PART II - PROCEDURES AND PROGRAMS

Minimum Course Enrollment/

Grade Level Classification

Students in grades 9 to 12 are required to carry a minimum of 5 credits or its equivalent per semester to be eligible for participation in extracurricular activities, to be eligible for the Honor Roll and to be eligible for Earned Time.

Students are assigned grade levels based on total accumulated credits during the previous years as follows:

Sophomores - 10th Grade....................................At least 5 credits earned

Juniors - 11th Grade..............................................At least 10 credits earned

Seniors - 12th Grade.............................................At least 15 credits earned

Any student who falls below enrollment in minimum units of credit may be subject to their schedule being condensed or changed by the administration. All requests to enroll in fewer than the minimum units of study must be made through the Guidance Office and approved by the Principal. Students carrying less than a full course of study and not in compliance with a plan established by the administration may face dismissal from school. Only students who have fulfilled all requirements for receiving a diploma will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Adding and Dropping Courses

It is anticipated that students will remain in all classes for which they registered unless there is some sound educational or career basis for change. Legitimate requests for change of schedule will be honored during the first 5 days of school. After the first 5 days, changes will be made for sound educational reasons ONLY and may require a parent conference.

Courses dropped after the add/drop period will be noted as "WP" if the student is passing and "WF" if the student is failing. Students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) Biology and AP Calculus may withdraw from the course during the first semester without penalty or credit. Students enrolled in AP Psychology, AP US History and AP English will be eligible to earn 1/2 credit -- honors elective -- if they complete the first semester with a passing grade. During the second semester students enrolled in AP courses may withdraw with a "WP" if passing and a "WF" if failing.

All requests for schedule changes must be initiated through the Guidance Office where an add/drop form may be picked up. Students are required to have signatures from Department Chairs and those teachers involved in adding and dropping a course. Permission from a parent or guardian may also be required. The completed request must be returned by the student to the Guidance Office within 48 hours of its issuance. The add/drop procedure is not considered complete until the form with all signatures is returned to the Guidance Office. Failure by student to return the signed form may result in the add/drop request not being honored.

Awarding Credit

To be credited with a grade, a student must complete course requirements in a satisfactory manner. The minimum passing grade is 65. A student who does not do so will receive a failing grade and no credit for the course.

Any courses or programs outside of the school that a student wishes to be given credit in must have prior approval by the Department Chair, the Director of Counseling Services, and the Principal. If a students takes a course as an independent study for credit, his/her grade will be included in the determination of eligibility for extracurricular activities, the Honor Roll, and Earned Time. One correspondence course may be taken within the senior year if a student is unable to fulfill credits through a program offered at Lake Region. The final determination for awarding credit will be made by the Principal. Excessive absences, academic dishonesty, or disruptive behavior, may result in loss of credit (See Absence Policy, and Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in the Student Handbook.).

Home Schooling: The student must be enrolled in a home study program registered with the Vermont Department of Education. A copy of the Vermont State Department of Education enrollment letter for the student's home study program must be presented to the Principal. The school is not obligated to accept a student's home study records in the event that the parent/guardian decide to enroll his/her child in a public or independent school in the future. The student's grade placement will be at the school's discretion.

Graduation Requirements: 20 credits are required to receive a Lake Region diploma.

Progress Reports

Monitoring a student's progress is the shared responsibility of parents, teachers and students. Progress reports are mailed out to parents at mid-quarter if the student's grade is a C- or below. However, a possibility exists that a student might be passing at mid-quarter and yet still fail the quarter without a progress report being sent. Therefore, a conference is strongly advised between student, parent and teacher if at any time a parent or student feels that the student's grade is in jeopardy. Progress reports are never a precondition for a failing grade.

Parents are strongly encouraged to consult the Program of Studies or teacher about the specifics of individual course requirements, to attend parent/teacher conferences as part of this shared responsibility, and to review student's corrected work.

Report Cards

Report cards are issued at the end of each quarter, or nine week session. Letter grades are used to designate a student's progress on report cards and/or transcripts.

Honor Roll

A student must maintain the following grades: Highest Honors -- Obtained by earning 90/A- or above in each class; High Honors -- obtained by earning 84/B or above in each class; Honors -- obtained by earning 80/B- or better in each class per quarter. Only full time students are eligible for the Honor Roll.

Testing/Assessment Programs

Many new and valuable tests/assessments will be available to you throughout your four years in high school. The purpose of these tests/assessments is to help your teacher, counselor, Department Chair, and Principal to better understand your personal needs, and to assist in your post high school preparation. Following is a list of some of the tests/assessments:

Career Interest Assessment..........................................................Grade 9

Terra Nova.......................................................................................Grade 9

National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT)....................Grade 10, 11

College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT I & II) .............Grade 11, 12

ASVAB............................................................................................Grade 11, 12

VT NSRE Math/English.................................................................Grade 10

Student Support Team (SST)

The Student Support Team (SST) is a group of educators (e.g. school counselors, drug and alcohol counselor, home-school coordinator, administrator, planning room coordinator, academic achievement center coordinator, teachers, special educators, and school nurse) who serve as an initial referral base through which students are identified, screened and referred to the aforementioned services within the school and then for outside services when deemed appropriate.

The SST supports collaboration among educators to address concerns for individual students having academic, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. Increased communication helps to keep students from "falling through the cracks" and provides plans and strategies necessary to help students succeed. In addition, the school is obligated to comply with ACT 197 and to ensure accountability for students who are eligible for Section 504 services.

Academic Achievement Program/Section 504 Program

The Academic Achievement Program provides support in study halls. Students learn study skills and received help with completing assignments through one-on-one and smalls group instruction. As a component of Title I school-wide program, the AAP offers assistance. One teacher and one para-educator are currently serving all freshmen and sophomores, as well as some juniors and seniors, in their scheduled study halls. Motivating students toward positive learning outcomes remains our objective.

The goal of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disabilities in programs or activities that receive federal money. Disabilities include, but are not limited to, both long-term and short-term medical conditions, learning disabilities and emotional illness. If an impairment "substantially limits one or more major life activities", the individual is entitled to accommodations so s/he may access that activity. For example, if a student has a learning disability but is not eligible for special education, s/he may still be eligible for accommodations that would allow her/him to access learning in the classroom. If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Sargent, 504 Coordinator.

Special Education Program

The Special Education Program works with students that are eligible for special education services. Students are eligible for special education services if they have a learning disability, a learning impairment, visual impairment, deafness or being hard of hearing, speech or language impairment, an orthopedic impairment, chronic or acute health problems, and/or an emotional-behavioral disability.

Students receiving special education services require specialized individualized programs (IEP) and/or accommodations based on their specific needs. The regular education program provides the environment to accommodate each student's individual differences and educational needs. Special education provides a continuum of services where the placement of choice is the regular classroom. Students receive services in a variety of ways. They may receive services on a one-to-one basis or within small groups in the Resource Room. Para-educators also assist students in the mainstream setting. Special education students are generally scheduled for a study skills time. During this time students work on completing IEP goals and receive help with homework assignments.

Beginning at age 14, special education students have a written transition plan as part of their IEP. This transition plan helps students move through the continuum of services and prepares the individual for integration into the community that may include employment or post-secondary education.

Northeast Kingdom Parent Child Center
Another Chance Program

The Northeast Kingdom Parent Child Center is open to those students age 16 or older who are parents or expecting. The Parent Child Center serves as an Alternative Program....for eligible students. Students may enroll in this external program at the discretion of the Director of Counseling Services and the Principal. Students must complete competencies based on guided study related to Lake Region's curriculum. A plan of study must be approved by the Principal prior to beginning the program.

Adult Essential Skills--Dropout Recovery

The Dropout Recovery Program is open to those students age 16 or older who have been out of school for one semester. Students must complete competencies based on guided study related to Lake Region's curriculum. A plan of study must be approved the Principal prior to beginning the program. After the completion of the required course work, and a portfolio review by the Director of Counseling Services, a student is issued a Lake Region diploma.

Extra-Curricular Activities

The following is a list of Extra-Curricular Activities that you may participate in during your four years at Lake Region. All students are encouraged to participate in at least one activity each year. A student must meet the academic eligibility requirements in order to participate. Students will be nominated/recommended for enrichment opportunities and it is then their responsibility to apply.

Copyright © 2006, Lake Region Union High School. All rights reserved.
Page Last Updated April 24, 2007 1:01 PM