Page 29 - Padua_ParentTeacherHandbook2019-20

Padua honors-level and/or Advanced Placement courses would receive weighted credit as per Padua’s publishing grading scale. Thus, courses taken in lieu of regular classes will be calculated only as unweighted credit. Courses taken in the summer would be calculated as part of the first semester of the following year. Advanced Placement (AP) credit, however, remains a high school endeavor; college credit earned via AP examination requires completion of the appropriate high school curriculum as approved by the College Board. As such, the AP program is another “advanced studies” option, distinct from and equivalent to CCP. Students may consider online providers as an alternate source of high school AP credit; Padua will still afford those students the opportunity to take the appropriate AP exam each May. All courses required for graduation from Padua must be taken at Padua unless taken as part of an approved Credit Flex plan. CCP is the preferred option among the choices for Credit Flex. Credits earned via Credit Flex count toward graduation credit as well as being factored into a student’s accumulative grade point average. As a general rule, full-year courses at Padua are not recommended for completion under College Credit Plus. We do not encourage nor recommend night school courses during the regular school year. Early release for college courses is usually available only to seniors. Credit Flex applies only to students currently enrolled at Padua Franciscan High School; credits earned in the 8th grade do not qualify under Credit Flex since they could not be prior approved by the Principal of Padua Franciscan- unless documented on a college transcript as a CCP course. Students with even a tentative plan for playing Division I or Division II sports must be cautious about any courses under Credit Flex since not all providers, especially those offering online options, are approved for NCAA eligibility purposes. Students should seek clarification from their counselor as to the NCAA status for any Credit Flex courses and providers, including for summer school remediation of failed classes. Credit Flex applies only to students currently enrolled at Padua Franciscan High School; credits earned in the 8th grade do not qualify under Credit Flex since they could not be prior approved by the Principal of Padua Franciscan High School. These credits, however, will be reflected on a student’s transcript in a manner similar to transfer students (see below). Credits earned prior to high school will also be considered by Department Chairs in making 9th grade course placement decisions. Audited courses by definition do not meet the Credit Flex requirement because they are offered to afford students who failed a second semester course the preceding year the opportunity to improve their skills during the current first semester prior to retaking the failed second semester. Courses taken in summer school for the purpose of retaking a failed course may be considered under provisions of Credit Flex. However, the course would be retaken for credit purposes only and not for GPA recalculation/improvement since the initial failing grade will stand as a matter of transcript record. Transfer students: Courses taken at another school in the instance of transfer to Padua Franciscan High School will be annotated appropriately on a Padua Franciscan transcript to document completion of credits to fulfill graduation requirements. However, since these courses were not taken under the supervision of the principal of Padua Franciscan High School, they will not be considered in the student’s final GPA calculation. CURRICULUM AND COURSES The Padua Course Catalog is issued each winter. A copy is given to each current freshman during registration week; upper class students may access the Course Catalog online at www.paduafranciscan.com. The curriculum and courses are explained in that publication. 22