ACADEMIC POLICY

ACADEMIC POLICY

Iona Preparatory School offers a thirteen-year academic program on two campuses –Upper School and Lower School. This handbook is targeted at our Upper School students and their families.

Fulfilling the academic requirements as outlined below and as required by New York State is not sufficient to be granted an Iona Preparatory diploma. While New York State Education Law requires private schools to offer a “similar” education to the New York Public schools, Iona Prep requires an entirely different level of education. Based on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the special charism of the Christian Brothers, and the philosophy and mission of Iona Preparatory, students must live up to this standard in order to be granted an Iona Prep diploma.

ACADEMIC PLACEMENT

• For a student to remain at his current level (in STEP/AP or Honors), he must maintain a consistent average of 88% in that course, the approval of the appropriate department chair and the Dean of Academics. • For a student to move up a level (from Core to Honors or from Honors to

STEP/AP), he must maintain a consistent average of 95% in that course, the approval of the appropriate department chairs and the Dean of Academics. • For a student to renew his academic scholarship for the next school year, he must finish the current school year on the honor roll appropriate to his merit award and be involved in some aspect of the Prep's co-curricular program.

ACADEMIC YEAR

The academic year is divided into four quarters with report cards, featuring numerical grades, distributed after each quarter. Parent-Teacher conferences are held after the first two report cards. Students’ full-year averages are based on six components made up of the four quarters, the mid-term grade and the final examination. Each quarter represents 20% of the final year grade while mid-term and final exams represent 10% each.

• Academic Honors are awarded for each marking period or semester. o High Honors: Students are eligible with no grade below 95%. o 1st Honors: Students are eligible with no grade below 90%. o 2nd Honors: Students are eligible with no grade below 85%.

Honors for the first and third quarters are based on the single quarter grades while second and fourth quarters are based on cumulative semester and final grades.