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Definition
of terms Definition of Terms
All students must take these to graduate from high school. Prerequisite A course that is required in order to be prepared for a more advanced course. Electives Electives are courses which may be chosen by the student that are not graduation requirements. Credit One credit is earned for a passing grade in each high school subject taken five periods a week for a full year. If the subject is only taken for half the school year, one half credit is earned. Regents Diploma A diploma based on completion of an upper level academic program and passing required Regents examinations. Advanced Regents Diploma A diploma based on completion of a more rigorous academic program including additional credits and Regents examinations. Local Diploma A diploma based upon completion of a level of general education. IEP Diploma An IEP diploma is available for some special education students based on their individualized education plan. Graduation requirements vary for the individual student. The Voorheesville Central School Board of Education policy requires that all students in grades 9-12 carry a course load of 6.5 or its equivalent each year. New York State Examiniations Regular education students are required to pass Regents examinations in 5 areas, Math, Science, Global History, United States History and English to graduate. Regents Competency Tests are an alternative given to students in our special education program as needed. Students must score a 65 or higher on all 5 tests to earn a Regents Diploma. A local diploma is granted with a 55 or higher on the Regents or a 65 or higher on an RCT. The Regents exam in foreign language is most often needed for students pursuing an Advanced Regents diploma. A foreign language proficiency exam is given at the end of 8th grade. A year of high school foreign language or the passing of this exam is required for graduation. Credits required for promotion to the next grade Grades 9 to 10 4 Credits (including 3 from core
subjects (English, Social Studies, Math, Science) Note: Students in grade nine repeating an eighth grade core course may not take the next level course until the eighth grade course is completed. The student will need to double in English or Social Studies as an upperclassman if that is the course in question. Honor Roll/High Honor Roll Honor Roll/High Honor Roll is determined by quarterly averages. A student on Honor Roll has achieved an average of 84.50 or higher in the quarter. A student on High Honor Roll has achieved an average of 89.50 or higher. Additional rounding can not be used to obtain the required average. Such student cannot be on Honor roll or High Honor Roll if they have a grade of F, NE, or INC within the quarter and must be passing each course for the year. Counselors will meet with students in classroom groups to gather preliminary requests. Teachers recommend students for placement, department chairpersons then review (i.e. AP, Honors, Regents, School Level) as applicable. Counselors will annually review the high school plan and selected courses in individual meetings with each student. Individual conferences for students in grade 11 will be held with a parent or guardian to review post high school plans. A course selection sheet will be finalized by April 1 and must be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to the guidance and counseling office in order to assure that requests are in place in selected courses. After the master schedule is created a students schedule will be developed. Where classes are canceled or a conflict arises in a student's schedule, different courses will need to be selected. Before school opens in the fall students will receive a copy of their daily schedule. SCHEDULE CHANGES ARE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED AT THIS TIME. STUDENTS ARE OBLIGATED TO MAKE A STRONG, SINCERE EFFORT TO SUCCEED AND COMPLETE THE SELECTED PROGRAM. Schedules will not be altered to accommodate teacher
requests, early dismissal or late arrival. The official add/drop period
for all classes is 7 school days after the beginning of a course.
Such student may then have to add a course in its place during second semester. A letter grade of F is used in the first half of a
course for grades below 55. An F will be calculated as a 55 Grades for dropped courses If a course is dropped prior to the submission of the first quarter grade, the class will not become a part of the students record. After a student receives a grade in the course, in the next quarter column of the report card the student will receive either a Drop or Drop/Fail. The teacher assigns a Drop or Drop/Fail based on the current grade in the course. A Drop/Fail is equivalent to a 55 and is averaged in to that quarters average and the final average for that year. A student will receive a Drop/Fail if their average is below 65. A Drop/Fail may only be overridden if the student was placed in an inappropriate academic level. If a student begins a new full year course at a different academic level, grading for that course begins when the student enters the new course. Changing academic levels in a course A student may elect to change levels in a course (i.e. Regents to School level or Honors/AP to Regents) with teacher, parent and counselor permission provided the request is made by the end of the second quarter. Computation of the final average for the new course will include only the quarters for which the student was enrolled in the course and the final examination. The former teacher may offer input into the yearly average. A student who transfers within the last two weeks of a the first quarter will receive a letter grade of P or F for the quarter and the grade for the year will be based upon the remaining three quarters. Testing out of a course A student may test out of a course in January if they are in the course for the second time and have teacher approval. The student needs to earn 75 average or higher both first and second quarter, must take the midterm as part of the second quarter grade, and must take a final exam achieving a 65 or higher to prove competency in the entire course. Grading is determined by factoring in the third and fourth quarter grades of the previous year. Students may remain in the course to improve the remaining quarters and therefore the overall average. Teachers may choose to give a student an incomplete in a course provided that there is a valid reason for work not completed (i.e. extended illness). The student will have a maximum of five weeks from the end of the marking period to make up this back work. Summer School For course failure, regents exam failure or grade improvement Students who fail one or more core courses during the regular school year are strongly advised to attend summer school at one of the local school districts. A student who fails a state Regents exam may opt to retake the exam or course in summer school or will be scheduled to repeat the course or attend remediation classes where available. Voorheesville Central School District does not operate a summer school. Summer school programs vary from year to year within each district. To take a 1 credit course in summer school you have to have taken the course before 1/2 credit courses can be taken for the first time in summer school. Some summer school programs allow students to register to retake Regents examinations or RCTs due to failure or for improvement. A student who receives a higher grade on this exam will have that grade recalculated into their overall average for the course to which it applies. If the score on the walk-in exam is lower it is not recorded on the transcript. Summer reading All Voorheesville students are required to extend their reading activities through our Summer Reading Program. Students are required to read the books assigned to their grade level prior to the start of school. The selections relate to the English and Social Studies courses that the student will be enrolled in for the following year. Students are required to prove that the book has been read by answering a thematic essay question on that book. Students who cannot prove knowledge of the material will receive an incomplete on their first progress report and will be given until the end of the first quarter to complete the work. Any student who does not complete the work by this time will have a zero factored into their average for the first quarter. New registrants may be granted extended time by the department chairperson depending on date of registration. All grades from prior schools attended will become a part of the Voorheesville High School Transcript for that student. Letter grades will be converted to our numerical system using a grading conversion scale. Students from out of state and private schools will be expected to pass New York StateRegentsexams and coursework as outlined in the Commissioners regulations. Home Schooled students who enroll in high school must also meet these requirements. Computation of the final average The final average for a course is calculated by averaging the four quarterly grades and the final examination grade. Final averages for half year courses are calculated by doubling the two quarterly grades, adding the final to the total and dividing by five. The quarterly average is calculated by averaging each course grade equally, with the exception of band and chorus which do not meet daily and therefore carry half the weight of a regular course. A students final average for the year is calculated by assigning full year courses twice the value of half-year courses and averaging all scores. Computation of the transcript All courses taken by a student that have a numerical grade are used for calculating an overall average and for ranking. The only letter grades that have a numerical value are F (fail) or DF (drop/fail) which are equal to a 50. A DF is averaged in the quarter the student drops the class and in the overall average. A grade of F in PE has no numerical value. When a course is repeated due to failure, both the failing grade and the new grade are calculated in the overall average. When a course that has been passed is repeated for improvement, only the better grade is used in calculations, although both course grades appear on the transcript. Students who retake a Regents that is used as a
final exam for a course will have the higher grade used for calculating
the average for that course. Students who are testing out of a course
will also have the quarterly grades that they repeated recalculated into
the overall average. The original final average and exam grades will
appear on the transcript during the year taken. The new calculations
will also appear in the year taken. The six-semester average and final average are recorded on the transcript. Classes are unweighted, meaning no course is given a greater value in calculations. Homework policies are determined by the individual teacher of each course and are available for review through the department chairperson. High school students are responsible for keeping up to date with their assignments. If a student is absent two or more consecutive days, the Guidance and Counseling Center can collect work for a student if given at least one day of advance notice. Students are responsible for making up their work if they are out of school for an extended illegal absence (i.e. vacation, family commitment). Students should make a list of work they need to complete and set up appointments with teachers to review work missed. Home tutoring Students who are ill for a period of more than 10 consecutive school days with the illness expected to continue may request home tutoring. Documentation from an appropriate physician must be submitted to the school indicating the nature and duration of the illness. The counselor will arrange for tutors to come to the home for up to 2 hours per week for each academic core subject. Extended illness may force electives to be dropped. Families must work with the tutors to arrange a schedule that is a best fit for everyone. Acceleration/Challenging courses Students may opt to challenge a course by proving competency in the course material. A student must submit a request in writing to the chairperson of the academic department. The chairperson will evaluate a students knowledge of the material and will require that the student show mastery of the final examination (score of 85% or better) and complete a special project. In Regents courses it is required that students earn a grade of 85% or higher on the Regents examination in addition to requirements set forth by the department chairperson or principal. "Doubling Up" refers to the situation where a student is allowed to take two courses within a department due to failing one of the courses in a previous year. Example: A student who fails English 9, does not attend summer school and is given permission to take English 9 and English 10 simultaneously the following school year. In such cases, the student must pass the lower course each quarter. By the end of the second marking period a decision will be made regarding the continuation of the doubling. If the student has failed the lower course at this point in time, the student is required to drop the higher level course regardless if the student is passing or not. Students may also choose to accelerate by doubling-up in courses with permission of the counselor, department chairperson and parent. This is not possible in mathematics. Honor Society selection All Juniors and Seniors with a scholastic average of 90.00 or above are rated on a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high) for leadership, service and character by faculty members in the Junior-Senior High School. They are given an activity information form which must be completed and returned to the Honor Society faculty advisor by a set date. The five member Faculty Council (appointed each year by the principal) reviews the results of the ratings and the activity information forms and then determines the new members by a majority vote. Credits from college, private programs, or independent studies A student may apply for high school credit for courses completed at college or in another institutional program. Verification that the course was completed and a grade received must be submitted to the Guidance Office. This should include a record of the amount of hours spent in the program in order to determine the amount of high school credit to be given. Grades from such programs will be converted to pass or fail or letter grade on the students transcript and is not used in GPA calculations. When a college course is used to fulfill a NYS requirement the grade in the course must be a C or better and credit must be awarded by that institution. Permission for this must be granted by the appropriate department head prior to the beginning of such class. If not an approved credit bearing program, a student may seek an independent study in the area by consulting their counselor and the department chair. Any course taken in lieu of a required high school course as an independent study must be approved by both counselor and department chairperson. This contract must be completed prior to the beginning of the independent study. Physical Education independent studies have an application process as well. The standard four year program is suited to most students in terms of their emotional, physical, and intellectual development. It is also most readily adaptable to post high school educational and vocational plans. Special situations may occur where a student may need to shorten the length of their high school program. Such a decision must involve the student, his/her family and the guidance counselor. It is recommended that this decision be made by the end of the sophomore year. Early graduates will not be eligible for community awards traditionally given to seniors. College application process The High School Transcript is an official document vital to the college admissions process. All final exam, Regents exam and final course grades from high school courses will be recorded on the transcript including those courses failed and later repeated and those attained during summer school. This document is only valid for college admissions and scholarship organizations when mailed directly from the Guidance and Counseling Center. SAT/ACT/AP Scores- Students who indicate our High School Code (335740) on registration forms for these tests will have a copy of results reported to the high school. These reports will become part of the high school transcript and will be reported to all college and scholarship programs to which a student applies. A written request can be made to have the high school report none of the college exam scores. Specific scores cannot be selected or not selected for reporting. School Counselor and Teacher Recommendations are confidential documents. Counselor recommendations will be sent along with the transcript directly to the college. Students applying to four-year colleges should request recommendations in the fall from two teachers. Postage- A fee of $2 should be submitted by the student with each application to cover postage costs. This fee includes mailing of the application, transcript, recommendations, school profile, mid-year grades and final grades. |