The course placement process has been established to foster student success and to ensure that all students have opportunities to obtain proficiency in MHS academic expectations, and national and state content standards. Placement considers teacher recommendation which takes into account grades, work habits and scores on local and/or state assessments. Recommended course levels may vary from subject to subject, thus making it possible to challenge students in areas where they have shown outstanding achievement and to allow them to demonstrate mastery in other areas. The sequential and cumulative nature of some disciplines is a key factor in determining the courses and levels recommended for those subjects. Level assignment is reviewed annually during the course selection process. A student wishing to enroll in a course for which they have not been recommended must complete a waiver form (linked below).

Note: A waiver does not supplant the need for a student to meet the content requirements of a course. For example, a student who has not taken and passed Algebra I may not waive into Algebra II without consulting with the associated department director and perhaps taking a year end course assessment or other evaluative means to help determine potential student success in the sequential course. Students are encouraged to always take classes in a sequential order. (i.e., Creative Writing II should only be taken after Creative Writing I).

At MHS, we offer three instructional levels for our course. These levels are:

• Advanced Placement (AP) Courses: These courses are designed to correlate to the standards and expectations established for Advanced Placement by the College Board and are the equivalent of introductory college level courses. (The course will be more heavily weighted towards GPA calculations if listed in the Program of Studies.) One of the primary goals of an AP course is to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam administered in May. This exam may lead to college credit. Students who take Advanced Placement courses are strongly encouraged to sign up and pay a non-refundable fee for the AP exam. Students who need financial assistance to pay for the test should consult directly with their guidance counselor or the principal. More information about AP courses may be obtained at http://www.collegeboard.com/ap/students/index.html

Students wishing to take an AP Exam for a course not offered in the Program of Studies may be subject to additional fees to cover the cost of proctoring. Please see Mr. Soares, the MHS AP coordinator, in the main office if you are considering taking an exam for a course not offered at the high school.

• Honors: These courses are designed for students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a particular subject area. The pace, breadth, and depth of material covered will extend beyond that of the college and career preparatory courses.

• College/Career Preparatory: These courses are designed for students who have demonstrated proficiency in skills and concepts and provide a foundation for success in all post-secondary pursuits.

Should a student prefer to enroll in a course for which they were not recommended, a waiver process is available. This process requires the completion of an electronic Course Waiver Form. It is strongly suggested that students considering a waiver have a conversation with the chair of the department offering the course. Waiver requests are processed using a lottery system and entered on space availability. Waiver requests that come in after June 1 will be added to the lottery list in the order they are received. It must be noted that course and student limits and student schedules may not accommodate a waiver, and that once a schedule is revised to reflect a waiver it may not be possible to revert to the original schedule.

Student initiated add/drops from one course to another course are generally processed within the first 10 days from the start of class and are subject to alternate course availability. After this time limit, changes to a student’s schedule result only when it has been determined that student is misplaced in a core course or there is sound educational justification for a change. Such determination is made on a case by case basis in consultation with parents, the department chair, and administration. Students will remain in their current course until notified of the outcome of the request for course changes. When a student drops a course and does not add another in the same department, the student is considered to have “withdrawn” from that course and may be reflected on the transcript as indicated below. All course withdrawals must be approved by administration.

1. If a student withdraws from a course (administrative approval is necessary) prior to the end of the first quarter, there will be no written record for that course.

2. If a student withdraws from a course after the end of the first quarter, he/she will be marked with either “Withdrawn Passing (WP),” “Withdrawn Failing (WF),” or "Withdrawn Medical (WM)."

• "Withdraw-Failing" has the equivalent effect of an "F" grade and will be recorded for the last term of enrollment as well as a final grade

• "Withdraw-Passing" and "Withdraw- Medical" have no effect on the GPA, class rank, honor roll eligibility, or eligibility for extra-curricular activities