Academic Guidelines and Procedures

The academic school year at The Academy is divided into two semesters of two quarters each. Ends of Quarters are:

End of First Quarter -

End of Second Quarter -

End of Third Quarter -

End of Fourth Quarter -

Progress Reports are sent home with students at the end of each interim grading period. Report Cards will be mailed after every quarter. Reviewing grades with your child regularly can often alleviate problems later. The dates for distribution are:

First Interim -

First Quarter -

Second Interim -

Second Quarter/1st Semester -

Third Interim -

Third Quarter -

Fourth Interim -

Fourth Quarter/ 2nd Semester -

Academic Guidelines and Procedures

Examinations

Semester examination schedules are posted well in advance. Students are responsible for knowing their schedule. Extended absences during exam week is discouraged. Early exams compromise the testing situation and are allowed only for extreme unavoidable reasons. Please plan ahead! Please note that the school year could be extended up to five days to make up "snow days". As you plan end of year vacations,. please keep this in mind. Students who fail to take an examination at the scheduled time for any reason other than documented illness or without prior approval from the Dean may face the consequence of not being permitted to make up the exam and could receive a grade of "incomplete" in the course. There may be an administration fee required for taking make-up examinations.

Students in grades 9-11 are required to take a semester exam in every class in which they are enrolled. Attendance and grade point average will not excuse a student from the exam. The semester exam grade is factored into the final semester grade. It is important that students understand the seriousness of the exam. All semester exams are comprehensive and will cover the material presented for that semester.

Semester Exam Exemptions: Seniors are exempt from semester exams during the 2nd semester providing they have:

1. Maintained an A average all year

2. The final grade before an exam averages to be an A

3. Have less than 6 absences in the class

College Classes

Students will be allowed to take classes at Mountain State University as early as the summer of their tenth grade year. They must have the Dean's recommendation to take classes. These classes will not show on a report card, but will show on a transcript.

University instructors are not required to relay students' progress in classes. it is the student's responsibility to keep up with his/her grades. parents are also encouraged to contact university faculty.

Diploma Requirements

Units awarded for courses in Grades 9-12

• English: 4 units
• Fine Arts: 1 unit
• Language: 2 years of one language
• Mathematics: 4 units
• Health: 1 unit
• Physical Education/Fitness: 2 units (sports count as 1/2 credit per sport)
• Sciences: 4 units
• Social Sciences: 4 units
• Electives: 3 units

Students need 25 credits to graduate

Below is a list of core classes that every student must take and pass with a C or better while attending The Academy.

Information Technology Competency Requirement

As part of our college preparatory mission, The Academy expects its graduates to demonstrate a working competence with Information Technology. All students must show proficiency in collecting and analyzing relevant information via the Internet, access web pages for assignments, course syllabi, and use email systems for communication. To ensure this proficiency, all students will take the University computer applications classes prior to graduating.

Planning Considerations

• English is required in all grades. A student with a final average below C- is required to repeat English
• Mathematics is required in all grades.
• At least two years of one language is required. Many colleges require more than two years of a language; therefore, we encourage additional study.
• Four sciences are required: Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry plus one elective Science their senior year: Physics and Anatomy
• World History, Modern World History, American History, and Democracy are required.
• At least one credit in Fine Arts is required.
• Two credits of Physical Education/Fitness are required. Students earn 1/2 credit for every sport they play in an academic year.
• Health is required for one year, typically grade 9.

To qualify for re-enrollment and promotion to the next grade, a student must earn college-certifying grades of C - or better in all core courses. Successful completion of a course requires taking the semester examination. In some cases, failure in a single course may be made up during the summer, but each student's academic status is evaluated individually with respect to re-enrollment.

Grading Scale

The Academy honors the following grading scale:

The Academy will not report on a report card or transcript a student's average. Teachers may, at the request of the parent provide the average separate from any official report. The Dean's Office will only certify grades based on the ranking system.

Ranking

Beginning in the ninth grade, class rank is determined by a weighted Grade Point Average (GPA). For ranking purposes, college courses are assigned an intermediate or a maximum weight respectively. Therefore, students taking courses at the University are compensated for the additional work and difficulty involved in their programs.

Academic Honors

The Academy recognizes a student's academic achievement in a number of ways. One of these is the designation of First and Second Honors. Students qualify for this recognition based upon semester averages according to the following criteria: