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, World Language, or World History 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 CCRE-001, Section 8, MCS policy 3420.

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 https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/office-teaching-and-learning/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 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

Semester long courses have a 10 day drop window and year-long courses have a 20 day drop window (from the first day of school.) Any student that drops a High School course after the 10/20 day deadline shall receive either a Withdrawal- Passing (WP) or Withdrawal-Failing (WF) as the grade. This applies to all courses taken for high school credit (including Moore County courses, VPS, & SCC).

The grade when the student drops the course will determine whether a WP or WF is earned.The WP grade and the WF grade will have no impact on student GPA but will show up on the student’s transcript. Passing grades at the time of drop will receive a WP and any failing grades will result in a WF.

Students must fill out the required drop form which will be signed by the Principal and the parents/guardians. 

Please note, Advanced Placement (AP) courses have their own drop process.  Please refer to the school counselor to determine rules around dropping AP courses.

Withdrawal from an EOC Course

Per state and local policy, a student may drop a class within the first 10 days of a block schedule or within the first 20 days of a traditional/hybrid schedule. Student who wish to withdrawal from an EOC course after the 10/20 Day must meet certain criteria to ensure compliance with accountability rules.

Each case will be weighed individually and consideration will be given to assure that the accountability of the school is not compromised. 

Promotion Credits (NMHS, PHS, UPHS)

Students will be required to meet current promotion credits as determined by board policy (MCS 3420-R)

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 3460).

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 will be shown 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 with differing schedules (block, traditional, or hybrid), efforts will be made to minimize any impact on the student’s ability to graduate on time. 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 in credit recovery requires a prescriptive placement test that the student must take in a secure testing environment to potentially exempt portions of the credit recovery class.  Participation in credit recovery 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. The numeric grade assigned to credit recovery shall be factored into the pre-existing Incomplete or failing course grade on the student’s transcript to a degree that is proportional to the percentage of the course completed through credit recovery, resulting in a new numeric grade for the course.

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.