Every student prepared to impact the world for Jesus Christ
High School and Middle School Handbook, 2007-2008
ACADEMIC GUIDELINES
COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
Course Designation |
Units of Credit |
Bible |
4 |
English |
4 |
Math (above pre-algebra) |
4 |
Science |
3 |
Social Studies/History |
3 |
Foreign Languages |
2 |
P.E./Health |
1 |
Fine Arts/Performing Arts |
1* |
Computer/Speech |
1** |
Humanities/Electives |
3*** |
Total credits to graduate: |
26 |
*Fine Arts is subdivided into Performing Arts (Band and Chorus), Visual Arts (any Art course including Web Design), and Communication Arts (Film Studies, Drama, Speech, Journalism, and Yearbook). A student may satisfy their Fine Arts elective by any combination of the above semester courses or any yearlong course.
**1 semester of computer will be required and 1 semester of speech.
*** Electives can be taken from the areas of Fine Arts, Technology, Humanities and Physical Education. The Independent Study Project (ISP) for seniors is also considered an elective.Students have the opportunity to earn 28 credits during their 4 years in the High School.
BLOCK SCHEDULING
Block scheduling offers these advantages:
- It allows for a varied curriculum across all disciplines creating more opportunities for connectedness between the courses.
- Topics can be discussed and covered more in depth in a 90-minute period rather than shorter periods. Set-up time for labs, PE, art classes, and other class activities is minimized over one long time period versus many short time periods.
- Homework is staggered every other day corresponding to even or odd days. Homework can be more in depth and used to help build greater understanding of the topics discussed in class as well as those topics forthcoming. Students become more autonomous in their learning and therefore better thinkers in the long term.
- Projects, artistic endeavors, and studies can be examined in greater detail because after the literal level is addressed, time remains for the deeper meanings to be discovered and integrated into a cross-curricular framework.
CLASS LOAD
A full-time student must be enrolled in 7 classes with at least 5 academic classes to be considered for honor roll status. To be eligible to participate in interscholastic activities, a student is required to pass five (5) Carnegie unit subjects counting toward graduation the semester immediately preceding participation. The student must be on track to graduate within eight (8) semesters upon entering the ninth grade.
COURSE GRADE REQUIREMENTS
A student taking Algebra I in the 8th grade, making an A or B, will receive 1 Carnegie unit towards graduation requirements. Students making a C or D in 8th grade Algebra I, will not receive 1 Carnegie unit and may be required to take Algebra I in a summer school program or repeat Algebra I in the 9th grade before moving on to Geometry.
It is recommended that math students have a “C” average or above before advancing to Algebra II. A “C” average is required for continuing to Advanced Algebra and Trig. It is recommended that science students have a “C” average or above before advancing to the next level of science. Students must have completed Algebra I prior to taking Chemistry. Students must have completed or be taking Algebra II in order to take Physics.
COURSE WITHDRAWALS/ SCHEDULE CHANGES
Students needing to drop any course must do so within the first two weeks of the semester. Withdrawal requires a valid reason and written permission from a parent. No credit is given for work completed before the withdrawal date. Withdrawal or change of classes will NOT be granted due to dislike of a particular teacher. Work done in the class prior to the student's change will need to be made up.
All Landmark courses are competitive, college-preparatory courses in their scope and sequence. Honors classes are designed to take the accelerated student an extra step in terms of analysis, depth of coverage and pace. Advanced Placement courses (AP) are college courses taken on the high school level. Upon completion of the course and an acceptable score received on the AP examination, a student may earn college credit for the course taken.
To enter any honors course at Landmark, students are evaluated according to four criteria: 1) a grade of an A in the regular class, 2) an average of 90% or better on standardized test scores, 3) student motivation, and 4) teacher recommendation. The department head will also be involved with the process and will give final approval. While it is best that all four of these criteria be met, if fewer than four are met, that student will be evaluated on an individual basis, taking into account any special circumstances with the final recommendation made by the department head.
The student enters honors courses in the middle school on a trial basis, to give a broad opportunity for potential inclusion in the high school program, to allow the regular classes to spend more time on skill development, and to vary the reading material/assignments when possible to best enhance student growth. The following procedure will be followed for signing up for honors:
- The student receives a recommendation form from the current teacher during course registration time in the spring. The teacher signs this form-which includes a description of the honors course, regulations for exiting an honor's course, and summer requirements for honor students.
- The student and parent will sign this form signifying that they know the ramifications of signing up for an honor's course.
- The form is turned in to the Guidance Office. Please note: due to enrollment of particular honors courses a class may be postponed until the following year. Also, due to the intentional small size of honor's courses, some students who sign up for the class may not be selected.
An honor student is withdrawn from the honors class upon receiving a semester grade lower than 83. Any honor student receiving a semester grade lower than 86 will be counseled as to the best choice for continuation in the honors program. Each year the students in both regular and honors classes are re-evaluated as to the appropriateness of their placement in the program.
Honor class students are expected to be individuals capable of demonstrating higher level critical thinking, independent study habits, strong reading ability, and easy mastery of basic and advanced skills. The nature of an honors class is distinctive, creating a unique environment for learning that allows for significantly different educational approaches to the material studied. In content, the honors class will usually cover or be responsible for already reflecting mastery of the material in the regular class, plus additional advanced materials and assignments. Because of the nature of the subject, a clear differentiation is evident in the curriculum, even though a few of the assignments may be similar. The honors classes are also designed to become more rigorous each year, demanding an increase in the students’ commitment to the subject matter, not just an intellectual capability. Therefore, students must continue to be motivated to participate in the honors program.
Eventually, the student must decide whether they will take an AP level course in either their junior or senior year. The honors curriculum is designed so that the honors student will be well prepared to step into the AP curriculum and perform well.
The Advanced Placement, or AP, course taught at Landmark is a college level course taught in the high school years. There are standards that have been set by the College Board that each AP class must follow. If a student applies him/herself and studies diligently, the AP tests will be his/her opportunity to reflect how much he/she has learned, which may then merit college credit. The scores on the AP exam ranges from 1-5, 5 being the highest. Generally, scores of 4 or 5 will earn college credit for a student. Whether or not an AP exam grade can serve to exempt a student from a college/university course depends on the individual college/university.
It is our hope that the students who wish to accelerate and enhance their learning at Landmark will take advantage of the honors classes and will be motivated to take the many AP courses that are offered.TRANSFER STUDENTS
Students who transfer from public or private schools will not be required to make up the Bible requirement for graduation. Other electives will be used to fulfill the total number of required credits. Transfer grades will be entered on a Landmark transcript using Landmark’s grading scale. Advanced, gifted or honors classes from previous schools may or may not be awarded any weighted credit. Awarding honors credit will be under advisement of the Guidance Department and the academic department in question. AP transfer grades will receive weighted credit. Transfer students must attend Landmark for two (2) years before being considered for Valedictorian or Salutatorian.
Landmark Christian School's grading scale is as follows:
| 90 – 100 = A | 80 – 89 = B | 74 – 79 = C | 70 – 73 = D | 69 and below = F |
GPA is a term used to refer to a student’s grade point average. There is more than one type of GPA.
CALCULATING GPA
Quality Points are assigned to each letter grade a student receives. A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. Honors core courses are weighted with an extra .5 and AP core courses are weighted with an extra 1.0 added to the quality point. The points are added together and divided by the total number of courses. The result is one’s GPA.
CORE GPA
CORE is determined by computing the GPA of only English, math, science, history and foreign language courses. The CORE GPA is required for figuring eligibility for Jr. Marshal, Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Cum Laude, Valedictorian, Salutatorian, STAR Student, Georgia Scholar and the HOPE Scholarship. In some instances an unweighted CORE GPA is required. The HOPE requires a 3.00 GPA for eligibility.
CUMULATIVE GPA
A student’s cumulative GPA is determined at the end of each semester. Only the semester grades are recorded on one’s transcript and permanent record. This transcript is the record needed for college applications, scholarships, coaches, sorority rush, employees, and insurance companies. Cumulative class ranks are computed each semester and are used only to determine National Honor Society and Beta Club eligibility.
NUMERICAL GPA
Numerical GPA is determined by taking an unweighted average of CORE courses. This is used to determine HOPE Scholarship eligibility and in graduation honors. The HOPE requires an 80 numerical college prep GPA and an 85 for a technical/general eligibility.
Any student in grades 6-12 falling below a 2.00 GPA (cumulative) will be placed on Academic Probation for the following semester. Any student failing two or more subjects in a semester will be placed on Academic Probation. If the student fails to raise his/her GPA during that period of time, his/her status will be reviewed and removal from Landmark will be considered. In such cases, Academic Holds are often placed on student contracts for the following year. Improvement will lift that hold.
Progress reports for all students will be available online, and paper copies will be available upon request.
REPORT CARDS
Grades are posted on NetClassroom at the end of each quarter. Quarterly grades and final exam grades will be posted on NetClassroom but will not be recorded on the permanent record. Only semester grades are recorded on the permanent record. Each semester course stands on its’ own and receives ½ Carnegie unit of credit. The semesters are not averaged together to arrive at a yearly grade. In grades 8 – 12, final exams count 20% of one’s grade. For 7th grade—first semester exams count 10%, second semester counts 20%.
EXEMPTION POLICY
High School Exemption Policy
Any student in grades 9-12 may exempt a maximum of two (2) exams per semester providing he/she has maintained a 90 average in the class to be exempted and has four (4) or fewer absences (excused or unexcused) in that class. No students, including seniors, may exempt the same exam second semester that they exempted first semester.
Seniors may exempt all of their second semester exams if they have an 80 (B) average in each class, have four (4) or fewer absences (excused or unexcused) in that class, and have taken all their exams the first semester.
Junior Marshals may exempt up to three (3) second semester exams if they have maintained a 90 average in the class to be exempted and have only four (4) or fewer absences (excused or unexcused) in that class. They may not exempt the same second semester exam they exempted first semester.
Absences due to school-related activities do not count against the exemption attendance policy.
Middle School Exemption Policy
Eighth grade students may exempt 2 exams per semester provided they have a 90 average in the class to be exempted. Students may not exempt the same exam twice in a school year. Sixth and seventh graders cannot exempt exams.
JUNIOR MARSHALS
Junior Marshals will be selected by the top core GPA’s.
TESTING
Each year achievement tests are given to all students in grades 6-11 to measure student progress. Grades 7 and 9 also take a student ability indicator test. Each October, the PSAT/NMSQT is given to freshmen, sophomores and juniors. The ASVAB test, a vocational aptitude test, is given to juniors. Juniors and seniors are encouraged to take the SAT/ACT several times, but juniors are required to take the May or June SAT/ACT. Extended time SAT assessments are available to all learning disabled students. Students wishing to be in consideration for STAR Student must hold the class record for the highest SAT score taken in one sitting and in the top 10% of the class. The school code for all college testing (SAT/ACT) is 111273.
It is important to recognize the sincere efforts of our students in academics, athletics, and fine arts. Specific occasions are set aside to recognize student excellence in each of these areas.
Honor Rolls: There are two honor rolls at Landmark. To be named to the High Honor Roll, a student must maintain a 3.8+ GPA for the grading period being recognized. To be named to the Honor Roll, a student must maintain a 3.5 - 3.79 GPA for the grading period being recognized.
Honor Societies: Landmark is fortunate to have memberships in both the National Honor Society and the National Beta Club. Both Junior and Senior Beta Clubs require a student to maintain a 3.20* GPA for two consecutive semesters, have a 3.00 cumulative GPA and be recommended by the faculty in order to be inducted. Landmark’s National Honor Society requires the maintaining of a cumulative GPA of 3.70**, completion of a NHS application and recommendation of a faculty council in order to be inducted.
*Beginning in fall of 2009, Senior Beta Club recognition will require a student to maintain a 3.5 GPA for two consecutive semesters.
*Beginning in fall of 2011, Junior Beta Club recognition will require a student to maintain a 3.5 GPA for two consecutive semesters.
**Beginning in fall of 2009, National Honor Society recognition will require maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.8.
Graduation Honors: Students maintaining a 3.50-3.64 GPA will receive the distinction of graduating Cum Laude. Students maintaining a 3.65-3.74 GPA receive the distinction of graduating Magna Cum Laude. Forearning a 3.75+ GPA, students may receive the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. Students that have taken a sum total of 20 or more honors semesters will graduate with an Honors Seal on their diploma and will be recognized at the graduation ceremony. The students with the top two GPA’s as determined by core GPA will be named Valedictorian and Salutatorian. A variety of awards are given out at senior honors night, baccalaureate and graduation.
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