Course Registration Guidelines (Cont.)

Tenth Grade

All tenth grade students must be enrolled in five core courses, along with Health & Wellness and Biblical Theology, both of which must be taken at EHS. Students who have taken Health or Theology at their previous school may request an exemption from the Assistant Head for Academics. Students must provide a course description that provides detail about the topics covered in the previous class.

• Tenth graders taking four full years of Choir, Instrumental Ensemble, or Dance (or three full years for incoming tenth graders) may opt to take Biblical Theology in the first semester of 12th grade. These students’ Theology elective requirement is waived.

• Student may choose to take an Art course as a seventh class, with approval from the Assistant Head for Academics

Eleventh Grade

• Eleventh graders must be enrolled in at least five core courses in English, Math, Science, Modern and Classical Languages, and Social Studies.

• Eleventh graders may choose to take an elective as a sixth course or seventh course.

• Students who wish to take four or more Advanced or Honors courses or seven classes in either semester must have permission from their advisor and the Assistant Head for Academics.

• Students taking seven classes must be enrolled in at least one Art or Performing Art.

• When requesting courses, students should be aware that they may not change their exam schedules during exam week.

Twelfth Grade

• Seniors must be enrolled in at least five core academic courses.

• Seniors must enroll in a Theology elective in the fall or spring semester.

• Seniors who will have taken Choir, Instrumental Ensemble, or Dance for four years are required to enroll in Senior Biblical Theology in the fall semester.

• Seniors who will have taken two languages for three years or who are enrolled in six full year courses may take Philosophy of Good and Evil as dual credit in English and Theology. This option is rare, and it only applies to the Theology elective, not Senior Biblical Theology.

• Students who wish to take four or more Advanced or Honors courses or seven classes in either semesters must have permission from their advisor and the Assistant Head for Academics.

• Students taking seven classes must be enrolled in at least one Art or Performing Art.

• Seniors may not drop a yearlong course after they have completed the first semester.

• Once transcripts have been sent to colleges, seniors may not make a second semester schedule change that decreases the rigor of their schedule.

• When requesting courses, students should be aware that they may not change their exam schedules during exam week.

A Note About Honors and Advanced Courses

Our honors and advanced courses are designed to develop high-level critical thinking, comprehensive analytical skills, and clear and creative communication of conceptual understanding. These courses expect students to have appropriate baseline knowledge and skills upon entering, and, during the course, students will be asked to approach the material with an increased measure of independence and engagement. Students in honors or advanced courses can also expect an increased rigor and workload–approximately three hours of out-of-class work per week, along with the possibility of summer reading or other work. Advanced courses that prepare students for an AP exam indicate that preparation in the course description. Nearly all honors and advanced courses require departmental recommendation or historical performance. When choosing a possible course list, students should consider–with the input of advisors and teachers–the balance between overall course rigor, possible performance, non-academic commitments, and social and emotional well-being.

A Note About Course Changes

Course changes and schedule changes inevitably occur as the Registrar creates the master course schedule in June. If there is an unresolvable conflict between two courses for an individual student, the Registrar will contact the student to discuss possible options. Should a student wish to change courses once the school or semester has begun, they are able to do so during the ADD/DROP period in the first three weeks of the semester. Students may work with teachers, advisors, and the Assistant Head for Academics to change the level of a course until the end of the first marking period.

Independent Study

For those juniors or seniors who would like to pursue particular academic work beyond what our course catalog offers, Episcopal offers the opportunity for independent study. Students, along with a faculty mentor and the Assistant Head for Academics, work to develop a course that outlines meeting times, sources, texts, projects, papers, and assessments. Independent studies must be taken as a sixth or seventh course and must be approved by the Assistant Head for Academics. The independent study, which is usually a semester-long course, is graded and earns one half credit that is factored into a student’s overall grade point average.