Counseling & academic policies
counselor introduction
Counselors work with all students throughout their high school career at Palisades Charter High School (PCHS) to complete graduation requirements while preparing for education and goals beyond high school. Each counselor is assigned students alphabetically by last name and each counselor has a caseload of over 450 students. It is the goal of each counselor to meet the needs of all students and they look forward to working with parents/guardians to support students.
Counselors are here to support students in becoming independent and contributing members of our global society and encourage active, self-advocacy. Counselors communicate with students to plan for the upcoming semester and/or school year.
Communication about classes and graduation requirements are sent to students for parent/guardians to review. It is essential that students and their families regularly check Infinite Campus, Schoology, and their email for updates.
In order to accomplish the goal of transitioning our students towards navigating school independently, counselors work directly with students for tasks such as class planning, schedule changes, etc. Students and parents/guardians are welcome to contact the counselors if they have a question or wish to discuss a situation. Counselors may also be available in their office for students to drop in during Nutrition and Lunch. Please be aware that there are times during the school year when counselors may be out of the office. Counselors are working directly with students during the first few weeks of each semester and schedule change requests need to be initiated by the student during designated days.
GRADUATION
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students must meet all graduation requirements in order to receive a diploma from Palisades Charter High School and participate in the graduation
ceremony. See the link below for specific requirements. Those requirements are:
1. Successful completion of all required courses
2. Earn a minimum of 230 credits
3. Participate in all mandated state testing programs
4. Completion of all community service hours (10 hours per year enrolled at
Pali. 40 if the student has been enrolled 9-12)
5. Submit a post-graduation plan to College Center
6. Resolve any outstanding fees and return all PCHS materials and equipment
Students who do not meet requirements #3 – 6 may not be allowed to participate in the ceremony, but will qualify to receive a diploma. Additionally, they may not be able to have PCHS send final transcripts to colleges.
Graduation/University/NCAA Requirements
DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-GRADUATING SENIORS
Potential graduating students who do not meet the requirements will have until August 1st of that same calendar year to earn a PCHS diploma.
Students who do not complete their requirements by this date will have to receive their diploma through another program.
GRADE LEVEL PROMOTION
Grade level is based upon the number of years a student has attended high school NOT number of credits they have earned. Students need 230 credits to graduate PCHS. Students earn 5 credits for most PCHS classes with a passing grade. Students are recommended to have obtained the minimum credits listed below to remain on target for graduation:
Upon entrance of 10th Grade: 55 credits
Upon entrance of 11th Grade: 110 credits
Upon entrance of 12th Grade: 170 credits
Graduation Requirement: 230 credits
SCHEDULES
MINIMUM COURSE LOAD REQUIREMENTS
All 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade students are required to sign up for a MINIMUM OF 6 (six) courses each semester (30 credits). Only 12th grade students in good academic standing may request fewer than six courses, provided they have earned the appropriate amount of credits to reach 230 by graduation. However, there is no guarantee. If applicable, seniors will need to provide proof of enrollment in college courses, employment, an internship, etc.
STUDENTS DEFICIENT IN CREDITS
STUDENTS THAT ARE BEHIND 30 OR MORE UNITS WILL BE
REQUIRED TO ATTEND PALI ACADEMY, AS LONG AS SPACE IS AVAILABLE. Should space not be available, priority will be given to 12th and 11th grade students, then 10th grade students. Students and their families will meet with counselors, the Pali Academy coordinator, and the Director of Academic Programs and Academic Services. Pali Academy students have been referred to enroll there by PCHS counselors, deans, the Student Success
Team, and administrators.
COURSES TAKEN OUTSIDE OF PCHS
Students can meet all of the graduation and college entrance requirements with PCHS classes. However, students have the opportunity to take some courses outside of PCHS. They must first contact their counselor to get approval and submit any needed forms. PCHS is not responsible for any fees associated with enrolling in courses not taken at PCHS.
ONLY courses that meet PCHS Graduation requirements or the MINIMUM A-G college entrance requirements will be posted to the PCHS transcript. Other stipulations may apply. Incoming 9th grade students can ONLY take a Health class for PCHS credit during the summer before their 9th grade year.
For more information and needed forms, please the PCHS Counseling using the following link:
You can also contact the Counseling Office at counselinginfo@palihigh.org
FALL CLASS SCHEDULE PLANNING
Current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will make their preliminary course requests for the following school year during WINTER BREAK. This planning process is done using Infinite Campus. Instructions will be posted on Schoology. It is essential that students and their families complete the course requests during Winter Break. Should students have any questions, they should reach out to the Counseling Office at counselinginfo@palihigh.org when school is in session.
A request for a class does not guarantee enrollment.
Counselors will communicate with students during the Spring Semester to review their schedule requests submitted during winter break for the following year. It is up to each student to employ informed decision-making in selecting their classes each semester. In addition, students must meet department eligibility criteria and course prerequisites. Often, students must obtain prior teacher approval, submit an application and/or audition to enroll in specific courses.
The students’ course schedule requests, with appropriate signatures and/or recommendations, must be finalized and completed before school lets out for the summer. Students can then view a preliminary/draft schedule during pre-registration days on Schoology and Infinite Campus.
Course programs and the master schedule are created for the semester/year. Therefore, PCHS does not have a drop/fail policy. Students are expected to remain in the courses selected. Prior to the start of school, changes to course programs will be done only in the following cases:
1. Computer/school error
2. If the student passes an approved summer school course (with prior counselor approval)
3. Student does not meet a prerequisite for a course.
COURSES WILL NOT BE CHANGED FOR PERIOD OR TEACHER PREFERENCE.
FOUR YEAR PLANNING
Counselors provide planning information with all 9th graders during the Spring Semester. The purpose of the meeting is to help students understand and map out an individualized four year plan to meet graduation and college entrance requirements, as well as academic and counseling resources available to them at PCHS.
CLASS SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICY
COURSES WILL NOT BE CHANGED FOR PERIOD OR TEACHER PREFERENCE.
Class changes will be made based on student seniority (12th graders first, then 11th graders, and so on) and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Schedule changes will be made only as class size and space allows.
Opportunities to change classes before the start of the semester
• During each semester, students should review their requests for the following semester. If needed, they can contact their counselors to plan their classes for the following semester. Students must contact their counselors before the end of the semester to request any possible change classes.
• Students will also have time to request changes to their classes during Orientation week before the beginning of the Fall Semester.
• Counselors are not available for schedule change requests during the winter and summer breaks.
Requests for change after the start of the semester
• Students may complete and submit one (1) “Class Schedule Change” form during
- Fall semester: the first 8 days after schedules are made available for Student View on Schoology/Infinite Campus.
- Spring semester: the first 4 block days of classes
Requests for change after deadline
• According to PCHS Policy, the last day to drop a class is the end of 5th week of classes (Permanent Schedule Day). PCHS will communicate the specific date to students through various platforms.
GRADING
REPORT CARDS
Progress grades are issued two times a semester online through our Student Information System (SIS). The final report card is submitted at the end of each semester. The marks reported on the final semester report card are posted on the student’s transcript and are permanent.
The marks on the Progress 1 and Final Semester grades are used to determine eligibility for sports and extracurricular activities.
Families are encouraged to contact teachers should students earn a D, Fail, and/or U(nsatisfactory) on any report card.
MARK REVIEW POLICY
A mark on a final report card for the fall or spring semester can be appealed. Work Habits/Cooperation marks may not be appealed. Before requesting the PCHS Board of Trustees to review a grade, the student and family MUST first reach out to the teacher to try to resolve the concern. The Request for Review of Grade Form must be completed by the 30th school day into the subsequent semester.
The Grade Appeal form and process can be accessed with the following link:
The form must be submitted to the Assistant Principal of the Counseling Office before the deadline. The appeal form will not be accepted after the deadline. Families should contact the Counseling Office at counselinginfo@palihigh.org if they have any questions.
REPEAT COURSES
Semester credit will not be given for a repeated course if a student passed the same course previously with a mark of a A, B, C, or D. If a student does earn a D grade and decides to repeat the course for college eligibility purposes or to move on to the next level of the subject, both marks will be used in the GPA computation. If the previous mark was a Fail, the student will receive credit for the repeated course and both marks will remain on the transcript. Please note, PCHS does not allow students to repeat any course in which they earned a C grade or higher.
TRANSFERABILITY
Palisades Charter High School is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Courses completed at Pali and posted to the PCHS transcript should be transferable to other public schools in California. Courses that meet UC/CSU eligibility requirements are marked as such under the course title in this catalog.