Other Info

Enrollment in Off Campus Courses

All high school students are expected to attend school on a full-time basis. Students who have advanced beyond all of the course offerings of MCS in the areas of English, mathematics, science, social studies and/or world languages (courses above Level IV) may request principal permission to attend classes on college campuses.

Written approval from the high school principal must be obtained during the spring semester high school registration period. No approval will be granted after the end of the registration period.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses are expected to take the AP national exam administered in May, which is provided at no cost to the student. Students earn GPA quality points in all AP courses, regardless of their performance on the AP exam. Potential college credit or advanced placement opportunities are dependent solely upon AP exam results.

Academic Recognition

Students may pursue the MCS Distinguished Scholar Endorsement, which requires the student to complete all state and local content graduation requirements and a minimum of 28 credits. Criteria for the MCS Distinguished Scholar Endorsement can be found within the MCS Policy 5540, Graduation Requirements.

In addition, the NC State Board of Education has approved the recognition of five high school diploma endorsements for students graduating from high school in 2015 and later.

NC SBE Academic endorsements are:

• North Carolina Academic Scholar Endorsement

• North Carolina Career Endorsement

• North Carolina College Endorsement

• North Carolina College/UNC Endorsement

• North Carolina Global Language Endorsement

Criteria for each of these State Board of Education endorsements can be located within the State Board of Education Policy GCS –L-007.

Recognition of Honor Graduates

Identification of Valedictorian and Salutatorian

The Valedictorian (Val) and Salutatorian (Sal) will be based on the highest weighted GPA at the end of the student's high school career.  In the case of a tie for either position, the students' numeric grade averages will be calculated; any course completed for high school credit while in grades 9-12 will be averaged together and the student with the highest average receives the higher honor.

If, after the student’s numeric average is computed, and there is still a tie, then the student with the highest ACT composite score will receive the higher honor.  In the extremely rare event that there is still a tie, multiple Valedictorian or Salutatorians will be named.

Identification of Top Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student

The Top Career and Technical Education (CTE) student will be determined by a point system for each graduating class.

Any student who receives a Gold or Platinum on the WorkKeys assessment will be reviewed using the following criteria. The student with the highest score will receive the designation of top CTE student.

Criteria:

WorkKeys Score:      Gold-1 points          Platinum-2 points

Number of CTE courses taken for high school credit:    1 point per course

Number of CTE completers received:   1 point per completer

Number of Leadership/Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) positions held within CTE organizations:  1 point per position held while in high school

Number of CTSO Memberships- advisor verified:  1 point per organization participation while in high school.

If the above rubric results in a tie, the student with the highest unweighted GPA based on all credited CTE courses will receive the honor.

Non-Credit Driver Education

Extended-day driver education classes will be available  to students who are 14 ½ years old by the starting date for the Driver Education Class.

During the traditional school year, classes begin 15 minutes after school ends and run three (3) hours. Times vary by school, so home schooled or private school students should contact Pinecrest High School , Union Pines High School or North Moore High School for times.

Class schedules are subject to change. If changed, announcements will be made at the home school. Classes are not held on early dismissal days, workdays or if school activities are cancelled due to inclement weather or unforeseen situations.

Summer driver education will be available for students who will be 14 1/2 years old by the starting date of the Driver Education Class. Driver Education information may be accessed on the MCS Webpage under Student and Parent Resources.

Under Dropout Prevention/Drivers License legislation passed in 1998, students under the age of 18 who drop out of school or do not pass 70 percent of their courses are subject to having their permit/license suspended.

Home/Hospital Services

A MCS student may be eligible for Home/Hospital services if he/she is medically or physically unable to attend school as documented by a physician. Home/Hospital services are provided on a temporary basis for up to 3 hours per week, and the goal is to return the student to the regular school program as soon as feasible unless there is medical information that would require the service to be extended.

Home/Hospital teachers provide instructional services so that a student can return to school with the knowledge and skills sufficient to maintain his/her previous level of academic performance. For more information, please contact your school counselor, who will notify the homebound coordinator for your school. 

The Homebound Coordinator for the District is the Assistant Director for Student Support Services (910) 947-2976.

Section 504

Students who have a disability and who do not require specialized instruction, may be entitled to support under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

A student may be found disabled under Section 504 if he/she:

• has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activity (i.e., learning, behavior, seeing, walking, and so forth);

• has a record of impairment;

• or is regarded as having an impairment.

Students eligible under Section 504 may be entitled to supports and services that are delivered through a 504 plan. For a list of frequently asked questions about Section 504, please visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html

The Section 504 Contact for the District is the Assistant Director for Student Support Services (910) 947-2976.

Non-Discrimination Policy

In compliance with federal laws, Moore County Schools administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, marital status, parental status, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law.

Refer to the MCS Board of Education’s Discrimination Free Environment Policy for a complete statement.

Contact information

Inquiries or complaints regarding Title IX should be directed to:

Moore County Schools Compliance Officer, 

P.O. Box 1180, Carthage, NC 28327

(910) 947-2976.

Inquiries or complaints regarding Section 504 should be directed to: 

Director of Student Support Services,

P.O. Box 1180, Carthage, NC 28327 (910) 947-2976.

CFNC.org

College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is a comprehensive, free information service provided by the state of North Carolina to help families plan, apply and pay for college. The goal of CFNC is to help every student in the state prepare successfully for education beyond high school and find the best financial aid alternatives. Resources and information on careers, more than 100 NC colleges, college admission, scholarships, grants and other financial assistance are available online at CFNC.org or by calling toll-free 866-866-CFNC.

High school students and their parents are encouraged to take advantage of this service and Moore County school counselors are trained to assist them. CFNC is made available by College Foundation, Inc., the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority and Pathways, a partnership that includes the State Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and the University of North Carolina System.

End of Course (EOC) Testing

Students enrolled in NC Math 1, NC Math 3, Biology, and English II are required to take the North Carolina End of Course (EOC) test. The EOCs are used to sample a student’s knowledge of subject-related concepts as specified in the NC Standard Course of Study and to provide a global estimate of the student’s mastery of the material in a particular content area.

All EOCs will be administered at the end of the semester (block schedule) or the end of the year (hybrid/traditional block schedule). Schools shall use results from all EOC tests as twenty percent (20%) of the student’s final grade for each respective course.

Each student shall take the appropriate EOC assessment the first time the student takes the course even if the course is an honors or Advanced Placement course.

Students enrolled for credit must participate in the appropriate EOC regardless of course delivery (e.g., traditional classroom, NC Virtual Public School, etc.).

Students who are identified as failing a course for which an EOC is required shall take the appropriate EOC assessment. Students shall take the appropriate EOC assessment at the end of the course regardless of the grade level in which the course is offered.

Preliminary Scholastic Assessment (PSAT®)Test: National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) or more often simply called the PSAT® is nationally administered by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), and assesses students in three areas: Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

The PSAT® is used to help students practice for the Scholastic Assessment Test and to qualify for scholarships and recognition from such programs as:

• National Merit Scholarships,

• National Achievement Scholarships for Outstanding African American Students,

• National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Program,

• Student Search Service, and

• Some statewide and national industry scholarship competitions.

Registration information will be available in the school counselors’ office at each high school.

SAT® 

**New information regarding the "new" SAT® starting March 2024 will be updated once College Board updates their information**

The SAT® is an optional test nationally administered by the College Board. It assesses students in three areas: Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

The SAT® revisions occurred during the 2015- 2016 school year. The Redesigned SAT® was administered for the first time in March  of  2016. The PSAT® now reflects the redesigned format in order to better prepare students for the new SAT®.

Currently, Critical Reading skills are assessed by multiple choice questions using critical reading passages, paired passages, vocabulary in context and sentence completion.

Math sections allow the use of a calculator and employ multiple choice questions and “constructed responses” to measure how well students understand and apply mathematics to new situations and non-routine problems. The section on Writing includes multiple- choice questions on grammar and usage and a student- written essay.

The focus of the Redesigned SAT® shifts to evidence- based reading and writing and application-based math questions. The reading section no longer contains sentence completions and the vocabulary is less esoteric. Passages are pulled from significant historical or scientific documents and focus on support for answers based on evidence in the passages. Math problems deal with problem-solving and data analysis. The essay is optional.

The SAT® is one of the admissions tests used by post- secondary institutions to assist in selecting students. The SAT® is administered at selected sites nationally. Students must pay and register online or by mail several weeks prior to the test date. Registration information is available in the school counselors’ office at each high school and  at www.collegeboard.org.

ACT®

The ACT® college readiness assessment is a curriculum and standards-based educational  and  career  planning tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college. All students in grade 11 take the ACT Plus Writing free of charge.  The test has five sub scores: four multiple-choice tests covering skill areas of English, mathematics, reading, and science; and the Writing Test measuring skill in planning and writing a short essay.

Students in grade 10 take the PRE-ACT test. This test is designed to help students prepare not only for high school coursework, but for college and career success. The PRE-ACT contains four curriculum-based assessments: English, mathematics, reading, and science. It also contains an Interest Inventory that will match a student’s interests and skills with college and career goals.

The ACT® is also administered at selected sites nationally. For these administrations, students must pay and register by mail several weeks prior to the test date. Registration information is available in the school counselors’ office at each high school. In the U.S., the ACT® is administered  on six national test dates: in September, October, December, February, April, and June. There is no charge for the state administration of the ACT® or PLAN. More information is available at www.actstudent.org.

CTE Post-Assessments

Career and Technical Education (CTE) post- assessments are end-of-course tests provided by  the Department of Public Instruction and are required in most CTE courses.

These assessments provide documentation of the individual student’s attainment of technical competencies based on the goals and objectives of the CTE Essential Standards document. Scores are reported to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and are used to evaluate programs and the system-wide attainment of performance standards.

Such assessment information is also a requirement of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. The Perkins Act is a federal program that provides increased focus on the academic achievement of Career and Technical Education students, strengthens the connections between secondary and postsecondary education, and improves state and local accountability.

For CTE courses included in either the North Carolina Community College Articulation Agreement or the MCS/Sandhills Community College (SCC) and MCS/Montgomery Community College (MCC) Local Articulation Agreement, students who earn a score of 93 or better on the CTE post-assessment and make a B or better in the course may receive articulation credit.

ACT WorkKeys®

ACT WorkKeys® is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce. ACT WorkKeys® tests help students determine if they have the skill levels required for various careers. ACT WorkKeys® assessments will be administered to CTE Concentrators during their graduating year at no cost to the student.

The ACT WorkKeys® includes three assessments: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. Taking the ACT WorkKeys® assessments is an important first step to prepare for education, training or a career. For more information on ACT WorkKeys®, see www. act.org/workkeys.

NC Career Readiness Certificate (NCCRC) 

The North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate (NCCRC) ensures that an individual student has obtained certain foundational skills that are important across a range of occupations. The NCCRC offers students, parents, individuals, employers and educators an easily understood, conveniently attained and universally valued credential that will contribute to the state’s workforce and economic development objectives.

Recipients are awarded certificates of Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze depending on their skill levels in Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information. The certificate can complement diplomas, degrees and resumes. It also can potentially provide job seekers an advantage in the interview process.

W.I.D.A.  and ACCESS for ELLs 2.0®

The North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) approved the adoption of the WIDA Consortium English Language Development Standards beginning with the 2008–2009 school year. The administration of this assessment is a requirement for all students who identify a language other than English during the Home Language Survey process.

The test functions as a screener used for both the initial assessment and the English as a Second Language (ESL) program placement of students identified as limited English Proficient (LEP). The annual test, Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs 2.0®), is North Carolina’s required assessment that complies with Title III of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.

This annual assessment of all students identified as Limited English Proficient measures student English language proficiency, performance and progress in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending English [ref. Title I, SEC. 1111 (a) (7)], including students who receive special education services.

Because of this federal legislation, all students identified as LEP are tested annually, during an established testing window as designated by the NCDPI, on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 or the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.