Mount St. Joseph Academy

ACADEMIC POLICIES OF MOUNT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY

1. Students are encouraged to seek the advice of their parents, teachers, and the Guidance Director in proper course selection. Parents are reminded that they have a large responsibility in ensuring that their students are enrolled in the most challenging courses according to ability. Students will be assigned to particular course sections according to ability as reflected in testing, academic performance and teacher recommendations. The schedule will then be sent home for approval (signed by parent/guardian) then returned to Guidance.
2. Since academics are a top priority, students must maintain at least six (6) credits each year.
3. Credit requirements: For a Mount St. Joseph Academy student to be considered a sophomore, he/she must have earned a minimum of five (5) credits by the end of the 9th grade. To be a junior, eleven (11) required credits must have been earned by the
   end of 10th grade. To be a senior, seventeen (17) required credits must have been earned by the end of the 11th grade. Twenty-three (23) credits are required to graduate.
4. Honor Roll Students with a 3.67 or better grade point average will be designated as High Honors. Students with a 3.33 or better grade point average will be designated as Honors. To be on either honor roll, students must have no grade lower than a C and no failing or incomplete grade. The Honor Roll will be announced at the end of each marking period.
5. In determining class rank, only semester averages are used. The Valedictorian is a student who attended MSJ for four full years and has the highest cumulative grade point average. The Salutatorian is a student who attended MSJ for four full years and has the second highest cumulative grade point average.
6. Transfer student credits: All credits granted by the sending school will be accepted at MSJ provided the sending school is an accredited secondary school. Students transferring to MSJ after freshmen year, will be required to meet graduation requirements (other than four years of theology) as listed in this booklet. However, they must complete one year of theology for each year at MSJ.
7. The grade a student receives in Driver’s Education or Physical Education does not count in averaging class rank. A course taken Pass/No Pass is also not part of class rank.
8. Procedure for Schedule and Course changes: MSJ will attempt to honor the course requests of all students. In some cases, however, under-enrollment or course conflict may make scheduling impossible. In the case of an elective course, the school will automatically schedule an alternative elective selected by the student. Students will be advised of the conflict and change.
   Once schedules have been printed, few changes will be made. The Academy’s policy is that a student will remain in the course he/she has chosen and been assigned. Only in extraordinary cases and with the Guidance Office direction can a course be changed. Once the school year has started, student initiated changes must be requested through the Guidance Director and will be considered only during the first five days of each semester. Prior to any change being considered, the student must work with the teacher to design pro-active steps to improve student performance, i.e. reviewing with teacher before the tests, consistent extra help, tutoring, etc. The student must have shown some initiative in working with the teacher prior to requesting to change a course. Students must follow the proper procedure in order to be allowed to transfer into or out of a course. The Guidance Department will make changes only after consultation with administrators, instructors, and parents. On forms provided at the Guidance Office, the student will obtain the written consent of the following persons:
   • The individual teacher of the course dropped and/or added
   • The student’s parent or guardian
   • The Principal
   • The Guidance Director
9. Since academic work is a top priority at MSJ, we reserve the right of participation in extra-curricular activities to those students who are doing satisfactory academic work. This is defined in terms of eligibility as follows:
   ELIGIBILITY:
   • Students must achieve a “C-” (1.67) average and NO FAILURES in the quarter.
   • Pass/No Pass credits affect eligibility.
   • Students with any INCOMPLETES remain ineligible until the work is completed and a grade is issued.
   • At the time of progress reports (mid-quarter), the ineligibility of a student may be reviewed by the Administration and upgraded if sufficient improvement is in evidence.
   • The Principal may waive eligibility requirement in special circumstances.

   SUMMER SCHOOL (for a course failed at MSJ):
   1. Course must be taken in the summer following the failure.
   2. Approval from MSJ is needed, prior to course registration, indicating credit will be granted upon successful completion of the course.
   3. Upon receipt of official confirmation indicating successful completion of the summer school course, credit will be granted as appropriate and a final grade will be entered as a P (pass). It will not be factored into the GPA.
   4. The grade for the failed course will remain as earned on the student transcript.
   5. Only one summer school course per school year will be allowed for credit.
   NOTE: Summer school cannot help a student regain his/her eligibility.

10. At Mount St. Joseph Academy, the minimum number of school days attendance required for eligibility to earn any credits is 158 days in any one school year if we have scheduled 178 calendar school days. A student can only have ten (10) absences in a semester course and/or twenty (20) for a full year course. [No credit will be given on the eleventh (11th) absence for a semester course; and no credit will be given on the twenty-first (21st) absence for a full year course.] Two tardies will equal one absence in each individual class. (See Student Handbook for further clarifications, if needed.)
11. It is the policy and practice of the faculty of Mount St. Joseph Academy to teach with best practices so that every student may succeed. In some instances, student may exhibit a need for a different style of instruction and/or related services that the faculty of MSJ is unable to provide as part of the educational program. If a teacher determines that a student may need more than the teacher can provide, then the teacher will recommend this student to the Instructional Support Team. The Instructional Support Team will consist of a designated member of the administration, the Guidance Director, and the student’s teacher. This team will review the student’s program as well as the current accommodations and modifications of the curriculum that have been made. The team reviewing the student’s educational program and progress will make recommendations to modify the student’s academic program. When the determination is made that the student may need more evaluation or assessment of his/her learning styles or the need to look at a different program, then the administration will make a referral to the Local Education Agency for an evaluation to be conducted for the student. The Local Education Agency is the public school system that would be responsible for the student and is determined by where the parent/guardian resides.
12. Mount St. Joseph Academy recognizes its responsibility to cooperate with the Local Education Agency to identify students who are qualified persons with learning disabilities under Section 504. “On the basis of the handicap, the qualified handicapped person will not be excluded if the student can, with minor adjustments, be provided an appropriate education.” (34 CFR)
13. Policy Re: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Department of Justice’s regulations effective January 26, 1992. (Required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Mount St. Joseph Academy is nondiscriminatory toward anyone with vision, speech, or hearing impairments or physical disabilities that we can academically serve within our staff qualifications.
    Recognizing that some areas in the school are inaccessible to persons with disabilities, and recognizing that the school participates in Federally funded programs, Mount St. Joseph Academy adopts the following policy:
    Instruction, materials, meetings and activities related to the school’s participation in Federally funded programs will be available, without discrimination, to individuals with disabilities, as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
    Whenever an individual with a disability wishes to take part in a Federally funded program, that program or activity will be relocated to an accessible area.
    To arrange for relocation, contact the Principal. Information about relocation will be provided orally to persons with vision impairment and in written form for persons with hearing impairment.
    The school affirms that services involving Federal funds provided to our students will be listed annually in our Curriculum Booklet.
    Passed by the Mount St. Joseph Academy School Board on Oct. 17, 1994.
14. In keeping with the Family Education Records and Privacy Act (FERPA) with respect to student records:
    All academic and personal records pertaining to individual students are confidential and can only be inspected by the student, parents, and school officials. The entire record is to be made available for review by the student and parents (parents until the student reaches the age of 18 years). Parents shall have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of their child’s school record, to ensure that the records are accurate, not misleading nor otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of students, and to provide an opportunity for the correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate data contained therein. Schools cannot release student records without the written consent of the parent to any individual, agency, or organization other than the following:
    1. Other school officials within the school
    2. Officials of other schools or school systems in which the student intends to enroll
15. Mount St. Joseph Academy reserves the right to make any changes in this booklet which it deems necessary for the proper functioning of the Academy. Elective courses described will be offered if there is sufficient student interest as evidenced by numbers enrolled and if there are teachers available to teach them.