Courses

HIGH SCHOOL (9-12) COURSE CREDIT

In order to obtain credit in a course, a student must be in attendance for a minimum of 80 days out of a possible 90 days for semester courses and 160 days out of a possible 180 days for year-long courses. Transfer students may miss no more than 12% of the remaining semester. A student must be in attendance at least one-half of a class period to be counted present for that class. Exceptions to this seat-time rule will be based upon successful completion of the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) process. A student who does not receive credit for a course may attend a course recovery program (e.g., Apex Learning, NCVPS), with prior approval of the principal, for each course, in order to receive credit. If the student does not satisfactorily complete recovery for each failed course, no credit will be given, and a grade of "F" will be recorded as the final grade for the course. Any student who attends fewer than 80 days in a semester course will not receive credit for the course; however, the student may appeal to the principal/designee to be allowed to obtain credit for the course. Such appeal must be supported by proper documentation for extended illness or other compelling reasons.

School of Science and Math High School Course Credit

The school counselor and administration offers classes from the School of Science and Math as an opportunity to expose students to additional rigorous classes. Each class is taught virtually and students will have to show they can handle virtual learning. Students must have maintained a B average or higher in all classes to be considered for these classes. A high school credit is granted and the grade is calculated in the overall grade point average (gpa).

APEX

Apex courses are offered only on a need basis. Students take Apex classes

SOAR

To ensure students have independent study time to complete assignments, each freshman and sophomore have dedicated time built into their schedule for them to gain new skills and complete work if time permits. This is a class that students receive high school credit. As a result, students is expected to complete all assignments. Students in grades eleven, twelve and thirteen who are earning below a 80% in their classes may be required to report to campus to get assistance with coursework.

Tardy and Early Departure

Student performance correlates to their attendance and it is important that students make every effort to attend school on a daily basis. Students who are continuously tardy for class, early departure, and study hall have denied themselves the full benefit of these academic venues. If a student is continuously tardy for class or study hall and departs early, contact will be made with the parent to seek their assistance in correcting this problem. If the condition persists after this action has been taken, the school will proceed with appropriate administrative action.

College Courses and Placement

College courses may only be taken with the approval of the school counselor, college liaison, and principal.

Dropping a College Class

During the course of a student’s stay at the Early College, the desire and need to drop a college class may arise. There are several issues to consider before this task is undertaken. While this may be an immediate remedy to an unpleasant circumstance, careful examination of the situation is considered before this course of action is undertaken. This action does not have a negative effect on your college GPA; however, it could have an adverse effect on future financial aid and admission to another institution of higher learning.

The process to withdraw from a college course must start at the high school level by getting permission from the principal or school counselor. The following procedures must be undertaken before permission to drop a course is considered:

· A student must have discussed their academic standing with their college instructor and a plan of action developed to get them back in satisfactory academic standing

· A student must have enrolled at the Success Center (VGCC) for tutoring and have attended on a consistent basis to improve their academic standing.

· After speaking with their instructor and having attended tutoring on a consistent basis and their academic standing has not improved and on the advice of their instructor, we will consider the request to drop.

· The request to drop a course should be in writing. This may be a formal letter or a request electronically.

· The principal, guidance counselor, and the college liaison will discuss to ensure all protocols have been used and this will be in the best interest of the student to drop.

· Students not taking the appropriate protocols to drop a class will receive an “F” on their “high school transcript.”

Dropping Courses: Before you engage in summer classes, be sure you have taken into consideration that summer classes are on an accelerated pace and that transportation and other logistical issues have been arranged prior to enrolling. If you experience academic challenges, seek assistance from the professor or the academic resource center as soon as possible. If these measures are not undertaken and you decide to drop the course, please understand you will receive an “F” on your high school transcript.

College course tuition and textbook fees are paid by Franklin County Schools Early College High School. In return, students are expected to successfully complete all scheduled courses. Students taking classes during the summer are required to cover expenses for textbooks and materials needed for the course.

VGCC Information: College Liaison – Ms. Evangeline Mitchell Phone: 252-738-3611 Email: mitchelle@vgcc.edu

Participating in Summer School Classes at the Community College

Franklin County Early College High School

Policy Checklist (Summer Courses)

Any student interested in registering for summer courses at VGCC must meet the following criteria:

• The student cannot be in their first (Freshman) year of the program

• Student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on their college transcript

• Student must have an unweighted GPA of 3.0 on their high school transcript

• Students that meet the above GPA requirements can only register for a maximum of one (1) summer course

• Students with a 3.5 GPA (unweighted) or higher on their high school transcript may be allowed to enroll in two (2) summer courses

• Students must meet with Ms. Brown and Ms. Hall to determine an appropriate summer schedule

• Students will not be allowed to enroll in the following (online) courses during a summer session:

o HIS 131 or 132

o SPA 111 or 112

o MAT 143, 152, 171, 172

o All ENG courses

o All BIO & CHM courses

• Students and parents are responsible for paying all fees associated with summer coursework (fees, books, etc.)

• Students and parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from on-campus summer classes

• Students may only take summer courses at another VGCC campus with approval from the principal

• Procedures: The student must seek counsel from the school counselor and the college liaison before attempting to enroll in a summer course. The maximum number of classes a student may enroll during the summer session will be two classes and this will depend upon the student’s academic standing and the rigor of the classes.

• Students at ECHS cannot enroll or take a class from another community college i.e., Durham Tech, Wake Tech, etc.