Assigning
Given the unique nature of independent study, a student can
work at the grade level most appropriate for their ability. Students are always
placed in the grade appropriate for their age, but can work at whatever level
suits their educational needs. At times, there may be a student that is below
the typical high school age that is working at a high school level and should
be receiving
In order to receive carnegie units in this manner, the ES must make sure that
- the parent completes a required consultation with the school guidance counselor guidancecounselor@connectingwaters.org
- all core subjects must be a-g
- student must be at least proficient on STAR scores
Please keep in mind that students are STAR tested in English, Math, Science,
and History at the high school level. Students who enroll in out of grade level
courses, such as 10th grade World History or 11th grade U.S. History, may be
at a disadvantage if they have not been currently enrolled in that course when
it comes time for testing during their 10th and 11th grade year. Students who
are not truly working above grade level, yet enroll in high school courses
early may also be at a disadvantage when taking the CAHSEE, as the English
standards
build upon each other from 7-10th grades; if students "skip" 7th or
8th grade Language Arts to take high school English, they will be missing the
building block standards needed.
If an underage student is only taking Algebra One, and no other high school level courses, this cannot be counted on the transcript. If the student is taking a-g Algebra One along with a-g courses, it can be counted on their transcript for high school credits.
An underage student may not take PE for high school
credit. Any high school course completed as an underage student must be aligned
to the CA content standards.
To assign Carnegie units for underage students, the ES should
create a high school report card for only those courses that are high school
level, and a regular grade school report card for any other courses that the
student takes that may not be high school level. (If the student’s name does
not appear in your high school report card drop down list, contact your ES
advisor for assistance.)
When assigning the high school units, the appropriate grade level of the course
should be indicated on the report card. This grade level (indicated after the
course mark) should be based on the student’s number of credits earned. (Remember,
their grade placement should be based on their age and this is the grade that
you should put on their student agreement. Students will be tested with STAR
and CAHSEE based on their grade level on the student agreement. The grade level
guideline below is only for assigning a level to the Carnegie units
earned.)
When creating the first high school report card for these underage students
each year, the ES should look at the below guideline and choose the grade level
that matches the number of credits that their student has earned. This will
be the grade level for all of the high school credits that this student earns
for that entire school year. The following year, the ES should refer to the
chart again and make another assessment. One student may receive 9th grade
credits for four or more semesters if only doing a couple of courses each time.
Another student may be receiving credits at the 11th grade level by the time
that they reach the age to officially enter high school. The grade level of
the course will change according to the below chart, but the student must still
be assigned to their correct grade on their student agreement based on their
birth date. Consult your advisor for assistance. Please
note,
unless approved by your advisor and assessment is notified, grade level changes
after
the first student agreement of the year can not be made.
0-50 credits = 9th grade
51-100 credits = 10th grade
101-150 credits = 11th grade
151+ credits = 12th grade
Revised 1/2006