ACADEMIC POLICIES

STUDENT RECORDS

The Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) permits parents/guardians to access their child’s school records. A copy of the procedures regarding student records are available upon request. Official student records may not be released to other persons or institutions without written permission of the parent/adult student, except as otherwise authorized by law.

TRANSFER CREDITS

When a student transfers into Paramus High School, any coursework taken at another high school is subject to review prior to acceptance. According to Paramus Board Policy 5111, pupils transferring into the district are expected to present copies of records from the previously attended school to aid in placement. Initial placement shall be made on the basis of the records received, but adjustments may be made at the discretion of administration when state-mandated assessments indicate that such adjustments would be beneficial to the child.

CREDIT RECOVERY

A student who earns a failing grade in a course is entitled to remediate the course through an approved summer school or online through the Educere program. A list of approved summer schools will be listed on the school’s website in June. Credit recovery must be paid for by the student. Both the failing grade and the summer school grade will appear on the transcript and calculate into the grade point average. Students may register for a maximum of two (2) remedial courses per year taken for credit recovery.

Eligibility Criteria: Students in a year-long course who lose credit due to excessive absences must remain in the course through the end of the school year in order to be eligible to attend summer school.

COURSES TAKEN PRIOR TO MATRICULATION

High school-level courses taken prior to a student’s matriculation as a freshman will not appear on the high school transcript and will not receive high school credit. This includes high school-level math classes taken by eighth-grade students. The only exception would be a math course taken for new work in the summer prior to freshman year, after the student has completed the eighth grade, if approved by the curriculum supervisor (see new work for credit below).

GRADE ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEVEL CHANGES

If a student changes his/her course level during the school year, the grade-to-date in the original course will be adjusted by 15 percent, to account for the difference in rigor, and transferred to the new course.