Student-Parent Handbook Handbook 2018-08-20 | Page 9

admission may submit an appeal (contact the Director of Enrollment for more information). In order to meet the requirements for promotion to the next grade, students must pass and earn at least six (6) credits per year. Credit is awarded when the student earns a passing grade (60% or greater or “P”) in a particular course. Credit is not given for courses failed. At the administration’s discretion, failed courses may be retaken at an institution approved by Brother Rice High School. In the event that a student fails a course or fails a retake course and thus is short credits, he may be required to withdraw from Brother Rice. Admission to Brother Rice High School is extremely competitive and students are only accepted as spots are available. Please be sure to turn in all documents by the published deadlines. ACADEMICS Brother Rice High School is a college preparatory school, thus the curriculum is designed to prepare students for studies on the university level. Brother Rice students are expected to strive to do their best and to maintain a level of achievement consistent with this goal. 6. Brother Rice utilizes PowerSchool, a web-based student information system. It is the responsibility of both students and parents/guardians to use the PowerSchool software to monitor academic progress. PowerSchool can be accessed through the Brother Rice website or directly at p.brrice.edu. Students or parents needing assistance with PowerSchool should contact the school’s technology department. 1. Textbook Purchases Books and supplies are not included in the tuition charges. All books and supplies are available online at bookstore.brrice.edu and should be purchased as they are available. 2. Quarter Grades The Quarter Grade for each course is determined by formative and summative assessments. Quarter grades may be contested up to two (2) weeks after their release. 3. Semester Exams In January and June, cumulative semester exams will be given. Exam dates are published at the beginning of the school year. Attendance for all semester exams is mandatory. No student will be allowed to take an exam before the scheduled time. If a student is absent from an exam due to illness, he must provide a doctor’s note. With a doctor’s note semester exams can be rescheduled and made up for full credit. If semester exams are missed due to an extreme family emergency, the administration may grant permission to make up exams for full credit. Semester exams not taken by a date set by the administration will result in a failing grade being entered as the exam grade. As part of the academic requirements, all students must take the required exams. If a student’s financial account is carrying an unpaid balance, that student’s semester exam will not be graded until all financial requirements have been met with the Business Office. Semester grades may be contested up to two (2) weeks after their release. 4. Senior Exam Exemption Policy Seniors may be exempt from their second semester exams in courses they have a 90% or better in and earned a 90% or better in the semester of that course. No exam may be exempted if Christian Service requirements are not met by the published deadline. 5. Semester Grade At the end of the second and fourth quarters, the student will receive a semester grade for each course. The semester grades are the grades posted on the transcript and used to calculate the cumulative grade point average (GPA). The semester grade is determined by the average of the two quarter grades and the grade earned on the semester exam. Credit Recovery Summer school is strongly encouraged for courses in which a student earns a “D” semester grade. An "F" semester grade means a loss of 0.5 credit in that course. In this case, it is mandatory the student make up the credit during the summer months in a recognized summer school program. Because of the limited time available for study during the summer, usually only one full credit or two half-credit courses may be taken. A summer school course that is a repeat of a course already taken during the school year will appear on the students’ permanent record as a summer school course under the heading of the summer school provider’s name. The summer school grade will not be averaged into the Brother Rice GPA. The credit for the course will be added to the student’s total credits. In the event a failing semester grade is not remediated during the summer, the Academic Review Board may require the student to withdraw from Brother Rice. If a student is given permission to take a supplementary course in a recognized summer school program, the course title, credit and grade will be recorded on their transcript if they wish. However, a summer school grade will not be included in his GPA. Courses required for graduation, including elective courses, must be taken at Brother Rice during the regular school year. Brother Rice summer school is limited to remedial courses required or recommended for incoming freshmen. Tuition for English and Mathematics courses will be charged. 7. Transcript and Credit Policy a. Students may not be re-admitted to Brother Rice High School if they are deficient in credits unless arrangements to make up the credits have been made to the satisfaction of the Administration. b. Deficient credits must be made up by arrangement with the Brother Rice administration. c. A student must ordinarily maintain a weighted cumulative GPA of 2.00 per semester for re- admittance to Brother Rice High School. d. A student must have received a failing grade for a semester course before retaking the course for credit. In order to retake a failed course, the student will be required to obtain permission from the administration. e. If a transfer student earns a WF (withdrawal failure) in any course tak en outside of Brother Rice, the “F” will be included in the student’s transcript and used in the calculation of their GPA. f. Students receiving a grade of “F” for a semester course will not have the “F” removed from their transcript. When the failed course is retaken, the grade earned for the retake will be added to the student’s transcript. g. High school courses taken in middle school will be used for 9 th grade placement purposes only. Only courses that appear on a certified high school transcript may be awarded credit. These courses will not be used in GPA calculations. 6