Course Information

Course Credits

Specific courses required for high school graduation  (e.g., Math I or NC Math 1) may be taken in middle school. Students enrolled in grades 6 through 8 who pass mathematics or World Language courses that are described in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the Essential Standards for World Languages for grades 9 through 12 and have met the state standards for proficiency, will receive high school credit.

The student’s high school grade point average (GPA) will be computed only with courses taken during the high school years (9th - 12th grades). Grades for middle school classes are not part of the high school GPA calculation.

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM)

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery is a process where  students earn credit for a High School course without requiring the student to complete any seat time in the course. Students must complete a 2 phase process to earn credit for the course. Some students may choose to complete the CDM process for the purpose of accelerating and moving into another more advanced course.

CDM is available for students in grades 9-12 for high school courses and in grades 6-8 for high school courses offered in middle school (World History, Math 1). 

The CDM option is available for high school courses in North Carolina under State Board of Education policy SBE GCS- M-001, Section 13, MCS policy 5530.

https://www.ncmcs.org/academics/advanced_and_intellectually_gifted/credit_by_demonstrated_mastery 

Course Loads

Students are expected to attend school full time and take a full load of courses. Exceptions are made for students approved for work-based learning experiences taken in conjunction with Career and Technical Education courses and for those taking dual enrollment courses in post-secondary schools. 

Grading Scale

MCS requires that all parents/guardians be informed at regular intervals on the academic progress of their children. In addition to the regular report cards, interim progress reports will be issued during the nine week grading period to inform parents/guardians and to invite cooperation when it appears students are making unsatisfactory progress or have been absent from school an excessive number of days

Grades shall reflect a student’s progress in meeting the objectives of a specified curriculum or course. Teachers shall keep accurate records which reflect how they have determined each student’s grades. Grades shall be weighted for Honors, Advanced Placement, and Community College courses.

The superintendent or his/her designee shall issue regulations to ensure that the grading system is uniform at all grade levels throughout the school system with the exception noted below. After a review by the Board of Education, schools and alternative schools may issue report cards that reflect unique program goals.

Terminology

• Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE):  Certain courses have been designated as Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE). These courses are externally moderated and exceed the expectations of grade level objectives for a specific subject.  These courses offer weighted credit.

• Dual Enrollment (DE) Course:  A course that carries both high school credit and college credit.

• Elective Course:  Additional courses beyond the required core courses that are needed to meet the total minimum standard units of credit for graduation.

• North Carolina End of Course (EOC) and/or Assessments for Career and Technical Education Courses:  Examinations assessing the minimum expectations established by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course and Career and Technical Education courses.

• Standard Unit of Credit:  A standard unit of credit is awarded for a course in which the student successfully completes the objectives of the course and the equivalent of 135 clock hours of instruction.

• Sequential Electives:  Any series of courses that is used to fulfill the elective requirement for a Standard Diploma in  which the content increases or expands in scope and sequence as students move through the various levels of the courses.

• Weighted Credit:  Increased grade point values assigned to Honors courses, Advanced Placement (AP), and some Dual Enrollment (DE) courses.

• NC DPI Standard Course of Study www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/academic-standards/standard-course-study 

North Carolina Virtual Public School

Virtual Courses: 

In order to provide students with additional course opportunities, online courses are offered through the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) website.    A complete list of courses can be found at http://www.ncvps.org. Enrollment is coordinated with the school guidance counselor, with principal approval.

Cancellation of Courses

Course options are included in the Moore County High School Program of Studies. While courses may be advertised, certain courses may be cancelled as a result of low enrollment. While all effort is taken to provide educational opportunities to meet the needs of all students, on occasion, courses must be cancelled.

Generally, a minimum of ten students must be enrolled in an advanced placement or a dual enrollment course in order for the course to be offered. However, the course may be dropped if a suitable alternative is available for students. Other elective courses will be offered with a minimum enrollment of fifteen, unless state regulations require an enrollment of fewer than fifteen students.

Priority scheduling goes to juniors and seniors. Freshman and sophomore students may not be afforded the opportunity to enroll in a course if all seats in all sections of the course are taken and a junior or senior- level student must enroll in that course in order to complete graduation requirements.

Those freshman and sophomore students who are dropped from an elective course will be given first rights in reserving a seat in the course the following school year. Additional sections may be opened in a school year if there is sufficient enrollment and teaching staff is available.

Course Withdrawal Penalty

For semester block courses, students may drop a course only during the first 10 days of the semester; students taking year long courses may drop a course only during the first 20 days of the school year.

These same timelines (10/20 day) also apply to students withdrawing from an AP course without grade penalty. Students withdrawing after that time will receive a grade of F for that course.

Withdrawal from an EOC Course

The 10/20 Day Rule was established by the State Board of Education upon the recommendation of the Compliance Commission for Accountability.

The rule (GCS-C-003) states that students may drop a course with an End of Course (EOC) test within the first 10 days of a block schedule or within the first 20 days of a traditional/hybrid schedule. The 10/20 Day Rule was established to prohibit the removal of students from EOC courses later during the instructional year to avoid the impression that a school might have deliberately circumvented the requirement to test all students enrolled in EOC courses.

The rule is not intended to preclude doing the right thing for students in individual extenuating circumstances. Consequently, exceptions are allowable in individual cases where circumstances are extenuating and it is clearly in the interest of the student to remove them from an EOC course.

Each case should be weighed individually and consideration should be given to assure that the accountability of the school is not compromised. Some examples of acceptable individual withdrawals after the 10th or 20th day are as follows:

1. A student transferred into the school without sufficient records to inform a proper placement. Records do not arrive until after the 10th or 20th day respectively. In such cases, the school has the latitude to withdraw a student if the student has been inappropriately placed in an EOC course.

2. A student is withdrawn to enroll in a higher level EOC course. The student will take the appropriate test for that course. In such a case the student may be better served and the school is still held accountable through the test given in the higher level course.

3. There is a valid medical reason for removing a student from a course. In very rare cases, an individual student may be involved in a major medical emergency such as an accident that incapacitates the student for an extended period of time. In such instances, it may  be in the student’s best interest to be withdrawn from a course.

Promotion Requirements

Students will be required to meet current promotion requirements as determined by board policy (MCS 5530-K)

High Schools 9-12 Block Schedule for Incoming Freshmen:

Grade 9 to 10 - A minimum of 6 credits cumulative must be earned.  Two of which must include:

• English I

• Math I (NC Math 1) or higher

• A Core Science

• A Core Social Studies

*Math 1 (NC Math 1) End of Course (EOC) test must be taken by end of 10th grade year to be eligible for promotion

Grade 10 to 11 - A minimum of 13 credits cumulative must be earned, which must include two additional from:

• English II (EOC must be taken by end of 10th grade)

• Math II (NC Math 2) or higher

• A Core Science

• A Core Social Studies

Grade 11 to 12 - A minimum of 18 credits cumulative must be earned, which must include two additional from:

• English III

• Math III (NC Math 3) or higher

• A Core Science 

• A Core Social Studies

*Biology EOC test must be taken by end of 11th grade year to be eligible for promotion

Graduation – A minimum of 22 credits and successful completion of any other state or local standards must be earned according to School Board Policy (MCS 5540).

Students transferring into a Moore County school who have been promoted under their previous school’s standards will retain their pre-transfer grade level. Transfer students must then meet local promotion standards for subsequent grade level promotion.

Transfer Credit

Students transferring from another public school system, a charter school or a non-public school accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations** into MCS will receive:

1. Credit for all courses approved by the sending school.

2. Weighted credit for a course designated by the sending school system as Honors or AP only if a comparable course is designated Honors or AP in the current MCS High School Program of Studies.

The following guidelines must be met by any student who is transferring from a non-accredited, non-public school, or Home School and may be seeking graduation credits for those courses successfully completed while attending the non-public or Home School:

1. The parent/guardian must provide documentation of courses successfully completed with grades. 

2. The parent/guardian must provide clear and concise attendance records for the student.

If the incoming student was homeschooled prior to turning 16 years of age, proof of the Home School’s approval by the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education is required and must be submitted to the school in a timely manner.

• Transfer students requesting credit from a non- accredited program are required to have the institution provide the following documentation to the receiving MCS School:

• Course Title(s), scores of any standardized tests associated with the specific courses and any grades associated with the course(s).

• Grades will be recorded as the final grade received from the original school and show on transcripts as a non-MCS grade(s).

Please Note: Clear alignment to the appropriate North Carolina Standard Course of Study or the Essential State Standards must be evident in order to receive assignment of credit.

Six Regional Accrediting Associations: Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western Associations of Colleges and Schools

Transferring Between High Schools 

If students transfer between high schools that operate on different schedules (block, traditional or a hybrid), consideration will be given to ensure the least amount of impact to the student’s on time graduation status. The following is an example of a formula that could be used to compute graduation requirements:

(# of years at block x 8) + (# of years at traditional x 6) minus 3 = number of units required for graduation

Credit Recovery Program

High School students who have failed an academic core course can take a District adopted/approved online course that is self-paced and based on a mastery of individual units.  Participation requires principal approval.

The purpose of credit recovery is to provide an opportunity for students who failed a course to accelerate and to complete courses based on individual needs, and to meet specific graduation requirements. Students must pass the online examination to earn credit and will receive a pass/fail grade. (The grade of pass/fail will not be calculated into a student’s GPA.)

Please note: This course (credit recovery) does not meet the NCAA Eligibility Center Requirements. If you plan to participate in collegiate athletics, the eligibility center has not approved this class to count towards the NCAA eligibility standards.