Federal Hocking High School

Flex Credit Regulations

Purpose:

      The purpose of Flex Credit is to allow students additional avenues to earn credit for courses that are currently not offered by Federal Hocking High School as well as courses that are not offered in the traditional classroom setting. Students may find this as a beneficial way to complete courses that cannot be scheduled or to earn credit for equivalent experiences outside of high school.

Process:

    To qualify for Flex Credit, students will follow these steps:

1. Prior to May 1st for the fall semester and December 1st for the spring semester, the student is to submit a plan to the Guidance Office for earning the course credit the following semester. This plan should include the following:

• A copy of the syllabus for the course for which credit is being requested, if no syllabus is available (as in the case with a course not offered at the high school) a list of competencies to be gained through experience should be provided;

• A detailed learning plan that sets out how students will learn the content and competencies in the course, including a timeline for course completion;

• A plan for a final examination that will qualify the student for the course credit (this may be a project, paper, portfolio, performance assessment, other tool, or a combination of these);

• A letter from the student’s parent or guardian supporting the request (in the case of students who are under 18 years of age).

• A form that sets out all these requirements will be provided to the student by the Guidance Office and must be completed and turned in with the request.

2.The academic department from which credit is being requested will review the request, and, if approved, a teacher will be assigned to supervise the submission and evaluation of student work. This will take place within one week of the submission of the request for Flex Credit. The Guidance Counselor and Principal will sit in on the review process.

3.If the request is not approved, a reason for that denial will be provided to the student within one week. The student may resubmit the request or may appeal the decision in writing to a panel appointed by and including the principal. The appeal will be reviewed within one week and the decision of the panel will be final unless overturned by the superintendent.

4. Once the request is approved, it is up to the student to meet all deadlines and work requirements. The work outside of school to meet the requirements for the course will not be supervised by a teacher. Failure to meet all requirements and deadlines will result in a grade of ‘failing’ to be entered , which will be included in GPA/class ranking determination at the end of each semester.

5. Once the course is completed, the teacher assigned to the Flex Credit course will complete a final assessment of student work and a grade will be assigned. Work must be submitted by the end of the semester during which credit is earned. If credit is not granted, the student may appeal to a panel made up of a teacher from the academic area, the guidance counselor, and the principal. That committee’s decision will be final unless overturned by the superintendent.

6. If the course requested is beyond the scope of the schools faculty’s expertise, the student shall propose who will assess the final completion of the credit. This may require additional costs that will be covered as per #7 below.

7. The costs of the exercise of credit flexibility options are to be borne solely by the student and/or his/her parents.

8. Additional considerations for the students include the following:

• If a student transfers from another district and has not completed credit approved by the previous district, the application will be considered a new application for credit.

• Credits completed in another district before transfer to FHHS will count as graduation credits or elective credits as awarded by the previous district.

• Should a student transfer to another Ohio district, FHHS will, upon request, send a copy of approved Credit Flexibility Application to the new school for consideration.

• If a student is not able to complete an approved an approved Credit Flex plan due to illness, the principal may extend the time allowed or revise the requirements. A medical excuse will be required.

• Student-athletes should be aware that there may be issues with both the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding the special nature of Credit Flexibility options. Student-Athletes should maintain at least three traditional classes as usual in order to be eligible for high school athletics. Additionally, any student-athlete with ambitions of playing collegiate athletics should NOT consider the Credit Flexibility Option for core requirements for the NCAA Clearinghouse.

• The district is required to communicate the aspects of the credit flexibility policy and plan to students and parents on an on-going basis.  

Recording Credit:

           Students will be given credit on their transcript for the course taken through Flex Credit. There will not be any special notation made on the course.

Program Review:

           Annually information will be collected on the number of students participating in the program. Additionally, how the program is communicated to parents will be assessed.