Laurel Curriculum
On this page: Class Scheduling, Earning Units, Student Folders, and Self-Attendance/Blogging.
Class Scheduling
A typical Laurel student’s schedule contains a mix of classes between Viroqua High School and Laurel High School. Students sign up for the Viroqua classes before the previous school year ends (for example, students fill out forms in January for the following school year; new students sign up for classes as soon as they are accepted). Those schedules are available about two weeks before school starts.
Laurel classes are scheduled during the first two days of school. While this is hard to understand in theory, it does work. It is necessary to know when students are here and which classes they want when in order to complete the Laurel schedule. Every effort is made to make sure each student is able to have the classes he/she needs and wants.
Earning Units
New Laurel students may take a maximum of four units for their first semester of attendance at Laurel.
If a student has successfully competed previous classes, above minimum requirements, they may submit a written petition to take up to one additional unit.
No student may earn more than five total units in any semester. Any credit earned outside of Laurel (VHS credit) counts towards the total maximum.
Passing a class at a minimum performance level (or earning a “No Pass”) in any class during the previous semester will disqualify a student from petitioning for an extra half or whole unit for the next semester.
Pass/Fail Policy:
Laurel works on a “Pass/Fail” basis, therefore students are not given a grade point average (GPA) or a class rank, nor are they eligible to earn grade-based awards (i.e. National Honor Society). The lead teacher has a very close relationship with each student and is able and happy to provide information on each student’s performance. A Laurel student earns “units” rather than credits towards graduation. Units are the equivalent of credits earned in a traditional high school.
Pass: A student may choose at which level he/she wishes to work towards picking standards and requirements for passing a class; Low Pass (equivalent of C or C-) or High Pass (equivalent of B or better). This decision will be detailed in paperwork filled out for each Laurel class, signed by the student, their parent(s), and the teacher involved with the class, and kept in his/her folder at Laurel. (See Folders for more information.) If all requirements are completed, the student will pass the class.
No Pass: Students who do not meet the “Low Pass” standards for projects and the minimum standards of attendance/self attendance do not pass the class or receive the unit for that semester’s class. Students have up to three weeks after semester’s end to complete these standards unless granted an extension for extenuating circumstances.
Self Attendance/Blogging
Students are required to blog 80% of their class time (a minimum of four out of five school days) -making an individual attendance record of their Laurel class time, detailing how they utilized the block time for every class block taken at Laurel as a condition of passing the class.
Self attendance must be done daily for EACH Laurel study block (independent OR facilitated study). Self attendance not completed on the day of the class block will not count towards the minimum percentages needed to earn Laurel credit.
Self attendance is recorded on the student’s personal blog page. This page is viewable only by the student, his/her parent(s), and Laurel staff.
A student is responsible for self attendance for EVERY day of the academic school year (every day Viroqua High School holds classes during the year). If a student is not at school (illness, vacation, appointment, etc.), he or she is still responsible for self attendance for each of their Laurel study blocks.
Students who, during the semester, fall below 80% self attendance for an independent class or a facilitated class, will be given a warning. Students are allowed two warnings per semester. If a student falls below 80% self attendance for an independent class or a facilitated class a third time during a semester, this student will not pass that class in that semester.
Students are not required to blog about classes taken at Viroqua High School.