8435    High School Grades and Graduation

Students/Attendance

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of a student may request that the student participate in graduation ceremonies and receive a Certificate of Attendance under the following requirements:

The student has an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) and is eligible to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) until the age of Twenty-one (21), and;

The student will have completed at least four (4) years of high school and wishes to participate in the graduation ceremony with his/her class, and;

That a review of the graduation status of the student is conducted during the development of the student’s transition plan eighteen (18) months prior to graduation.  This review will include a review of the student’s transition goals, IEP goals and competencies.

The Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must notify the high school principal in writing prior to January of the school year in which they wish to have their child participate.

The receipt of a Certificate of Attendance under this policy will not affect a student’s right to receive FAPE, or to receive a diploma in the event that the student should subsequently meet the above requirements.

High School Grading Policy  

                                                                                       

This policy provides a grading system for High School staffing as one element in reporting student performance on a quarterly, semester and yearly basis.  The grading system incorporates plus and minus with each letter grade to provide an accurate presentation of the numerical grade earned by the student. The adoption of a plus and minus system offers the more accurate communication of student performance, more detailed analysis of graduates, and greater ease of calculation of grade point averages and class rank. The new grading system is as follows:

                              The New Grading Scheme

        Grade           Equiv.          Traditional             Honors/AP

        A+              97-100                4.67                   5.33

        A               93-96                 4.33                   5.00

        A-              90-92                 4.00                       4.67

        B+              87-89                 3.67                   4.33

        B               83-86                 3.33                   4.00

        B-              80-82                 3.00                   3.67

        C+              77-79                 2.67                   3.33

        C               73-76                 2.33                   3.00

        C-              70-72                 2.00                   2.67

        D+              67-69                 1.67                   2.33

        D               63-66                 1.33                   2.00

        D-              60-62                 1.00                   1.67

        Below 60 – Failure no credit    

Adopted : 6/12/01

Honorary Diplomas for War Veterans

During the time of war people left South Kingstown High School to serve in the armed forces.  After the war many of these veterans were not able to finish high school for various reasons, but led productive lives and built our communities over their lifetime.  This policy provides a process to pay tribute to our veterans with an honorary high school diploma to qualified war veterans.

Accordingly, the following requirements and guidelines for issuing an honorary diploma are established:

1.      All honorary discharged veterans who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam;

2.      Those veterans who left school early to serve with attendance during the period of the three wars with graduation during the three years following are eligible;

3.      A diploma can be awarded posthumously to next of kin provided the veteran meets the criteria in 1 & 2 above;

4.      A veteran, or next of kin, should complete an application to the School Superintendent for review by May 1^st each year.

5.      A veteran should include a copy of their honorable discharge paper and a copy of DD Form, 214 (service documentation for length/dates of service) with their application.

6.      The South Kingstown School Department will award an honorary diploma to eligible veterans of similar design to those awarded to regular high school graduates.

7.      The honorary diplomas will be awarded at High School Graduation each June.

8.      Veterans will be encouraged to contact the regional Federal Veterans Administration for assistance in locating discharge records.

9.      Because our veterans have acquired considerable life experiences and been involved in life learning projects they should not be required to provide further documentation to verify their learning. Honorable service in World War II, The Korea War, the war in Vietnam and leaving school early to serve in these conflicts are sufficient to qualify for a diploma.

10.     The signatures of representatives of either the Rhode Island Department of Education or Veterans Affairs are not necessary on the application.  They are placed there only for use if the veteran has utilized the services of either agency to verify they are eligible to receive a diploma.

This policy will be published each year in the local newspapers to provide notice to veterans and their families about this opportunity.

Date of First Reading:  3/12/02     

Date of Second Reading/Adoption:  4/09/02