Academic Requirements – S 2 TEM Academy : Students accepted into Brother Rice ’ s S 2 TEM Academy must complete the academic requirements of the chosen S 2 TEM Academy track . More information on these requirements can be found at www . brrice . edu .
Disciplinary Requirements In order for a member of the Senior Class to be eligible for participation in graduation exercises , he must cooperate with the disciplinary requirements and Student Code of Conduct at Brother Rice High School and maintain a satisfactory disciplinary record . Seniors may forfeit any or all graduation privileges or honors for violating any campus rules or the Student Code of Conduct .
Financial Requirements A student is eligible for graduation only if all tuition , fees , and financial obligations have been met to the satisfaction of the Business Office .
20 . Course Offerings A Course Description Handbook is available to aid the student and his parents / guardians in course planning and selection .
An elective course is defined as a non‐required course chosen by the student . If this course is selected to fulfill the course requirement for a particular year , it must be completed . A student may not drop a required elective course . A distinction is made between academic electives ( mathematics , science , English , etc .) and enrichment electives ( band , drama , art , etc .). A student may take no more than one enrichment elective per year to meet the course requirements for a particular year . Elective courses are designated as academic or enrichment on the course registration form . In order to take a seventh academic course in sophomore , junior , or senior year , a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher .
21 . Course Selections and Student Schedules During February , students select their course of study for the next school year . Parental approval and faculty approval are required for the program of study chosen by the student . Once students have selected their programs of study , their schedules of classes are processed by computer .
Changes in student schedules are rarely made and only for serious academic reasons . Consequently , students should choose their courses with care . A fee is charged for a change in schedule .
For reasons related to health and wellbeing , all students are required to have a lunch period .
22 . Withdrawal from Courses A student may not withdraw from a required course . This includes an elective course taken as one of the six courses required each semester .
In the event a student needs to drop a course , he should contact the Vice Principal .
GRADING
A . Philosophy We believe … � Our system of grading should be timely , specific , fair and accurate . � Grades should be based on a well‐defined set of standards .
� Grades should be an accurate measure of a student ’ s ability to demonstrate understanding .
� Students should have a clear understanding of learning objectives .
� Criteria that are not a direct measure of student learning , such as work habits and behavior , should be reported separately from the academic grade .
� Assessments are critical to the teaching and learning process .
B . Purpose of Assessment An assessment is defined as any instrument that is able to indicate or provide feedback on student achievement or performance . The purpose of assessment may be summarized as follows : 1 . To provide information to students in regard to their proficiency towards mastery of the standards . In addition , it provides information for self‐evaluation and the incentives to learn .
2 . To provide information to teachers on the students ’ level of mastery of the content / skill .
3 . To allow teachers to use assessment data to plan instruction that will meet the needs of students .
4 . To communicate information to parents about student achievement and performance in school .
C . Types of Assessments While assessments will take many forms and types , they may be grouped under two broad categories .
Formative Whenever a student learns new material , he or she needs time to practice and gain familiarity with the material . It is expected that the student will make mistakes during this learning process . Any work done during this learning period is considered formative . The purpose of a formative assessment is not to judge a student ’ s final competency on a topic or unit , but to evaluate where he or she is in the learning process , diagnose any problems , and motivate and help the student learn the material . Formative assessments also inform the teacher of learning areas that may need reinforcement or re‐teaching .
Summative After a student has had sufficient instruction and practice on a topic , including assessments of a formative nature , it is then reasonable to judge mastery of understanding , content or skills . The purpose of a summative assessment is to evaluate how well a student knows and understands the material after sufficient engagement and practice with it .
Assessments are Formative or Summative based on their intended use and purpose and not by form . A quiz for example , may be formative if the teacher is having the students use new concepts to ascertain their level of understanding . A quiz would be a summative assessment if used at the end of a learning section or curriculum chunk after the students have had adequate instruction and practice . In the same way a trial test is formative , while an end of chapter test is summative . Projects contain both formative and summative elements . They include the ongoing nature of practice , reflective thinking and reworking , before the final summative rendition . Homework is mainly formative in nature as students get familiar with or reinforce what was learned in the classroom
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