Important Notes About Schedule Changes

Purpose of the Curriculum

The major purposes of Landon’s curriculum are to challenge its boys to perform at the highest level of their abilities, to cultivate the virtue of perseverance, and to prepare them for meaningful collegiate and post-collegiate life though the development of skills, knowledge, and habits of mind. Great care is thus taken in placing the boys into courses appropriate to their present levels of capability.

Careful Choices

As students move through the Upper School, their responsibilities – both curricular and co-curricular – often become more burdensome. The Form V and VI years in particular are marked by academic challenges such as Advanced courses, the required Humanities class, and the increased time commitment of college application process; in addition, boys may simultaneously find themselves giving more time to increased roles in the school’s athletics, community service, and performing arts programs. Course selections, then, must be made with careful consideration of the boy’s overall experience and time commitments. With the guidance of the advisor, families and boys should compile an academic schedule that recognizes the various demands on the time of talented, engaged boys. While Landon does not mandate that boys challenge themselves with certain courses, it does call for boys to honor the schedule that they freely select.

Drop/Add Period

Procedures are in place to change a course, if the student and his family believe that he has been misplaced, or if his academic interests have evolved. Students must recognize, however, that even minor changes may be difficult to accomplish once the master class schedule is set. Available space in a course, the flexibility of a student’s schedule, and specific course requirements are just a few of the factors considered in approving a drop/add request. Such drop/add requests should be submitted by the end of the add/drop period (first two weeks of the first semester, first week of the second semester), but – again – submission is not a guarantor of change.

Teacher Recommendation

At any point in the year, a teacher may recognize, through the student’s performance on assessments and in class, that a boy has been improperly placed according to his present levels of capability. In such instances, the teacher, in consultation with the department chair, will suggest a schedule adjustment that better serves the student’s learning. It must be reiterated that the recommendation here comes from the teacher, based upon their observations, evaluations, and professional expertise.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Students wishing to change a schedule beyond the drop/ add period may petition the school for recognition of “extraordinary circumstances.” The petition would demonstrate that the student had exhausted all available opportunities for enhanced understanding (completion of required assignments, out-of-class meetings with his teacher, consultation with the Teaching and Learning Center, etc.), and was enduring undue emotional and/or temporal hardship in his efforts to work to the highest level of his ability. Other considerations – disappointment with a quarter grade, dissatisfaction with the level of effort legitimately demanded by the discipline, etc. – do not contribute to “extraordinary circumstances.” Petitions will be evaluated by a committee comprised of the student’s advisor, the student’s teacher, the appropriate department chair, the appropriate form advisor, and the head of the Upper School. While each case will be carefully considered, it must be understood that the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” is an extremely difficult one to meet, and that such instances are likely to be very rare indeed.

A Private School for Boys Grades 3–12

6101 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20817 301.320.3200 | info@landon.net