Beginning with the class of 2011 Valley High School will require forty-eight (48) credits, including four (4) credits of physical education for graduation. 

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

The specific graduation requirements for Valley High School are as follows:

English and Language Arts (Total required credits: Six for those graduating before the class of 2011 and Eight for students graduating with the class of 2011 or in subsequent years)
Language and Literature or Accelerated Language and Literature/Fundamentals of Writing Grade 9; 2 credits.
Speech Communication, Grade 9 or 10; 1 credit.
Fundamentals of Writing, Grades 10, 11 or 12; 1 credit.
Language Arts elective, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12; 2 credits.
Literature elective, Grades 10, 11 or 12; 2 credits.

Mathematics (Total required credits: Six including Algebra beginning with the class of 2010.  However, Algebra may be exempted through the IEP process.)
Algebra, Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12; 2 credits or Developmental Algebra; Grades 10, 11, and 12; 2 credits.
Mathematics electives, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12; 4 credits.

Science (Total required credits: Four for those graduating before the class of 2011 and Six for students graduating with the class of 2011 or in subsequent years)
General Science or Biology, Grade 9; 2 credits.
Science elective, Grades 10, 11 or 12; 4 credits.

Social Studies (Total required credits: Six)
Economics, Grade 11 or 12; 1 credit.
Government, Grade 12; 1 credit.
U.S. History, Grade 11; 2 credits.
Social Studies elective, Grade 9, 10, 11 or 12; 2 credits.

Fine Arts (Total required credits: One)
Fine Arts elective, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12
Areas:  Art, Drama, Music

Physical Education (Total required credits:  Four)

• All students will be required to obtain credit in P.E. during each semester of attendance as a requirement for graduation.  (Iowa law provides for exemption of students in certain circumstances such as in vocational education programs at the discretion of the building principal.)
  Successful completion of each of the four required units is mandatory during both the freshman and sophomore years. Requirements can be completed by selection during junior and senior year.
• A failure of any quarter will require a quarter make-up at a later time.
• No more than one quarter of P.E. may be made up per quarter during the school year for Valley Southwoods or Valley High School students.
• Students not completing the P.E. requirement will not receive their diploma from Valley High School until this commitment is fulfilled.

Credit Limit: A maximum of 9.5 credits from individual departments can be applied to the forty-eight (48) credits required for graduation.  The exception to the 9.5 limit is given to students earning credits in a vocational program at Central Campus, Construction Technology, Marketing Education or Business Internship.  There is no limit to the total credits taken from an individual department.

Dual Credit Courses

Several courses at Valley High School receive dual credit through Des Moines Area Community College.  This means that a student who elects to take one of the following classes, registers for DMACC credit, successfully completes the course, has junior/senior status, or is a sophomore ELP student or a sophomore who has scored a 27 composite on the ACT will earn free college credit(s) as well as Valley High School credit.  Sophomore students who have not scored a 27 composite on the ACT or who are not ELP students are not eligible for DMACC credit(s) per DMACC.

Students electing to take a course for DMACC credit will be required to take all final exams associated with the course and cannot take the course pass/no pass.

Students registering for DMACC credit will be generating a college transcript while in high school.  Note: shared programming credit courses through DMACC are only offered to juniors and seniors with the intent to transition students from high school to college or career.

Central Campus Offerings

Central Campus is an extension of the programs of most high schools in the central Iowa area.  Students planning to graduate from Valley High School have the opportunity to attend classes at Central Campus on a space available basis during grades 10 through 12.  Central Campus offers courses in 24 vocational-technical areas, as well as academic classes not available at Valley.  Students who choose courses offered at Central Campus attend two or three period sessions in the morning or afternoon and receive two or three credits toward graduation at Valley each semester they attend Central Campus.  Students who choose to attend Central Campus will have their tuition paid by the West Des Moines Community School District, but each student will have to provide their own transportation to and from Central Campus.  Vocation-technical programs at Central Campus include:  Agriculture, Practical Nursing, Home Economics Education, Business Education, Aviation, and Trade and Industrial Education.  For more information, contact your counselor at Valley High School.  The application deadline is March 15 for the ensuing school year.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options Act

Any junior or senior and any sophomore designated as Talented and Gifted may enroll in no more than two classes  during high school at a participating post secondary institution providing a comparable course is not available at Valley High School.  Any student anticipating enrollment in such a course must complete and submit an application form on or before March 15 (October 31 for the second semester) with the intent to enroll in said course for the ensuing school year.  This application form is available in the Counseling Office.  More details are available on page 69.

IMMC Corporate Academic Institute

Valley, in partnership with the Iowa Methodist Medical Center, offers students medical career experience through an apprenticeship program.  Students will receive hands-on experiential training in a variety of careers while learning the social skills and attitudes to enable them to function in a corporate setting.  Students will attend IMMC approximately two and half hours each day and will receive three credits per semester.  Each student will have to provide their own transportation to and from IMMC.  For more information, please contact a Valley High School counselor.  The application deadline is March 15 for the ensuring school year.

Off-Campus High School Coursework

All courses taken in another high school program or any other institution need prior written approval by a counselor and the principal (or a designee) if they are to be included on the Valley transcript and/or counted toward graduation.  Forms may be obtained in the Counseling Office.  See Board Policy 505.10.

Courses taken for graduation purposes, from other than Valley, may be granted approval only if a student can not graduate by taking ten  credits and physical education his/her senior year.

A senior student in good academic standing may have a one-course reduction in Valley courses if he/she wishes to enroll in one or more college/university course(s).

• The course must offer at least three (3) semester hours of credit.
• The course will be awarded one (1) high school credit.
• The credit will count toward high school graduation.
• The grade earned in the course will be figured into the high school gradepoint average.
• The grade will be weighted .5 on the high school transcript.
• The course scheduled must not interfere with the student’s Valley schedule.
• The course must be in the curricular area only.
• The student must take a minimum of four classes and physical education at Valley.
• The course cannot exist in Valley’s curriculum.

Early Graduation

Students intending to graduate prior to eight semesters of attendance must have the early graduation form completed and to their counselor six weeks prior to the end of their last semester of attendance.  No early graduation requests will be approved after that date.

Junior or Sixth Semester Transfers

Transfer students who have successfully completed six semesters in good standing and have met the requirements from the transferring school will be graduated from Valley upon completion of Valley's senior requirements.  The transfer student must take a normal senior schedule of five courses and physical education per semester.  Credits will be counted on the Valley High School system of awarding a diploma.

Pass/No Pass

Students will have the opportunity of choosing a one credit class for Pass/No Pass per year providing it is not a required course. No course, which can meet a graduation requirement, can be taken Pass/No Pass until that graduation requirement is completed. Credit may be earned on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students will be expected to obtain a parent's signature for approval plus the signature of their counselor and instructor to indicate their awareness of the student's intentions.
The Pass/No Pass decision must be made prior to the end of the first nine weeks of any semester and prior to the end of the seventh day of class for all summer school courses. In addition to the strict Pass/No Pass option, students can elect to remain on a grade basis if the earned grade for the semester is: A; B or better; C or better.  Contract forms for this option may be obtained in the Counseling Office.

Audit

Students may choose to take any course on an audit (no credit-no grade) basis.  This option may not be applied to any of the 5.5 required credits each semester.  The audit decision must be made prior to the semester in which the course is taken.

Registration for and Dropping a Course

Careful and thoughtful pre-registration eliminates many problems for the student and the school when the year begins.  Students may drop a class during the first quarter of any class without penalty.  Tenth grade students will be assigned to a resource/study hall.  If the drop creates a schedule with fewer than five classes, the student will be assigned to a resource/study hall.  After the end of the quarter the student may elect to drop a class and receive a failing grade for the course.  Any student dropped from a full year course with an “F” for lack of attendance will not be allowed to continue second semester in that course.

Repeating a Course for Grade

A student may retake a Valley High School or Valley Southwoods course at Valley High School or Valley Southwoods.  Both grades will be shown on the transcript and the highest grade will be used in the grade point average.  A student may choose to retake the course at Walnut Creek Campus or in an approved program out of the district.  Both grades will be shown on the transcript and both grades will be averaged in the grade point average.  Credit for a course can be awarded only once, and a student cannot gain additional credit or lose credit by repeating a course where credit was already earned.  Written application to repeat a course for a grade must be made with the counselor/team leader within the first nine weeks of the semester in which the course is re-taken.  The building administrator may make exceptions.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement is a program of college-level courses and examinations.  Many colleges and universities allow entering freshmen to matriculate out of some college work if an acceptable grade has been earned on an Advanced Placement examination.

AP courses presently offered are:

These courses will be identified on the student's transcript and are weighted by .5 quality points.
           
Successful completion of an Advanced Placement course requires much more commitment to study time than a normal high school class.  Therefore, before registering for these classes, it is highly recommended that the student assess his or her total course schedule as well as the amount of involvement in extracurricular activities.  Students should consider including at least one study hall each day for additional assistance and an opportunity for make-up after an absence.

Test-Outs

Test-out does not give credit but merely advances the student.  Specific details are provided at the beginning of each department curricular listing.

AP Online Courses

Additional Advanced Placement courses are available through the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa.  These courses are very rigorous in nature.  Because these classes are done in an independent manner, students need to be highly motivated and able to complete large assignments without prompting.  Students are assigned to the Counseling Office for one period a day while enrolled in an online course.  These courses do not override Valley graduation requirements.  They are strictly electives.  Available classes are as follows:  Psychology, U.S. Government and Politics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Statistics.

Learning Center

The Learning Center is available on a walk-in basis.  It is designed for students wanting assistance in the area of study skills such as, notetaking, test-taking, and time management.

Resource Centers

Resource centers are designed for students needing to do make-up work or to acquire special help.  They are located in various rooms throughout the building and are available in practically every area of study.  These centers are available every period during the day, and information is available in all classrooms.

Tutoring

The school district each year compiles a list of individuals qualified to tutor high school students in the various academic areas.  This list if available in the Counseling Office.

Open Enrollment

Parents or guardians considering the use of the open enrollment option to enroll their children in another public school district in the state of Iowa should be aware of the following deadlines.

January 1 – last date for regular open enrollment requests for the following school year.

June 30 – last date for open enrollment requests for entering kindergarten students and those students falling under the “good cause” definition for the following school year.

Parents or guardians of open enrollment students whose income falls below 160 percent of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for transportation assistance.  Open enrollment may result in the loss of athletic eligibility.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Honor Roll

Students carrying four and one-half (4.5) or more credits for letter grades who have a 3.4 grade-point or better qualify for the Honor Roll.  The Honor Roll is selected four times each school year:  at the end of the first quarter, the first semester, the third quarter and the second semester.

Academic Letter

Students must carry five and one-half (5.5) or more credits for letter grades and maintain a 3.4 grade point for two consecutive semesters to quality for an Academic Letter.  All courses must be taken in a Valley High School program.

Scholar Designation
Graduates who have taken at least four years in a curricular area, taken the AP course, maintained a 4.0 GPA, and have taken the AP exam of the core curricular area are eligible to receive Scholar Designation.

Career Guidance
Valley students may use the eChoices software to do post-secondary and career interest searches at their leisure.  This program is web-based and therefore accessible from home.  Students may contact the counseling office for access information.

Sophomore Year

All sophomores take the PLAN, an interest and aptitude inventory, in the fall.  Sophomores meet with the student’s counselor to discuss the results of this inventory.

Junior Year

The ASVAB, which matches aptitudes with interests, is offered. An evening session is offered which highlights presentations on various topics of interest including selective colleges, apprenticeships, and career choices.

Senior Year

Counselors continue to encourage students to use the offerings in the Counseling Office with the idea of finalizing post-graduate plans.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options Act

In order to assist students and their parents or guardians in making knowledgeable decisions regarding participation in this program, the following guidelines are presented.

1.   High school juniors and seniors are eligible and sophomores and freshmen identified as talented and gifted are also eligible.  Any student anticipating enrollment in a post secondary course under this act must complete and submit an application form on or before March 15th of the intent to enroll in said courses for the ensuing school year.  Summer school courses are not included in the program.

2.   Students may enroll in any participating institution of higher learning under the control of the State Board of Regents, an area school, or an accredited private institution as defined in Section 261.0 sub section 5 of the Iowa Code.

3.   A maximum of two (2) credits may be earned from any institutions other than Valley to be used toward graduation.  Students will be granted one (1) high school credit for every three (3) hours of college credit earned.  Grades earned in courses taken from other institutions will be recorded on the transcript and be included when computing grade point averages.  Failure or withdrawal from any post secondary course will result in a failing grade being recorded on the transcript and computed in the grade point average.

4.   Payment will be made by the West Des Moines Community School District to the post secondary institution for tuition, textbooks, materials and fees upon successful completion of the course.  Students will be required to purchase equipment that becomes the property of the student.

5.   Parents or guardians will be required to furnish transportation to and from the eligible post secondary institution.

6.   Support services in the form of counseling will be available to students at Valley as well as the post secondary institution.  These services will include academic, social, and emotional counseling related to participation under this act.

7.   Students will be responsible for scheduling post secondary course(s) in a manner which does not conflict with their schedule at Valley High School.

8.   A student may not enroll in a post secondary course when a comparable course is available at Valley High School.  The administration reserves the right to determine acceptability of courses as provided under this act and very much encourage students to seek prior approval before enrolling in such courses.

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