- COURSE SELECTION
Selecting appropriate courses that lead toward future goals is important. In planning for college, specific courses must be included to meet entrance requirements. Entering a particular career immediately after high school graduation requires preparation in other courses. After consulting with parents, counselor, guidance technician, and teachers a student should take time to make thoughtful final choices.
- Prerequisites
Many courses have prerequisites. A prerequisite is a requirement that must be met satisfactorily before a student takes a particular course.
- Repeated Courses
The original grade and the repeat grade will be recorded and included in the grade point average. Units of credit will be granted for repeated classes. If units of credit have been previously earned in the class, then credits for a repeated class shall be deemed elective credits toward graduation and shall not satisfy specific department minimum unit requirements. A student who would like to repeat a course to raise the previously earned grade should check with the guidance office before enrolling. Grades earned in repeated courses are treated differently by various colleges.
- Honors, Advanced Placement, and 2+2+2 Courses
Honors (H): An honors course is a demanding academic course and, therefore, has established prerequisites. Such prerequisites may include required preparatory courses as well as appropriate performance levels. These requirements are met through an honors testing program for incoming freshmen and performance reviews for currently enrolled students. Honors courses have distinctive features which set them apart from regular high school courses in the same subject. These features include, but are not limited to, extended content and additional workload.
Advanced Placement (AP): AP courses may be offered in subject area(s) approved by the College Board, a national collegiate testing agency, and tested in the AP testing program. The general curriculum for the course is suggested by the College Board and is designed to enable the student to pass the AP examination at the end of each course. Passing such examinations with approved scores may result in college credits being granted.
While AP courses are offered in the same subject areas as the regular curriculum, the AP curriculum may vary from the regular curriculum content since it is developed according to College Board guidelines. In general, AP courses are more specialized and go into greater depth than regular courses in the same subject areas. AP courses are designed for the high school student capable of doing college-level work in particular subject areas while in high school.
2+2+2: The 2+2+2 program is a systematic articulation of vocational curricula involving the high school, ROP, colleges, and other post-secondary institutions. The purpose of the articulation is to eliminate unnecessary duplication of course work as students move from high school to college and the university. Successful completion of a 2+2+2 high school or ROP course may fulfill the prerequisite requirement for a course at the college.
- Units of Credit
It is important that final grades and completed units be checked each semester to ensure that satisfactory progress has been made. Five units of credit are earned by passing the semester's work in each class and attending class regularly. A MAXIMUM OF 40 UNITS PER SEMESTER MAY BE APPLIED TOWARD GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.
A student concurrently enrolled in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District and an outside educational agency may be granted credit toward graduation for the outside experiences, provided the student is enrolled in a minimum day within the District each semester and receives prior approval for each outside experience. Such courses are typically not offered at the local school.
No more than 40 units of credit for outside educational experiences may be applied toward graduation requirements during the student's high school career. Grades earned outside of a regular high school program are exempted from the grade point average.
Regional Occupational Program (ROP) courses are excluded from the 40-unit limitation. Grades for any course offered by the Fullerton Joint Union High School District and ROP grades are included in the grade point average or considered as credit/no credit if so designated.
A student, including non-graduating seniors, may apply a maximum of 15 units of credit per summer toward graduation.
- Grade Point Average (GPA)
GPA is calculated by dividing units of credit by grade points. Five (5) units of credit are normally awarded per semester per class period. Standard grade points are as follows:
A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = I point, F = 0 points.
Weighted grades are awarded in all honors and AP courses. Weighted grade points are as follows:
A = 5 points, B = 4 points, C = 3 points, D = I point, F = 0 points.
- Credit/No Credit
The student may, with parent, teacher, and counselor approval, elect credit/no credit grading for a course in accordance with criteria established by the principal of each campus. Once credit/no credit for a course has been agreed upon, the student may not opt for a letter grade. The deadline to take courses for credit/no credit is the last day of the first and the third quarter.
NOTE: The University of California and the California State University do not accept credit/no credit grades for courses used to fulfill entrance requirements.
Grade point average (GPA) is computed only on courses which have been assigned letter grades.
- Schedule Corrections
Student requests for schedule corrections are honored for the following reasons only and must be completed within the first three weeks of the semester:
- Graduation requirements omitted from schedule.
- College requirements omitted from schedule.
- Failing grade in a prerequisite course.
- Special programs (sports, orchestra, band, ROP, etc.).
- Courses completed during summer school.
- Scheduling error.
- Deadline to Drop a Class
The deadline to drop a class without receiving a grade of "F" is the end of the third week of each semester. Changing levels within a course does not constitute dropping a class.
- STUDENT GRADE LEVEL CLASSIFICATION
Following is a student's grade level classification when interpreted on the basis of the number of units earned:
- Ninth Grade:
- satisfactory completion of 0-54 cumulative units of course work
- Tenth Grade:
- satisfactory completion of 55-109 cumulative units of course work
- Eleventh Grade:
- satisfactory completion of 110-159 cumulative units of course work
- Twelfth Grade:
- satisfactory completion of 160 cumulative units of course work
- ATTENDANCE
- All persons under 18 years of age who have not graduated from high school are required by State law to attend school.
- The student is expected to attend each scheduled class promptly and regularly. Regular attendance in all classes is one of the greatest contributing factors to success in school. Absences should be avoided.
- Absences must be cleared within three (3) school days.
- Truancy may result in the student's failure to earn full units, failure to earn a passing grade, or removal from class. For each three (3) days of unexcused absences within a semester, a student will fail to earn one (1) unit of class credit.
- HOMEWORK
The Fullerton Joint Union High School District believes that homework is an essential part of the high school educational experience. The teacher is responsible for determining and assigning appropriate homework. The student is responsible for meeting the homework standards established by the teacher and will be held accountable for the quality and completion of assigned homework. Parents are urged to encourage and support the student's efforts, but the actual work must be done by the student.
- GUIDANCE PROGRAM AND SERVICES
The guidance department is an integral part of the overall school system. The department not only works with students but with teachers, parents, and community resources.
The following services are provided:
- Counseling and guiding students in the development of a four-year educational program through the following:
- Student and parent conferences.
- College and academic planning meetings.
- Group meetings emphasizing college and career goals.
- Appropriate enrollment in courses required for graduation.
- District special education support systems, including speech and language therapists, psychologists, and other personnel as required by a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- VOCATIONAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Vocational education opportunities are available to all students without regard to race, color, religious preference, national origin or ancestry, marital status, sex, age, disability, or economic status. Vocational education opportunities include, but are not limited to, all courses offered within the District's agriculture, business education, home economics, and industrial/technical education departments and courses offered by the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program (NOCROP).
- MINIMUM DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS
All students are required to take a minimum of five (5) courses each semester. Enrollment in one ROP course or a community college course may be included in the minimum of five courses. All ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students are expected to be enrolled in six (6) classes each semester. A student in special education may be exempt if the Individualized Education Program (IEP) calls for a minimum school day.
- COMMUNITY COLLEGE "BRIDGE" CLASSES
With the principal/designee's approval (on a "Bridge Form"), a student may concurrently enroll in community college courses that are not offered on the high school campus. |
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