Academics

The academic program is central to the St. Luke’s experience. The Curriculum Guide provides detailed information on the course of study and requirements for graduation. This Handbook provides an orientation to other important academic matters.

Grades

Letter grades have the following meanings at the School.

A: The student’s approach to the subject matter communicates a passion for learning; the work not only satisfies the basic expectations of the assignment/course but also excels in several of them for this course or grade level. The work produced by the student: • demonstrates incisive critical thinking • is thorough, persuasive, and/or imaginative • is complex and/or deep • contains few if any calculation, grammar, stylistic, or punctuation errors • demonstrates learning through mastery of the material; is organized, complete, and almost always correct • demonstrates excellent problem-solving skills • demonstrates risk-taking and a willingness to tackle a difficult topic, task, or problem • presents clearly the thinking of the student; the writing, logic, and/or calculation flows well • demonstrates the consistent application of learned theories, principles, or facts to new situations or problems

B: The student’s approach to the subject matter is good; the work reflects a level of competence that is the result of applied skills; the work satisfies the essential expectations of the assignment for this course or grade level. The work produced by the student: • is organized, clear, and largely correct in analyses and/or facts; • is typically complete and reasonably thorough • is comprehensible and reflects some critical thinking, insight, and/or originality • demonstrates good understanding of the material covered by the assignment • demonstrates good problem-solving skills • experiences no difficulty with routine problems and challenging problems elicit reasonable, though not completely correct, answers • may be formulaic or mechanical in its feel: few risks have been taken; does not reach beyond the material presented in the text or the ideas discussed in class • is straightforward and understandable but without depth

C: The student’s approach to the subject matter is competent but it reveals gaps in understanding and/or presentation. The work produced by the student: • is weakened by errors, oversight, and/or incomplete analysis • is correct but contains some organizational or structural problems • is uneven in expression and in logic • satisfies some, but not all, of the basic requirements of the assignment: factually, structurally, and/or grammatically; has flaws—it is less than thorough and lacking in detail • demonstrates competent problem-solving skills: simple, straightforward problems pose no difficulty—problems that require making connections and/or applying concepts to new situations often elicit incomplete and/or incorrect responses • is not clearly presented or expressed; contains conclusions that are not sound: the observations are obvious and/or superficial—the paper posits an acceptable thesis but does not support it adequately

D: The student’s approach to the subject matter is of poor quality; it is substandard in several areas for this course or grade level; it reveals little evidence of intellectual curiosity or goal orientation. The work produced by the student: • is unorganized and unclear; the conclusions are unsound • is misguided: the student has misunderstood the point or gone in an unrelated direction • contains several serious errors or omissions • reflects oversight, incomplete analysis, little attention to detail, and carelessness • is seriously flawed on all but the most basic problems • demonstrates little understanding of concepts and relationships and how they are connected to topics previously studied

F: The student’s approach to the subject matter is unacceptable; it is substandard in many areas for this course or grade level; it may suggest a lack of effort and disregard for institutional goals. The work produced by the student: • falls well short of achieving the goals of the assignment • shows little understanding of the material • is largely incomprehensible as presented • is incomplete, is completed incorrectly, or is the wrong assignment • contains serious factual errors, including on basic problems • contains mistakes that consistently reflect lack of oversight, incomplete analysis, and carelessness, and an inability to grasp, recall, and/or utilize the relationships between concepts.

Please note that these descriptions explain what our letter grades mean, but they do not tell which grades are “good” or “bad.” For a very accomplished student, a C may be a “bad” grade, while for a student with little background or experience in a subject, the same C may be judged to be a “good” grade.

The following letter grades will apply to their numerical ranges:

A+ 97-100 A 93-96 A- 90-92 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 63-66 D- 60-62 F 0-59

Students may be given an Incomplete in a class only in cases of an excused absence from School with insufficient time remaining in the semester to make up the course work, as determined by the School. The deadline for completing the course will be one week after the end of the semester, at which time the Incomplete will be converted to a grade and the report card will be updated. Students requiring more than a week to make up Incomplete grades require permission of the Division Head to do so.

Pass/Fail is an option for some courses with the permission of the teacher and the Director of Studies. The commitment to Pass/Fail must be made in the first two weeks of the course and may not be changed.

Transfer students entering during the academic year with grades from another school may have their grades weighted into the year’s average, depending upon individual circumstances.

Comments and Report Cards

Fifth grade students do not receive grades; parents receive detailed teacher narratives at the end of each semester. In grades six through eight, a description of student progress is sent at the midpoint of each semester and detailed teacher comments about material covered and the student’s performance are sent at the end of the first semester.

In grades nine through twelve, grades are shared at the midpoint of the first semester, detailed teacher comments about material covered and the student’s performance are sent at the end of the first semester, and shorter description of progress is sent at the midpoint of the second semester.

Advisors write year-end comments at the end of the school year.

Transcripts and Student Records

Students’ records are kept on file at the School. Each student’s record contains a transcript with grades, athletic involvement, commendations, test scores, formal academic, advisor comments, advisor letters, and letters involving any major discipline infractions.

The transcript is an official record of a student’s academic achievement. Transcripts include the name of courses, grades earned (first semester, second semester and final grades), and any academic awards given by the School. Transcripts do not include exam grades, grade point average, class rank, or comments. The Schools sends the fall “snapshot” grade to colleges for twelfth grade students only.

Twelfth graders should be aware that St. Luke’s will not release a final transcript to a college until all graduation requirements have been fulfilled, including such requirements as may be imposed as a result of disciplinary infractions or academic performance. The School may only

release transcripts if the family’s financial obligations to the School are up-to-date. A student’s educational and disciplinary records are disclosed on a need-to-know basis to administrators, teachers, coaches, counselors, and other staff who work with the student.

Disclosure to Colleges

It is the School’s policy to support students in reporting serious disciplinary consequences to colleges. It is the School’s policy to communicate honestly and accurately with educational institutions (or other organizations) seeking information about students’ academic and disciplinary history. St. Luke’s will release information upon request of the educational institution, including academic and disciplinary information. The student should work closely with the college counselors to ensure that both are responding in a consistent and thoughtful manner. If a student’s disciplinary status changes, after the filing of college applications, the School may update an educational institution regarding the student’s status and expects students to do so as well. The student and the college counselor are expected to notify colleges within two weeks from the date of the change in status. This policy is in compliance with the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice.

Disclosure to Next Schools

If a student applying to secondary school, or who has recently been accepted to attend a different school, is suspended or expelled, or experiences any significant change in status at the School after the student’s applications have been submitted to secondary or other schools, it is the obligation of the student and the student’s parents to contact all such secondary or other schools to inform them of the incident. The School may, in its sole discretion, also communicate with each secondary or other school regarding the situation. The School will generally work closely with students and families to support the honest reporting of disciplinary matters, in order to support student success at next schools.

Course Selection

The St. Luke’s School mission is clear about its goals for students as they proceed through the grades and reach graduation. This preparation derives from the concerted efforts of the faculty and administration to implement a rigorous and contemporary curriculum, individualized as necessary for the needs of each student. Nonetheless, during a student’s journey from fifth to twelfth grade, many decisions need to be made concerning an appropriate academic course of study. In the Middle School, most courses follow a prescribed sequence with variables only in the areas of math placement, choice of world language, and music, and choice of fine/performing arts and electives in eighth grade; however, in the Upper School, more options are available—and more choices must be made.

The Curriculum Guide includes information about possible course sequences in each

discipline, as well as other information about graduation requirements, and criteria for placement in honors and AP courses. In addition, St. Luke’s provides a number of opportunities to receive advice about course selection, including choice of electives, how many Honors, Advanced, or AP courses to take, and college expectations regarding courses. We encourage parents and students to take advantage of the full range of expertise and advice available at St. Luke’s. Please feel free to contact any or all of these resources:

• The advisor is familiar with the student’s personal preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. The advisor can be useful in choosing electives as well as gauging an appropriate course load for each advisee. • The Director of Studies is knowledgeable about course sequences and can be helpful with longrange planning. The Director of Studies creates individual schedules and can advise about the various possibilities and alternatives that a student may have. • Department Chairs know the specifics of particular courses and their levels of difficulty. They can also elaborate on the criteria used for Honors, Advanced, and AP placement. • The College Counselors can provide information about academic choices as they relate to the college process. • Division Heads have information unique to the Middle and Upper Schools.

The most important factors to be considered when making these decisions are the student’s interests and abilities. The goal each year should be to take a course of study that is appropriately demanding and challenging, given those interests and abilities.

Course Changes

Students must obtain a “Request for Schedule Change Form” from the Director of Studies and secure the necessary signatures. A course may only be added within ten class days; a course may be dropped anytime, provided that the student is left with at least five courses and 2.5 credits per semester (not including independent study projects for juniors and seniors). If a student changes courses within the same exact discipline—e.g., from an Honors or AP course into a regular section, as from Honors French IV to French IV—then the report card grade will be calculated by the percentage of time in each class. Students trying to switch course topics within a department— e.g., from Advanced Physical Chemistry to Geoscience—would follow the standard Drop/Add procedures and deadlines. If a student drops a course after snapshot grades are released, a W/P (“withdraw/pass”) or W (“withdraw”) for that course will be noted on the student’s transcript. If a student drops a course after semester grades are released, then the semester grade for the dropped course will be noted on the student’s transcript.

Homework and Assessments

Homework over Vacations and Holidays In most courses, no assignments are given over Thanksgiving break, Winter break, or Spring break. Students in certain Honors, Advanced, or AP courses, however, may be asked to complete some work,

as needed. If a student is observing a religious or cultural holiday not marked by the School calendar, the student should speak with the teacher about appropriate accommodations.

Major Assignments In general, a student should not have more than two major assignments due on one day. However, exceptions may occasionally have to be made. Major assignments are defined as tests, papers, and projects, and are posted on the course website at least one week in advance to allow the student enough time to prepare adequately. If students discover they have three major assignments due on one day, they should contact the teachers involved and ask one of them to move an assignment.

Exams The purpose of exams is: to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate understanding of concepts; to develop and measure writing skills; to encourage students to synthesize a large body of knowledge into a concise, written work; and to measure each student’s progress. Students in grades nine through twelve typically take a March exam in English, History, Mathematics, and Science. The exams in these courses will be weighted 20% in determining the final grade. The following exams, however, are only weighted 10% in determining the final grade: Honors World Literature, World Literature, Honors Foundations of World History, World History, Honors Biology, and Biology. Students who take an AP course must take the AP exam in May. Middle School students do not take March (or year-end) exams, unless they are taking an Upper School year-long course in a core academic subject area (e.g., Honors Algebra II with Trigonometry).

Make-Up Test If a student is absent on the day of a test, a make-up test may be taken. If the absence is for the day of the test only, the student is expected to take the test on the day(s) the student returns to School (exception: medical absences that prevent a student from being able to prepare effectively for the test). If the absence is longer than one day, the student must make arrangements for the make-up test on the day of the student’s return. Parents may never excuse students from tests.

Test Completion A student who needs to make up a test or who needs additional time to complete a test, and who is entitled to extended time according to testing on file with Educational Support Services (ESS), will be allowed to complete the test after school. Test completion takes precedence over afternoon activities. Students are required to complete a test on the same day that it was started. A student may not postpone the completion of a test to the following day.

Academic Progress Reports

At their discretion, teachers occasionally send progress reports to students indicating their performance. In addition, parents may request periodic written reports (roughly every three weeks) on a student’s academic progress by contacting the Director of Studies or appropriate Division

Head. However, after the first semester, students will not receive periodic progress reports in any class in which they have an average of B+ or higher. Periodic progress reports are available to students in fifth through eleventh grades.

Promotion Standards

Teachers and Administrators make the decision regarding a student’s placement and readiness to move from one level of the School to the next. A student must be deemed ready physically, emotionally, socially, psychologically, and academically, in the School’s sole discretion, in order to move to the next level..

Academic Probation

Academic Probation serves as a serious warning to those students who are failing, nearly failing, or underperforming in more than one class. Division Heads may place students on Academic Probation when they think it is appropriate—even before the end of a semester. Otherwise, Academic Probation is assigned to those students whose GPA is 1.67 or below or to those who receive two grades of D+ or lower. A student may be placed on Academic Probation for a period of up to two semesters. A student who is placed on Academic Probation at the end of the school year will be on Academic Probation the following school year. Students who are on Academic Probation after the first semester will have their Re-Enrollment Agreement withheld until year-end grades are submitted in June. A student on Academic Probation who, in the opinion of the administration, does not make significant progress, may be required to leave St. Luke’s School. Note: Academic Probation is reportable to colleges and next schools.

Study Hall

Upper School students who, in the opinion of their teachers, advisors, and/or Class Deans, need a structured and supervised time to work, may be assigned to a study hall at any time. The Head of Upper School will make the final decision on study hall placement. Middle School students are required to report to assigned spaces at all times during the school day and do not have free periods.

Off Campus Study

From time to time, students may wish to study off campus for a portion of their time at St. Luke’s School. The School allows a limited number of students in tenth and eleventh grades who are deemed to be in good academic standing to study off campus at a School-approved program. Twelfth graders are not permitted to study away. Participation in an off campus program has implications for academic and college planning. Students and their families must meet with the Director of Global Education in order to discuss the planning and process for studying off-campus, as well as the academic considerations.

Students interested in an off-campus program, either domestic or international, must submit, by

October 15th, a letter to the Director of Global Education informing the Director of their intent to study off campus the following school year. The Off-Campus Study Committee will decide who may apply to study off campus and if the program meets St. Luke’s standards. By the middle of November, students are informed if they will be permitted to study away for the following school year. Students approved to study away, along with their parents, are responsible for completing the application for their program and for financing the program. St. Luke’s financial aid does not apply to off-campus programs. Families will be expected to pay a fee in order to retain their position in their respective class at St. Luke’s School. During the time a student’s program is in session, the student must clear any visits to the St. Luke’s campus with a school administrator prior to the visit. Upon their return, students will be expected to share their experiences with the St. Luke’s community.

Standardized Testing

• Students in grades five through eight take the ACT Aspire. • Students in grade nine take the PSAT 9. • Students in grades ten and eleven take the PSAT/NSMQT. • Students in grades eleven and twelve take the SAT and/or ACT on national test dates established by the College Board and ACT.

A system of standardized testing, such as the Aspire and other tests, provides the School with a snapshot of the academic status of the student body at a particular point in time, as well as with data that can be used for assessment of students’ progress over time and for benchmarking purposes by the Division Heads, Director of Studies, and College Counseling office. However, the School acknowledges that standardized testing is but one means of assessing a student’s growth and progress. Teachers will continue to use other assessment vehicles for this purpose, as well. The ongoing process of curriculum review is designed to align learning goals with assessments, as well as testing strategies.

Grading Calculations and Cum Laude Society

Grade Point Average Calculation Grade point averages are calculated by first multiplying the quality points associated with each letter grade by the credit awarded for the class, and then taking the total number of quality points and dividing by the number of credits. See below for credits awarded.

• Grade point averages are computed using the following quality point scale

A+ = 4.33 B+ = 3.33 C+ = 2.33 D+ = 1.33

A = 4.0 B = 3.0 C = 2.0 D = 1.0 F = 0.0

A- = 3.67 B- = 2.67 C- = 1.67 D- = 0.67

• Honors, Advanced, and AP courses receive a 0.33 GPA bump for internal GPA purposes only.

Earned (i.e., unweighted) grades appear on report cards and transcripts. • Classes that meet most often in the schedule receive one credit; other courses receive 0.25-0.5 credits. Independent Study projects and Health courses not counted in the GPA calculation.

Cum Laude Society In 2011, St. Luke’s School became a member of the Cum Laude Society, which was founded in 1906 to recognize scholastic achievement of students in secondary schools. The motto of the society is “Areté, Diké, Timé,” the ancient Greek words for “Excellence, Justice, Honor.” St. Luke’s School student inductees into the Cum Laude Society are those seniors whose coursework is at the highest and most rigorous levels; who have shown high levels of achievement in their studies; whose participation in class reflects enthusiasm for greater depths of learning; and who have maintained the highest levels of honor, goodwill, and integrity at St. Luke’s School. Cum Laude Society inductees are officially inducted into the School’s chapter at an induction ceremony in the Spring.

Library

The library is available to serve the needs and interests of students, faculty, staff, and families. Students learn to use various library resources within the context of their classes, and teachers are available to assist with research, reference material, and general questions about the library.

Please follow the proper procedures for borrowing library materials. Families will be held responsible for the cost of lost or unreturned books and materials.

Educational Support Services

ESS seeks to improve learning in a challenging college preparatory curriculum by providing academic support services to students with a wide range of abilities. One full time learning specialist provides individual and/or small group support to students, their parents, and teachers, on an as-needed basis. ESS also maintains a list of tutors, educational therapists, and speech and language pathologists for referral outside school hours.

Tutors may not meet students on the St. Luke’s campus without the express permission of the Director of Educational Support Services. This includes tutoring outside of normal school hours. The only students who may receive tutoring during the school day are those whose learning profiles include this as an accommodation, as determined by the School.

Academic Accommodations

The School does not discriminate against qualified applicants or students on the basis of disabilities that may be reasonably accommodated. The School will discuss with families of applicants with known disabilities whether the School will be able to offer their children the appropriate accommodations to help them be successful at the School.

The School is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities are provided with equal access to the School’s programs and services, in accordance with applicable laws. For students who seek additional support or curricular adjustments, the School requires documentation indicating that the student’s disability substantially limits a major life activity. Students who present the School with appropriate documentation of disability will be granted those requested

academic accommodations that are supported by the documentation and considered reasonable in this educational setting. Any adjustments to the academic program would be made through an interactive process between the student, the student’s family, the Division Head, and the Director of Educational Support Services.

Even after supportive services and accommodations have been put in place, a student may still not be able to fulfill the student’s academic requirements satisfactorily. In such instances, the student’s teachers, advisor, Division Head, or other personnel may decide that the accommodations put into place may not suffice to ensure the student’s success at the School. At that time, the Head of School and/or Division Head will decide whether it is appropriate for the student to remain at the School.

Families should understand that accommodations for standardized testing (such as through the College Board or the ACT) are sometimes different from the accommodations the School can provide. Questions about accommodations should be directed to the Director of Educational Support Services.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is expected of all St. Luke’s students. Students are expected to be honest in the preparation of daily homework assignments, in the compilation and the preparation of research projects and other papers, and in the preparation for and taking of quizzes, tests, and exams. In addition, students are expected to maintain academic integrity when applying to St. Luke’s School, colleges, and other educational institutions. Academic dishonesty is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the School.

Cheating Students must be sure they know a teacher’s expectations for getting help on an assignment. The Acceptable Help guidelines are meant to convey a general sense of what kind of help is okay, and what kind of help is cheating. It is the student’s responsibility to ask the teacher about expectations if they are unsure.

Cheating is copying another student’s work during a quiz, test, exam, or any other assignment; possessing notes, open texts, or other references including the wrongful use of calculators, phones, or other electronic devices, unless explicitly authorized by the teacher. Cheating also includes deliberately providing another student with assistance in taking a quiz, test, or exam either inside or outside of class. If cheating occurs, all parties involved will be given a zero on the quiz, test, exam, or any other assignment with no opportunity for a make-up test.

Plagiarism Plagiarism is a form of cheating. A student plagiarizes when the student presents someone else’s ideas, intentionally or unintentionally, as if they were the student’s own. Plagiarism is a serious form of academic dishonesty whatever the motivation. Plagiarism occurs when:

1. a student uses someone else’s words—short phrases, sentences, or paragraphs—without giving credit to the source; 2. a student rephrases someone else’s ideas into the student’s own words without giving credit to the source; and/or 3. a student omits footnotes which give credit to the source even if the student intended to put them in.

Avoiding plagiarism is simple: give credit in a parenthetical citation or footnote for any idea presented which is not a hundred percent original. Teachers may answer any questions students have about the form of footnotes or about when they should be used. If plagiarism occurs, the assignment will automatically be given a zero. If a student has any questions about how to cite properly, the student must ask for guidance from the teacher before submitting the work. If in doubt as to whether or not to cite a source, it is better to err on the side of caution and cite it.

Submitting the Same Work Multiple Times or to More Than One Course Students may not submit the same or similar work from one class to another class, unless they are given direct and explicit permission from both the teachers of both courses, to either hand in the same work or something similar. The expectation for each assignment in each class is that students produce their own original work for each designated course in which they are taking.

Tutoring in the Writing Process Although tutoring in composition is often helpful, tutors must not do the student’s thinking or writing. Likewise, parents should not routinely edit their child’s papers or otherwise contribute significantly to the organization in any writing assignment. A good writing tutor is a writing coach: one who prompts and encourages, but one who stays on the sidelines. Teachers who determine that a student’s work is not the student’s own may confer with the student and contact the parents. Overzealous tutoring is intellectually dishonest—in spite of the tutor’s good intentions—and will result in a penalty to the student ranging from a lowered mark to no credit for the paper and other appropriate discipline, as the School determines may be appropriate.

Acceptable Help at St. Luke’s School

A Guideline for Students, Parents, and Tutors We encourage and expect Upper School students to ask their teachers for help. Often, though, it makes sense for students to ask peers, parents, or tutors for assistance. A little help is good; too much help and the work is no longer the student’s. Where is the line? The golden rule is that the work submitted should always reflect the student’s own ability and understanding. That, after all, is the purpose of the assignment: to allow the teacher to see what the student knows and can do. The examples below are designed to guide peers, parents, and tutors in providing acceptable help to St. Luke’s students.

Okay

Point out the first instance of a grammatical error and indicate how to correct it. Ask the student to look for similar errors throughout the essay. Show a student stuck on a math problem where there is a similar problem in class notes or in the textbook, or show the student how to solve a related but simpler problem. Ask the student questions about the thesis statement. Point out holes or inconsistencies in the argument. Help the student check over work using the assignment sheet or rubric. Point out clichés or imprecise vocabulary. Ask the student, “What do you mean to say here?” Help the student break down larger assignments into smaller tasks. Follow the guidelines in the World Language Department Acceptable Help Statement. Help the student develop and implement strategies to identify materials that are appropriate sources of information. Coach the student on how to write an email to a teacher asking for help. Encourage the student to prepare for the extra help session with specific questions/topics to discuss.

Not Okay

Fix the grammatical errors in the whole essay.

Solve the problem.

Revise the thesis statement.

Edit the student’s assignment.

Change phrasing or words to make the writing more sophisticated. Become the project manager, overseeing each stage of the assignment. Provide help beyond those guidelines.

Gather sources for the student to use; take notes from sources for the student.

Email the teacher to ask questions about the assignment. Send a student for extra help without specific questions or topics in mind.