

70% ADVANCED DIPLOMAS; 28% STANDARD DIPLOMAS

SAT MEANS
AVERAGE OF ALL STUDENTS

CRITICAL READING
M ATH
WRITING

SALEM
501
507
485

VIRGINIA
516
514
498

NATION
496
514
488

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2014

THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2014 MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 22 UNITS OF CREDIT FOR GRADUATION. STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE WITH A
STANDARD OR ADVANCED DIPLOMA AND A GPA OF 3.0 OR BETTER WILL RECEIVE A BOARD OF EDUCATION SEAL ON THE DIPLOMA.
UP TO FIVE (5) CREDITS TOWARD GRADUATION MAY BE EARNED
AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL IN THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS:
ALGEBRA I
ALGEBRA I, PART 1
ALGEBRA I, PART 2
GEOMETRY
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
KEYBOARDING I
DESKTOP PUBLISHING

1 UNIT
1 UNIT
1 UNIT
1 UNIT
1 UNIT
1 UNIT
.5 UNIT
.5 UNIT
.5 UNIT

FIFTEEN AND A HALF (15.5) OF THE UNITS OF CREDITS MUST

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS:
ENGLISH
4 UNITS
MATHEMATICS
3 UNITS
LABORATORY SCIENCE
3 UNITS
AMERICAN STUDIES
2 UNTS
(VA & US HISTORY, VA & US GOVERNMENT)

W ORLD STUDIES

1 UNIT

(W ORLD GEOGRAPHY OR WORLD HISTORY)

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

PERSONAL FINANCE
(REQUIREMENT BEGINS WITH CLASS OF 11)
ECONOMICS
(REQUIREMENT ENDS WITH CLASS OF 15)

2 UNITS
.5 UNIT
.5 UNIT

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVANCED STUDIES PROGRAMStudents who may elect the Advanced Studies Program
complete a challenging program of studies. The Advanced Studies Diploma requires 24 credits. In addition to the general
graduation requirements, three units in one foreign language are required or two years of two different languages. Math
courses must include Algebra I, II and Geometry. Science credits must include either
Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics or Environmental Ecology.
GOVERNORS SEALThe Governors Seal requires successful completion of an AP
or IB level classes and a 3.0 grade point average.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMAStudents complete six (6) IB
courses, three (3) at the higher level and three at the standard level and take a class
in the Theory of Knowledge and write an extended essay. Students meet prescribed
requirements and sit for 25 hours of external examinations.
CLASS RANKThe Salem city school system does not rank students within their
class. For the purpose of facilitating college applications, the average GPA of the current graduating class will be listed on transcripts issued to colleges. This profile includes the GPA distribution of the current year and prior graduating class.
GRADE POINTAll courses taken at Salem High School are included in the calculation of GPA. Numerical grade equivalents are weighted on the basis of the difficulty of
the courses. Generally, numerical equivalents are assigned on the four-point scale
listed here:
A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0.
College level courses, described as core area dual enrollment or International Baccalaureate courses, have a higher numerical equivalent than other high school courses
to reflect their substantially greater difficulty. In order to prepare students for the rigorous nature of the International Baccalaureate, it is necessary to offer courses in the
ninth and tenth grades which are also rigorous. These pre-IB courses are given a numerical equivalent intermediate between the college courses and all other courses.
The following numerical equivalents are used for college level and pre-IB courses:
IB Courses:
Pre-IB Courses:

A = 5.0
A = 4.5

B = 4.0
B = 3.5

C = 3.0
C = 2.5

D = 1.0
D = 1.0

F = 0.0
F = 0.0

DISTINGUISHED SALEM SCHOLARSSalem students who graduate with a 4.0 or

higher cumulative GPA and have exhibited good character will be recognized as Distinguished Salem Scholars.
CURRICULUMThe curriculum at Salem High School is comprehensive. There are
approximately 165 separate courses including 19 International Baccalaureate courses
and 25 dual-enrollment courses. Numerous academic and vocational electives available to students over a four-year period include a mixture of semester and full-year
classes. Assessment components consist of teacher-made instruments and performance-based activities. IB and AP examinations are externally assessed.
COMMUNITYSalem is an independent city of 25,000 located in the Roanoke Valley
of Virginia. The surrounding metropolitan area, including Roanoke County and Roanoke City, has a combined population of over 250,000. The City of Salem School System has more than 3500 students in Grades K-12. The system has four elementary
schools (K-5), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12). Salem is the home
of Roanoke College, a four-year liberal arts institution.

CLASS OF 2013 FINAL

CUMULATIVE
GPA DISTRIBUTION

GPA
Range

Number of
Students

4.50-5.00

4.00-4.49

37

3.50-3.99

67

3.00-3.49

52

2.50-2.99

55

2.00-2.49

38

1.50-1.99

19

1.00-1.49

< 0.99

Total

276

Class Mean

3.23

CLASS OF 2014 1ST SEM

CUMULATIVE
GPA DISTRIBUTION
GPA
Range

Number of
Students

4.50-5.00

4.00-4.49

39

3.50-3.99

51

3.00-3.49

74

2.50-2.99

56

2.00-2.49

41

1.50-1.99

12

1.00-1.49

< 0.99

Total

280

Class Mean

3.13

SALEM HIGH SCHOOL FULLY ACCREDITEDSalem High School earned full accreditation status by meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards required under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The City of Salem Schools is one of
only 21 (out of 132) school divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia where all the schools and the division met the AYP
standards.