A. One-half credit will be granted after successful completion of a semester class.
B. Transfer credits will be accepted from any accredited ninth grade or senior high school on receipt of an official transcript. The transcript will be evaluated and students informed of any course requirements or credit deficiencies.
C. For work as an Office Aid, a total of one credit may be earned during Junior or Senior year. No more than 0.5 credit may be earned in any one semester. Student will receive a pass/fail grade.
D. Students may only take one physical education class per semester unless they are enrolled in a zero hour physical education class.
E. WAC 180-57-050 DEFINITION - MARKING SYSTEM
The standardized high school transcript is based on a marking/grading system that reports the marks/grades earned by students in courses as follows:
A = 4.0 C+ = 2.3
A- = 3.7 C = 2.0
B+ = 3.3 C- = 1.7
B = 3.0 D+ = 1.3
B- = 2.7 D = 1.0
The minimum passing mark/grade is a D = 1.0. Pass/fail, credit/no credit, and satisfactory/ unsatisfactory marks may also be used. However, notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 180-57- 055, these non-numerical marks/grades shall be clearly identified and excluded from the calculation of grade point average. Running Start grades: 1 class is equal to 2 regular high school classes. Therefore, 1 F grade for Running Start is equivalent to 2 F's when figuring academic eligibility.
F. WVHS A- Policy
West Valley High School has historically used an 11 point grading scale that includes an A- that calculates as a 3.7 for GPA purposes. A typical class grading scale would award an A to a student earning 94% - 100% of the points for a class and an A- to a student earning 90% - 93% of the points for that same class. It has come to our attention that several surrounding high schools use a 10 point grading scale that does not include an A- therefore awarding an A for 90% - 100%. The implication is that a WVHS student who earns 91% in every class throughout his high school career receives all A-‘s and earns a 3.7 GPA, while a student at EVHS who earns the same 91% in every class throughout his high school career receives all A’s and has a GPA of 4.0. When both of these students, with identical learning and performance, apply for college admission or for a scholarship the EVHS student’s transcript has 4.0 GPA and the WVHS student has a 3.7 GPA. This puts West Valley students at a distinct disadvantage when competing for scholarships and college admission. Therefore, WVHS uses the 10 point system and no longer includes A– in our grading system. An exception to this is when a student receives an A- from another school or program (i.e. Running Start, NewTech Prep, out of district schools), we must honor the grade students receive and post to their WVHS transcript accordingly.
It is extremely important to the WVHS faculty, and to our school board, that as our students prepare to enter post secondary education and the world of work that they compete on a level playing field. It is also extremely important to the WVHS faculty that the ability to reward and recognize those students who continually and consistently strive for excellence; and that we do so by conveying to those students all of the rights and recognition incumbent with earning Academic Honors (Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Honor Cord).
G. Withdrawal Information
The last day for student withdrawal from a class without failure occurs 5 days following the beginning of each semester. Students not officially withdrawn from a class will receive a failing grade.
Upon receiving a request from a teacher and/or student, the principal may approve a “hardship withdrawal” from a class after the 5 day deadline.
E. Approved High School Credits during 7th and/or 8th Grade
Students may receive high school credit for Algebra and/or Spanish taken in the eighth grade. These credits will be posted to their high school transcript prior to their 9th grade year. A student and the student's parent or guardian must inform the school before the end of the 11th grade by completing the opt-out form if they do not want credit for the course(s) taken before attending high school, or if they want to request that credit be transcribed with a non-numerical grade.