Academics

2012-2013 9th Grade Connection Booklet

2012-2013 Lincoln East High School Planning Guide (10th-12th Grade)

The East High Planning Guide includes:  Courses and programs offered, a brief description of each course listed by department, including the prerequisites, graduation requirements and other information that will help you get the most out of your high school years.

College Credit Options

Grades and Grading

Grade reports are issued at the end of each nine-week period.  The nine-week grades are primarily for information and are not recorded as part of the permanent record. Grades for quarter classes are final grades. Grades indicate the student’s standing at the time of the report.  Final semester grades are recorded on the permanent record.

Class Rank and Weighted Grades

The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education approved this system for determining class rank. Below is an explanation of the system that began for students in the class of 2005.

• Class rank will be calculated by a class rank points system.
• The weighted grades system will remain the same.
• The transcript will continue to show a student’s GPA as un-weighted and weighted.
• Each course that a student takes will be assigned class rank points. This is determined by the grade that the student receives in the course and the number of credit hours earned. (see charts below)
• Weighted courses will receive more class rank points than un-weighted courses.
• Class rank will be determined by the total of a student’s class rank points and will be placed in order from highest total to lowest total.
• A cap of 280 hours would be placed on class rank points. This cap is figured on a student taking 7 courses for the 8 semesters of high school.
• If a student has earned more than 280 hours, the courses with the lowest grades and hours would be dropped.  These grades will still be figured as part of the student’s GPA.
• Courses taken pass/fail will not receive any points in the class rank points system.
• It is possible to have a higher GPA than another student and still be ranked lower because of the number of classes that student has taken.
• The class rank points system rewards students for taking weighted courses as well as a full schedule of classes.
• The class of 2005 was the first class to use only the class rank points system for calculating class rank.

Satisfactory – Unsatisfactory (Pass/Fail)

The mark of S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) may be used instead of the usual four-point scale under the following conditions:

Secondary students may elect to have part of their work evaluated with a mark of S (satisfactory) or U(unsatisfactory) as follows:

1. Requests for S/U marks which are approved in writing by the student’s counselor and parent and which are filed in the school office by the beginning of the 12th week of the semester shall be honored.  (The request forms shall indicate that some colleges and universities might not accept credits marked satisfactory).
2. Requests for marks to be reversed from S/U to A-F shall be honored anytime during the current grading period.
3. Courses taken for marks of S and U shall not be included when computing honor roll or class rank.
4. Each individual shall be limited to elect an S/U mark for ten credit points of course work in any one semester and to thirty credit points of course work in grades nine through twelve.

Pass/Fail forms are available in the Counseling Center.

2012-13 Pass-Fail Deadlines:

Incompletes

When a student and teacher are in agreement that a course, which has not been completed during a regular term, can be successfully completed during an extended time frame, an Incomplete Contract can be developed.  This contract must include the work to be completed, the level of mastery that is acceptable, and a date by which the incomplete is to be finished.  Failure to fulfill any of the above portions of the contract will result in an “F” grade for the course.

Withdrawing from a Class

A student may withdraw from a semester or quarter class during weeks 1-3 without record.  If a student withdraws during weeks 4-11 of a semester class (4-5 in a quarter class), a “W” will be placed on the student record.  If a student withdraws during weeks 12-18 of a semester class (6-9 in a quarter class), an “F” will be placed on the student record unless approval is granted for either a “W” or an “INC” to be placed on the student record.  Approval is granted by the principal or his designee.

2012-13 Deadlines for Withdrawing from a class:

Repeating a Class

If you retake a class either due to failure or to raise the grade you need to pick up a Request to Repeat a Class Form from our registrar’s office prior to taking the class in order to replace the old grade on your permanent record.  Reminder: The course that is retaken must be the same as the original course.

Honor Roll

Honor Roll is based on semester grades.  Students must be registered for a minimum of 25 graded credit hours with a 3.5 weighted grade-point-average excluding courses graded pass/fail, work-study and assistant assignments for which credit is earned, and correspondence courses.

Academic Letter Standard

Students receive an academic letter when they have earned a cumulative GPA of 4.0 or above (on the weighted grade scale) in a minimum of 25 credit hours of graded course work for each of two consecutive semesters at East.  First-time recipients receive a chenille letter at one of the Honors Convocations.  Recipients of a second academic letter receive an academic pin.

National Honor Society

Juniors and seniors who have a weighted cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher through at least 5 high school semesters and a minimum of 125 graded credits are eligible candidates for membership.  Qualifying candidates well be notified sometime after the beginning of second semester, through sound announcements and/or the student services bulletin to check the eligibility list posted on the counseling center window to pickup an NHS application in the Counseling Center.

Procedures for Waving Classes

Lincoln Public Schools have adopted a procedure to be used for students who can demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills of a class prior to the taking of a class.  These students will be allowed to bypass this class to take the next class in a sequence in the areas of mathematics, world languages, and computer technology.  The intent is to assure that students are enrolled in classes that are appropriate for their education.  The burden of proof in the granting of a waiver is placed on the students.  The process of waiving a class needs to be initiated by a student and/or the student’s parent/guardian prior to April 1 for a class to be waived in the following year.  This is available to all students for classes to be taken in the ninth through twelfth grades.  Waived classes receive no credit or grades.  A note of classes waived will appear on the student’s transcript.  Graduation requirements may not be waived: rather, the graduation requirement credit will be granted for the class substituted for the waived class.  A waiver can be granted at any of the three steps in the process.  Step 1 begins with the Principal, a Counselor, and Department Head considering the application.  If in agreement, a waiver can be issued.  In step 2 a Building Committee is formed to consider the application.  Step 3 is a presentation to a District Committee.  Decisions over issues that have effect across the district will be considered at this level.  Students interested in waiving a class should pick up the appropriate form from the Guidance Office.