ACADEMIC STANDING

No student or parent/guardian-initiated course changes will be made after the third day of class of the semester with the following exception: Department Chairpersons are able to request changes for students, who are placed in the incorrect academic level, up through the tenth day of class. This will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction.

Course Withdrawals

A student who withdraws from any course prior to the above deadlines will be removed from the class roster; the course will not be recorded on the student’s transcript. A withdrawal after the deadline of three (3) class periods or ten (10) class periods with Department Chairperson and Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction approval will receive a record of Withdrawal (W) on the student’s permanent transcript.

Online and Non-Notre Dame Course Policy

Notre Dame High School acknowledges that advances in technology make the availability of online courses more accessible to high school students. These basic guidelines define the acceptable use of these courses within the parameters of Notre Dame’s mission statement and curriculum. A Notre Dame diploma represents the completion of a four-year curriculum. Those students wishing to use an online course to advance to a higher-level class for the next consecutive school year, must meet the following criteria:

• Coursework must be completed during the summer • Pre-approval by the Department Chairperson of that discipline and the Assistant

Principal for Curriculum and Instruction • Successful completion with a 75 or better

Please note the following:

• Online courses completed for advancing placement will not appear on a Notre Dame

Transcript. • Payment for online courses is the family’s responsibility. • Department Chairpersons reserve the right to require completion of a Notre Dame final exam prior to scheduling the next level course. • For students with extenuating circumstances, an evaluation must be made by the

Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction, the Counseling Director, and the

Department Chair as to the role (credit/non-credit) the online course/courses will play in the student’s four-year program.

ACADEMIC STANDINGS

Grading and Class Rank

Grades are reported numerically on a 100-point scale, with 65 as passing. Marking period and exam grades are rounded to the nearest whole number and are reflected on the report card. In calculating final grades, actual marking period and exam grades, to the nearest hundredth

position as found in the online grade book, are used. The Grade Point Average (GPA) factor (+3 for Honors, +5 for AP) will be used to determine eligibility for Honor Roll of Distinction and Honor Roll; GPAs are calculated at the end of the semester in January and June. Cumulative GPAs appear on the student transcript.

Notre Dame joins other competitive high schools in not reporting class rank. Grade averages will be reported. The Class Valedictorian is the graduating Senior who has been enrolled for a minimum of two school years and who has the highest cumulative grade point average determined at the close of the third marking period in the year of graduation. A four-year GPA, including any previous transcript, will be used to determine the GPA for the valedictorian. When a student is homebound for longer than 30 days during his/her Senior year and qualifies for valedictory status, a Co-Valedictorian may be identified from the class. At Notre Dame, the class Salutatorian is a Senior nominated by the graduating class and selected by the Administration.

Honor Roll and Honor Roll of Distinction

Honor Roll is determined by grades at or above an 88 for each subject in a semester. Honor Roll of Distinction is determined by grades at or above a 93 for each subject in a semester. The Grade Point Average (GPA) factor (+3 for Honors, +5 for AP) will be used to determine eligibility for Honor Roll of Distinction and Honor Roll.

Academic Probation

• Any student with two or more failures at the end of a marking period is placed on

Academic Probation for the remainder of the semester. • A student who fails three, five-credit subjects in a year is subject to dismissal or may be permitted to remain on Academic Probation for the following year based on review by the Academic Review Board. • A student on Academic Probation, who receives two or more failures in any subject at the close of the first semester, must appeal to an Administrative Team in order to return to Notre Dame for the second semester. • A student who has two or more failures at the end of the first semester will be placed on

Academic Probation for the second semester. • A student on Academic Probation must meet with parents and the Assistant Principal for

Curriculum and Instruction to review and sign a contract outlining the terms for progress. • Students on Academic Probation are required to spend three Activity Periods a week making constructive use of the Media Center, completing make-up work, or receiving extra help from teachers. • Students on Academic Probation are required to go to the Academic Strength and

Conditioning Center a minimum of two days a week. The Academic Strength and

Conditioning Center provides students with homework assistance and a structured study environment. The Center runs after school Monday through Thursday and is staffed with

teachers who coach students in organizing their work, completing assignments, preparing for assessments and planning for long-range projects. • Periodically these students will meet with the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and

Instruction to discuss their progress, review current course work and academics. • Incoming Freshmen who are accepted on a condition of Academic Probation will also have their progress monitored by the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction.

Academic Failures

Any final failures in Religion, English, World History, U.S. History, required Lab Sciences, Language 1 or 2, Physical Education, Integrated Technologies/Foundations of Writing, and 9th, 10th, or 11th grade Math must be made up before a student is permitted to return to Notre Dame in September. Students may participate in approved summer schools, private tutoring or online courses with the approval of the Director of School and College Counseling and the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction.

If a student fails one or two 5-credit subjects, the student must make up these courses before returning and before taking subjects for which, the failed subject is a prerequisite. It is the student’s responsibility to earn sufficient credits in summer school in order to be eligible for the next semester.

If a student fails a 5-credit course which is not a prerequisite for a sequential course or required for graduation, the student may return in September without making up this failure in summer school.

Failure to complete summer school requirements could affect one’s ability to participate in athletics or co-curricular activities.

Guidelines:

• It is the responsibility of the student, once a failure has been verified, to make plans to complete course remediation. Notre Dame offers a teacher-assisted credit recovery program in July. Students complete an academic course, receive teachersupported study and have their exam scheduled. Students are not required to attend all scheduled hours. • For students attending an approved summer school, the final grade from the summer school (33%) will be averaged with the final Notre Dame course grade (67%); if this average is less than passing (65) and the student has earned a passing grade in summer school, the student will be given credit for the course and a grade of 65.

Students who do not attend a Notre Dame approved summer school must take the Notre

Dame examination after completing an approved course of study and receive a grade of 65 or better on the examination. The grade will be determined by the final grade in the

Notre Dame course (40%), the grade earned in an approved summer school (40%) and the Notre Dame examination (20%) and must average 65 or better. • Students who fail Physical Education will receive a maximum grade of 65 upon completion of required hours.

Student Participation in Graduation Ceremonies

Participation in Commencement Exercises in a Diocesan high school is a privilege not a right. Only those students who have completed four years of high school and met all the requirements for a diploma may participate in the Commencement Exercises. Students may be excluded from participation in the Commencement Exercises for the following: three scholastic failures in the Senior year of studies; failure to fulfill financial requirements.

Students may be excused from participation in graduation ceremonies at the written request of the parent or guardian.