8445: Concurrent Enrollment

Students/Attendance



The South Kingstown School Committee believes that the high school administration should guide students toward graduation within the scope of curriculum offered at the high school. The school committee also believes that circumstances will occur in which students should be allowed concurrent enrollment in other learning institutions to enhance their education experience or to supplement deficiencies in their required graduation credits.

Policy Rationale

The school committee proclaims that pathways shall be open to South Kingstown High School students who request early access to college courses, or to seek accredited coursework through an alternate educational institution to assure their graduation eligibility. And herein, the school committee directs the superintendent and high school principal to implement concurrent enrollment programs in accordance with this policy.

Scope of Current Enrollment Programs

Concurrent enrollment may be approved to students under special circumstances. One program permits students undertake accredited educational experiences in a curricular discipline in which they have exhausted offerings at SKHS or to request enrollment in and substitute college courses for their required SKHS for graduation courses. A second program permits students, who have credit deficiencies that put their graduation at risk, to seek alternative educational opportunities that will satisfy their deficient graduation requirements.  

Definitions

As used in this policy, concurrent enrollment shall mean taking and substituting accredited courses at educational institutions, other than South Kingstown with the intention of accumulating SKHS graduation credits. Graduation shall mean receiving a certificate of graduation, a diploma, awarded either from the principal’s office or on the graduation ceremony platform. Parents shall mean parents or guardians.

Conditions and Student Responsibilities

All students participating in concurrent enrollment programs are required to meet the following conditions:

o       Be subject to approval by the principal,

o       Students attending SKHS must meet the course load requirements as outlined in the student handbook.  Consideration will be provided to students who are failing courses to the point where credit in said course is no longer feasible, and enrollment in an alternative setting could provide a needed credit towards graduation,

o       Be subject to all graduation requirements as may be established by the School Committee,

o       Pay their course fees and for their own transportation to and from the alternate learning institution, and

 

o       Complete concurrently enrolled courses with passing grades to receive graduation credits.

College course enrolled students must also request the Committee on Graduation’s approval to receive graduation credits for successful completion of the selected college courses.

Other than where dually enrolled, students will be permitted to take one course a semester which can count towards one high school credit at SKHS.  If students wish to take courses totaling more than one high school credit per semester, they must receive approval from the principal.

If a student requests to apply credits from an alternate education institution towards graduation from SKHS the principal shall evaluate the feasibility of the student’s request. From this evaluation, the principal will determine the student’s eligibility for credit application. If eligibility is affirmed, the principal (or designee) and the student's guidance counselor will work out a plan with the student and his or her parents. The plan shall clearly indicate to the student and parents that to qualify for graduation credit(s) the student alone shall be responsible for successfully completing the alternative learning plan on plan schedule, and to promptly report to the principal (or designee) all course grades or other course markings received.

Committee on Graduation

The principal may call the ad-hoc Committee on Graduation to meet when there is a request for concurrent enrollment. The committee will include a guidance counselor, the department head from the academic discipline relevant to the concurrent enrollment request and the superintendent (or assistant). The function of the committee on graduation shall be to review cases where:

o       The accreditation status of an alternative institution is unclear or in dispute.

o       The eligibility of a student to participate in concurrent enrollment is in dispute.

o       There is uncertainty or dispute regarding the application of a student’s credits from either concurrent enrollment or a previously attended school.

Dissemination

This policy shall be disseminated to the high school principal and guidance offices and the academic department heads.

Effective Date

This policy shall become effective on the date adopted by the school committee.



Policy Adopted: October 23, 2007