Course Protocols
High School Courses
Changing/Requesting Future Courses: students may access their Course Planner in Google Drive anytime and update any courses they plan to take in future years
Filling a hole in a student's schedule: students can email Mrs. Wilkinson at any time to begin the process of filling any open spots in their schedule. Filling open spots is the ONLY schedule change Mrs. Wilkinson will make on the first day of class (the first day of each new term).
Changing a course after the term has started: Mrs. Wilkinson requires students to attend the first day of each class the student has requested, and has been scheduled for them. Then, students have days 2-5 of each new term to let Mrs. Wilkinson know they would like to drop a course. This includes Kirkwood courses! Dropping a course within the first few days does not affect a student's GPA, their eligibility, or the variety of courses available to them. Effort will be made to fill the opening with another course from the student's 4 Year Plan.
Dropping a 2-credit course after completion of 1 credit: If a course is worth 2 credits, students cannot ask to drop the course after the completion of 1 credit unless prior approval has been given by the teacher to Mrs. Wilkinson. She may also seek approval of parents and/or administration. Dropping a course halfway through will result in loss of Senior Release eligibility the following semester.
Immediate ending of a course: This should be a last-resort option, used after a variety of other strategies have been attempted to help a student find success in a course. Immediate dropping of any course means a student is ineligible for Senior Release during the current semester as well as the following semester. For Kirkwood courses, this includes both ending a course for a withdraw "W" as well as a fail "F." If the course was an online Kirkwood course, the student will not be eligible for additional online Kirkwood courses for one semester.
Failing a course: Students earning a F at the conclusion of a grading period in ANY course will lose Senior Release privileges for the following semester. If the course is a graduation requirement, it will be rescheduled for the student at the discretion of administration.
Retaking courses: Williamsburg Community School district allows students to retake courses that were failed, and are required for graduation. Students may also request to take Performance PE both semesters of any school year. All other course retakes are not allowed.
High School GPA: Any courses taken at Williamsburg Jr/Sr High (including AP and Kirkwood) are taught by Williamsburg faculty. Therefore, all courses offered at WHS are graded and affect a student's high school GPA, class rank, and honor roll status. Opportunities offered to high schoolers that are pass/fail and do not affect GPA, class rank, or honor roll include Success, Yearbook, Internships, and Peer Tutoring.
High school Courses with specific protocols
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses: Families understand they are responsible for paying half the cost of any AP exam their child will take. WHS School Board policy states that all students enrolled in AP courses will sit for the corresponding AP exams. Students who receive teacher, parent and administrative permission to drop an AP course prior to its completion may be responsible for paying the full cost of the AP exam.
Kirkwood Courses
Midterms: Kirkwood staff share midterm grades with WHS administrators and counselors. All students with mid-term grades lower than a C- will be reassigned to a study hall during all online Kirkwood class times. Seniors will also report to study hall instead of any form of open campus. Changes will stay in effect until the student produces evidence to the principal of an increased grade that is above a C-.
Withdrawing: College students (including high school students earning college credit) may withdraw from an online or live course within a certain time frame. Withdraws are shown as "W" on college transcripts and do not affect a student's GPA. No credit is awarded for a "W." Students are STRONGLY encouraged not to withdraw from courses, as it negatively affects the student's collegiate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students are also ineligible to take online Kirkwood courses the semester following a withdrawal.
Failing a Kirkwood course: In addition to losing Senior Release (see above), students who fail a Kirkwood course are ineligible to take online Kirkwood courses the following semester.
Retaking (ONLY for online Kirkwood courses): Colleges typically allow students to retake courses, and the new grade replaces the previous grade on the transcript. For high school students earning college credit, the student's family is responsible for the full cost if a course is retaken while the student is in high school.
College GPA: Courses taken online or live at the Iowa County Kirkwood Center are taught by professors. Therefore, grades in these courses only affect a student's Kirkwood GPA. If a student's Kirkwood GPA is 2.0 or lower OR students have completed less than 67% of attempted college courses, a conference with a Kirkwood administrator is required before enrolling in future Kirkwood courses.
**Exception: Composition I and II, when taught in-person by a Kirkwood professor, will also affect a student's high school GPA. This is due to Comp I and II fulfilling the student's 12th grade high school English requirement.
