Course Acceleration

Westport Continuing Education provides opportunities for students to take a limited number of credit-bearing courses during the summer for advancement or to study subjects that time during the regular school year does not allow.  Check the WCE website for the Westport Summer School Registration Form and deadline for registration. (This information will be available by March 1, 2026.) 

Students should be aware of the following: 

• Staples students seeking to enroll in a Westport Summer School course must obtain prior written approval from (1) the department coordinator of the course to be taken and (2) their school counselor. Students outside of Westport Public Schools should obtain the equivalent of the above. 

• The hours of class time required for credit will be equivalent to the hours of instruction during the school year. 

• Given the pace of classes, perfect attendance and punctuality are expected. If a student misses more than two days of class for any reason, credit will not be granted for the course. Students who have lost credit will have the opportunity to appeal to have their credit reinstated. To appeal, the student must complete the Principal’s Hearing Request Form available from the Principal’s Office. The deadline for appeals is August 7, 2026. 

• Courses follow the prescribed Staples High School curriculum and Staples High School assessments. 

• Enrollment in follow-up courses at Staples during the school year is contingent upon successful completion of the summer course, teacher recommendation, and seat availability in the desired course, which is not guaranteed. 

• For Westport Summer School courses taken during the high school years (starting with the summer between grades 8 and 9), credit will appear on the student’s Staples transcript for the upcoming school year, and the grade will be factored into the student’s grade point average. 

• For Westport Summer School courses taken during the summer between grades 7 and 8 or earlier, the course and grade will not appear on the student’s Staples transcript, no high school credit will be awarded, and the grade will not be factored into the student’s grade point average. 

• The deadline to drop a Westport Summer School course without record and have the course removed from the student’s Staples transcript is the end of the tenth day of the class. If the student withdraws from the course after this date, the student will receive a W (Withdrawn) on their Staples transcript and no credit will be given. Students may not withdraw within the last five school days of the summer course.

• The deadline to request pass/fail grading in a Westport Summer School course is the end of the tenth school day of the summer course. 

• No refunds will be given for withdrawals from Westport Summer School courses. 

Determination as to whether any summer school course will run will be made by Westport Continuing Education based on enrollment. There is no guarantee that any individual course will run. Students and parents/guardians will be notified as soon as a decision is made. In the event that a course must be cancelled due to lack of enrollment, a full refund will be offered. It is therefore recommended that students, after consultation with their school counselor and parent/guardians, enroll in a timely manner. 

Any Staples student may choose to take an online course or course at another educational institution simply for their own enrichment and with the family bearing all responsibility for cost. If the student wishes for the course to fulfill a Staples graduation requirement or be used for accelerated advancement within a course sequence, school counselor and department coordinator approval must be granted prior to enrolling in, and then upon completion of, the course according to the process described below. The educational institution/online provider must be accredited and have the ability to deliver a transcript upon completion of the course; acceleration based solely on private tutoring is not permitted. 

1. The student discusses the request with their school counselor, including the appropriateness of the course and its implications at Staples. 

2. The student completes the Pre-Approval Form for Coursework Outside Staples High School, attaching a copy of the course description/syllabus and instructor information. The deadline for requests is June 1 for summer acceleration courses. 

3. The school counselor checks that course prerequisites have been fulfilled, then signs off on the pre-approval form if approved. 

4. The appropriate department coordinator reviews the student’s pre-approval form and accompanying documentation, indicates any department or course-specific conditions or requirements that the student must fulfill, and signs off on the form if approved. 

5. The student enrolls in and completes the course. Summer acceleration courses must be completed by August 15. 

6. Upon successful completion of the course, and no later than August 20 for summer courses, the student provides their school counselor with an official transcript reflecting the final grade and credit awarded by the other educational institution. 

7. To assure that the appropriate course standards have been met and for proper placement, the student will be required to take a comprehensive midterm exam, final exam, and/or other comparable assessment. (Note: This requirement may be waived at the discretion of the department coordinator.) 

Once a student enrolls at Staples, courses taken at other high schools for acceleration or enrichment are not listed on the Staples transcript, do not earn Staples credit, and do not count toward the grade point averages. A grade report from the other educational institution may be attached to the Staples transcript upon request. 

If the student does not obtain prior approval for a course, he or she may not accelerate and must enroll in the corresponding Staples course. 

Any Staples student interested in accelerated advancement within a world language course sequence or placement into a specific world language course must contact the World Languages department coordinator to request an interview to be conducted by a department member. The placement process will consist of an interpersonal speaking skills assessment and evaluation of the level of writing skills, and may include other assessments deemed necessary by the department coordinator. The world language teacher and department coordinator will make a recommendation for appropriate placement based on the student's demonstrated proficiency. The recommendation is then communicated to the School Counseling Department for enrollment, provided that there is availability in the course. The student and family are not permitted to override the placement recommendation made by the world language teacher and department coordinator.