GRADING SYSTEM
Reports of students’ achievement are issued every nine weeks and must be taken home by the students. The grading system used is A, B, C, D, and F indicating failure.

Advanced Placement courses are weighted by .5 quality points. The scale is as follows:
. . . . . . . . AP . . . . . . ALL OTHERS
. . . . . . . . 4.5 = A . . . . . . . . 4 = A
. . . . . . . . 3.5 = B . . . . . . . . 3 = B
. . . . . . . . 2.5 = C . . . . . . . . 2 = C
. . . . . . . . 1.5 = D . . . . . . . . 1 = D
. . . . . . . . 0 = F . . . . . . . . . . 0 = F

Students taking a course at an accredited post secondary institution will be awarded one (1) high school credit and receive a .5 weighted grade on the high school transcript if the following guidelines are met:

1. The course is not termed “vocational”
2. The course does not exist in Valley’s curriculum
3. The course is one of only two “outside” credits that may be applied toward those needed for graduation
4. The course must offer at least three (3) semester hours of credit
   

SEMESTER EXAMS
The semester test schedule will be established based upon the official school calendar. Each exam will be 85 minutes in length. The semester final exam will be no more than 1/5 (20%) of the semester grade.

Should a student fail to take a semester final, the student will receive a failing grade for the course because the student did not complete the requirements for the course.

SEMESTER EXAM WAIVER
A semester Test waiver is being used as a positive reinforcement to all students who have outstanding attendance. A student who misses 4 or fewer days during a semester may have the option of not taking two of their finals providing that the student adheres to the following provisions:

1. A student who has four or less excused absences may waive two semester tests in classes which he/she has met the attendance requirements. The following will not be counted against the 4 excused absences a student is allowed per class/per semester:
   
   (a.) Participating in a school sponsored activity
   (b.) A student may have 2 days for post-secondary planning during the semester. To verify the visit, the student must provide a signature on official letterhead from the organization he/she visited
   (c.) Death in the family
   (d.) Observation of a religious holiday
   
2. If a student has more than ten (10) excused absences in a class, for whatever reason, including any of the above, he/she will take the final exam in that class.
3. A student with an unexcused absence in one period will not be able to waive an exam in that period. An unexcused absence for the entire day will result in loss of ability to waive any exams
4. All sophomores will be assigned to study hall when not in an academic course. Accumulating three unexcused absences from any one study hall will result in the loss of semester test waiver privileges.
5. A student who has served detentions due to accumulation of 15 or more suspension points or has been suspended in or out-of-school, or has had an activity code violation will not be allowed to waive any exams.
6. Three (3) unexcused tardies will eliminate a student from waiving an exam in that period. A tardy is unexcused if a student enters a class with no pass or receives an unexcused pass from the Student Services Office.
7. A student on homebound will not be eligible to waive semester exams.
8. A student who qualifies for the waiver option may decide to take the semester test, but it will be counted only if it improves the final grade.
9. An appeal process involving a counselor, an administrator and the school nurse will be in place. The appeal must also be submitted to the associate principal in charge of semester test waivers two days following the posting of semester test opt out eligibility list
10. Forms requesting permission to waive final exams are due in the Student Services Office on designated dates in December for first semester and in May for second semester. Permission forms will be distributed in Advisory.
11. A student cannot select the same course to opt out both semesters.
12. A student will lose the semester test waiver privilege if they have three cell phone violations in a semester.

NOTICE: Students taking a class for DMACC credit are not eligible to waive the exam for that class. This includes second semester seniors.

PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress Reports of “Special Reports” will be issued to students whose achievement is below what is expected of them. This will be done at mid-quarter intervals. Students will also be issued progress reports any time there is a noticeable change in a student’s achievement. The student is to take the notice home to be signed by the parent. The student must return the notice to the issuing instructor within five school days following receipt of the notice by the student, or the student’s parent may be notified by the teacher and may need to come to school for a conference. Parents are encouraged to contact teachers, counselors or administrators concerning comments on progress reports. Conferences may be arranged at the mutual convenience of the parents and school officials to discuss any academic problem a student may have.

PASS/NO PASS
Students will have the opportunity of choosing one Pass/No Pass per semester 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 except Driver Education which is by the end of the tenth day of class. 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

Students electing to take a class Pass/No Pass need to be aware that the class will not count toward the 5.5 credits needed to meet the criteria for Academic Letter Awards.Pass/No Pass contract forms for this option may be obtained in the Counseling Office or on the Counseling homepage.

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.

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 ten days of the semester and the course will be removed from their registration. If a student drops a class on the eleventh through the twentieth day, a “W” for withdrawal will appear on the students permanent transcript. After the twentieth day the student may elect to drop a class and receive a failing grade for the course. The student will be assigned to a resource study hall if the class is dropped after the twentieth day of the semester. 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 college 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: AP Art Portfolio, AP American Studies, AP European Studies, AP Music Theory, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Composition and Literature, AP Language and Composition, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Computer Science AB, AP French, AP Spanish. 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.


COURSE COMPETENCY EXAM
The Course Competency Exam does not give credit but merely advances the student. Specific details can be found in the Valley Curriculum Handbook.

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.

DIPLOMA

1. The regular Valley High School diploma shall be awarded to the graduating class upon completion of 44 credits. This must include all required subjects.
2. The Valley High School diploma shall be awarded upon successful completion of 11th grade work, with all required subjects to date (33 or more Valley credits), and one of the following:
   (a.) One year of college credit (30 semester hours) including any required courses not taken at Valley
   (b.) Two years of college credit (60 semester hours).
3. Diploma requests not covered by the above policy shall be submitted to the administration and Board of Directors for consideration.
4. All courses count toward the figuring of student grade points.
5. Students will not be allowed to walk across the stage unless they have successfully completed all graduation requirements prior to the graduation ceremony.
   

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.

GRADE CLASSIFICATION
To earn a Valley High School diploma requires 44 credits. To ensure that a student is satisfactorily progressing toward this goal the following grade classifications will be in effect:

Freshman Status (9th Grade): The 9th grade year begins upon the attendance of the student on the beginning day of classes for the school year. Until then, the student is not considered to be enrolled in ninth grade.

Sophomore Status (10th Grade): Requires two or more semesters of high school attendance and a minimum of 6 credits (includes physical education).

Junior Status (11th Grade): Requires four or more semesters of high school attendance and a minimum of 17 credits (includes physical education). (A junior approved for graduation at the end of the year would be advanced to senior status for the spring semester.) Junior classification privileges will include prom, a parking application and the ability to leave campus following their last class of the day.

Senior Status (12th Grade): Requires six or more semesters of high school attendance and a minimum of 29 credits (includes physical education). Senior classification privileges will include prom, a parking application, an open lunch application and the ability to leave campus following their last class of the day.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
To graduate from Valley High School, students must have a minimum of forty-four (44) credits including four credits from physical education. Exceptions for extenuating circumstances such as severe medical hardship or transcript error may be made by a high school administrator. A student desiring to be excused from graduation activities shall submit the reasons in writing to the principal.

Specific graduation requirements are as follows:

English and Language Arts (Total required credits: Six)

• Language and Literature Grade 9; 2 credits
• Speech Communication, Grade 9, 10, 11 or 12; 1 credit
• Fundamentals of Writing, Grades 10, 11 or 12; 1 credit
• Language Arts elective, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12; 1 credit
• Literature course, Grades 10, 11 or 12; 1 credit

Mathematics (Total required credits: Six, including two credits in algebra)

• Mathematics electives, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12; 6 credits
  ~ 8th grade algebra may be counted toward math requirement, but not toward graduation credits.
  ~ The change of moving from 4 credits to 6 credits for the Mathematics graduation requirements goes into effect for the incoming freshmen class of 2006-07.

Science (Total required credits: Four)

• General Science, Grade 9; 2 credits
• Science electives, Grades 10, 11, or 12; 2 credits
  ~Biology in 9th grade fulfills the General Science requirement; students must meet entrance criteria.

Social Studies (Total required credits: Six)

• Social Studies electives, Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12; 2 credits
• U.S. History, Grade 11; 2 credits
• Economics, Grade 11 or 12; 1 credit
• Government, Grade 12; 1 credit

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)
( 1/2 credit per semester)

• 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 vocational education programs at the discretion of the building principal.)
• Successful completion of the four required units is mandatory during the sophomore year. Requirements can be completed by choosing from electives during the junior and senior years.