Additional Scheduling Information

Minimum Scheduling Requirements per Year

The minimum number of course periods per day/maximum number of study hall periods per week into which a student must be scheduled is as follows:

*Any exceptions to the rule due to extenuating circumstances must be approved by the Principal.

Determining Credit Value

Courses that meet for one period each day, five days per week, for the entire year have a value of five (5) credits. Courses that meet for one period each day, five days per week, for one semester have a value of two and one-half (2.5) credits.

Transfer/New Students to BHS

Bernards High School reserves the right to administer final exams to students for the purpose of placement and/or acceptance of course credit. Such a test might well prove invaluable to assess prerequisite skills. Students new to BHS may receive credit toward graduation for courses taken in accredited high schools outside the school district. However, only courses taken at Bernards High School will be used to calculate the student’s GPA. Courses taken at Somerset County Vocational Technical School will be counted in the student GPA.

In each high school graduating class, the pupil who has earned the highest grade point average shall be named valedictorian and the pupil who as has earned the next highest grade point average shall be named salutatorian provided that any pupil so named shall have been enrolled in this district for at least three (3) years immediately prior to high school graduation. Students recognized as being in the Top 20 members of his/her graduating class must also have been enrolled in this district for at least three years immediately prior to high school graduation.

Summer School Procedures and Approval Form

Summer School Procedures and Approval Forms for course review and advancement are available here:

Credit Eligibility to Participate in Athletics and Activities

An exceptionally high percentage of the student body is involved in some aspect of the co-curricular program. We strongly believe in the value of these programs as part of the overall education of our students. State and local regulations governing interscholastic and/ or other school activities are as follows:

• To be eligible the first semester of a given year, a student must, in addition to other eligibility criteria, have earned at least 30 credits during the immediately preceding school year.
• To be eligible during the second semester of a given year, a student must, in addition to other eligibility criteria, have earned the equivalent of at least 15 credits during the immediately preceding semester. Therefore, dropping a course may result in failure to earn sufficient credits for participation in school sports or activities.

Students Planning to Participate in College Athletics

High school students who plan to participate in Division I or Division II athletics as college freshmen must be certified by the NCAA. Such students should start the NCAA Eligibility Center certification process with the counselor at the end of the junior year in high school. For more information on NCAA eligibility requirements, contact your counselor, athletic director and/ or visit the athletics page of the SHSD website.