| Paulding Exempted Village School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5460.01 - CREDIT FLEXIBILITY OPTIONS AND OPERATING PROCEDURES
Overview
Credit Flexibility options are designed for students who demonstrate the ability, interest and maturity to accept personal responsibility for their learning in (a) selected curricular area(s). The purpose of the credit flexibility option is to develop learners who identify their own learning objectives and implement a plan to attain those objectives outside of the traditional classroom. The policy provides for a personalized educational opportunity for all students to identify, attain and demonstrate mastery of content and skills (standards) to earn credit(s) for graduation. Students will be required to complete a
Flexible Credit Application and Plan in which they identify the educational goals, identify the Ohio Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to be demonstrated, identify the methods of instruction and learning activities, provide a timeline for completion and indicate the method of assessment, subject to approval of the District Credit Flexibility Committee. Students may work independently or with (a) credit flex partner(s).Credit Flexibility Options
| A. | Students may earn high school credits using any combination of the following methods: |
| 1. | Successfully completing traditional high school level courses for which one (1) credit shall be granted per 120 hours of class time; | ||
| 2. | Successfully completing an educational option plan as outlined in Educational Options, below; | ||
| 3. | Successfully completing a college level course for dual credit in accordance with the Board's policy on post-secondary enrollment options; (Policy 2271) |
| 4. | Successfully completing an online course offered by a provider approved by the High School Principal; | ||
| 5. | Successfully completing an examination, or other demonstration of mastery of CCSS, or a combination of these methods. |
| B. | The District shall not limit the number of credits earned by a student through demonstration of mastery or completion of educational options. | |
| C. | The District shall evaluate requests for early graduation in accordance with its policy on Academic Acceleration. (Policy 5464) However, the District shall not cap the total number of credits a student may earn, or compel a student who does not wish to do so to graduate after completing fewer than four (4) years of high school. | |
| D. | Students may earn credit in multiple content areas by successfully completing interdisciplinary educational options that address content standards in more than one (1) subject area. | |
| E. | The District shall not prohibit access to online programs, post-secondary options, or deny credit earned under credit flexibility options by students transferring to the District from another Ohio public or chartered non-public school. |
Educational Options
| A. | Responsibilities and Expectations |
| 1. | Educational options plans for students participating in extra-curricular activities governed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association shall include procedures for documenting ongoing participation and satisfactory progress on the part of the student for the purpose of satisfying academic eligibility requirements established in OHSAA bylaws. | ||
| 2. | The District reserves the right to reassign a student participating in an educational option to a traditional course or other placement at its discretion if the student fails to meet the standards for ongoing participation and satisfactory progress described in his/her educational options plan. | ||
| 3. | Educational options plans may include activities that occur outside of school, such as mentorships, internships, service learning, and educational travel. However, parents of student proposing educational options that include such activities may be required to sign a waiver holding the District harmless for any injuries or damages that occur in the course of a student's participation in an educational options activity outside District facilities and without staff supervision as a precondition of the District's approval of the plan. |
| a. | Students participating in field-based educational options-related activities (e.g. mentorships and internships with businesses and community organizations) shall be required to adhere to safety rules and standards of behavior and appearance appropriate for the activity setting. | |||
| b. | The District may suspend an approved educational option plan and reassign the student to another setting at its discretion if the host organization reports significant misconduct, tardiness, or absence on the part of the student. |
| B. | Students may appeal decisions regarding access to an educational option and/or standards established for awarding grades and credit for educational options by submitting an appeal to the principal or designee. |
| 1. | Appeals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of a building principal or assistant principal, a teacher in the relevant subject area not involved in the original decision, and a guidance counselor. For students with disabilities, the committee shall also include a director of special of education and/or a school psychologist. For gifted students, the committee shall also include a gifted coordinator or gifted intervention specialist working at the high school level. | ||
| 2. | The student filing the appeal and his/her parent(s) shall be given an opportunity to present concerns and recommendations to the committee. | ||
| 3. | Appeals shall be reviewed by the committee within fourteen (14) days from the date the appeal was submitted in writing. The decision of the committee shall be final unless overturned by the Superintendent or a directive resulting from an appeal filed with the Ohio Department of Education. |
Credit by Demonstration of Mastery
| A. | The District shall allow students the opportunity to earn credit by demonstrating mastery of the CCSS covered by any course offered by the District, and shall award a number of credits to students demonstrating mastery equal to the number of credits awarded to students who successfully complete the equivalent traditional course. | |
| B. | Students may demonstrate mastery by completing a comprehensive examination covering essential knowledge and skills addressed in an equivalent traditional course, or other demonstration of mastery of knowledge and skills addressed in an equivalent traditional course, or through a combination of these methods. |
| 1. | Tests used for this purpose shall be either comprehensive exams created for the traditional course (e.g. a course final exam), State-approved assessments (e.g. end-of-course exams), published assessment instruments covering relevant content approved by the Superintendent or designee, or a combination of these options. The District shall communicate to students how assessment instruments used will be scored and how the number of credits awarded and grade assigned will be determined based on scores earned, consistent with the District grading policy, before the assessment is administered. | ||
| 2. | The District may require a student to complete examinations in a proctored environment. | ||
| 3. | Rubrics shall be used for evaluating portfolios of student work. Criteria and scoring methods shall be shared with the student before the portfolio is assessed. Portfolios shall be evaluated by staff with expertise in the relevant content area. | ||
| 4. | After tests and/or portfolios are scored, the student shall be notified of the grade for which s/he would be eligible. The student will then be given the choice of accepting the credit and grade earned based on the assessment or completing a traditional course or other option approved by the District. The District shall not require a student to accept credit on a "pass/fail" basis. |
| C. | Students who wish to earn credit by testing out or demonstrating mastery without enrolling in a course should notify their guidance counselor by February 28th with a letter of intent and the proposal must be submitted by May 31st for a fall course. The deadline for a Spring Course is the letter of intent by November 24th and the proposal being submitted by December 1st. | |
| D. | Students who wish to test out or demonstrate mastery for credit during a course already under way shall submit a proposal for another educational option in which to participate for the duration of the course in which s/he was originally enrolled. | |
| E. | Students may appeal requirements and standards for the evaluation process by submitting an appeal to the principal or guidance counselor. |
| 1. | Appeals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of a building principal or assistant principal, a teacher in the relevant subject area not involved in the original decision, and a guidance counselor. For students with disabilities, the committee shall also include a director of special education and/or a school psychologist. For gifted students, the committee shall also include a gifted coordinator or gifted intervention specialist working at the high school level. | ||
| 2. | The student filing the appeal and his/her parent(s) shall be given an opportunity to present concerns and recommendations to the committee. | ||
| 3. | Appeals shall be reviewed by the committee within fourteen (14) days from the date the appeal was submitted in writing. The decision of the committee shall be final unless overturned by the Superintendent or a directive resulting from an appeal filed with the Ohio Department of Education. |
Credit Flexibility and Special Populations
| A. | Students with disabilities shall not be excluded from opportunities to earn credit through educational options or by demonstrations of mastery. Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities participating in educational options and online courses shall be provided consistent with student's Individual Education Plan and/or 504 Plan. | |
| B. | Educational options and opportunities to earn credit based on demonstration of mastery may be used in combination with other forms of academic acceleration described in the Board's policy on academic acceleration for advanced students (Policy 5410) and documented on the student's Written Acceleration Plan. |
Fees Associated with Educational Options, Online Courses, and Credit by Demonstration of Mastery
| A. | The District may require students to pay part or all of the cost of administering a commercial assessment instrument if that instrument is not normally administered free of charge to students participating in equivalent traditional courses. The District shall make every reasonable effort to provide a free or low cost assessment option to economically disadvantaged students requesting the opportunity to earn credit based on a demonstration of mastery. | |
| B. | The District may require parents of students participating in educational options not initiated by the District to pay fees not to exceed the actual cost of participation in that option, including any charges for: tuition and registration fees; books, assessments and materials not typically provided free of charge to students in traditional courses, and; travel costs if transportation is provided by the District. |
Communication Plan
| A. | Opportunities and requirements related to credit flexibility shall be publicized annually using multiple forms of media which may include any combination of the following: publication on the District's website, publication in the high school course catalogs, dissemination of information at parent and teacher conferences and other events open to parents, the District newsletter and in the minutes of the Board of Education. Copies of a publication describing opportunities and requirements related to credit flexibility shall also be made available to students, staff, and parents upon requests to the high school guidance counselors and principals. | |
| B. | The content of these publications shall be reviewed annually to ensure their completeness and accuracy by the Superintendent or designee. | |
| C. | The Superintendent or designee(s) shall maintain a cumulative database of approved educational options and standards for awarding grades and credits based on demonstrations of mastery to assist students, parents, and teachers with understanding available options and to help ensure equity and consistent standards of rigor beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. |
Data Collection and Reporting
The Superintendent or his/her designee(s) shall develop and implement procedures for monitoring and annually reporting to the Board and the Ohio Department of Education data regarding:
| A. | Methods and frequency of communicating credit flexibility information to students and parents; | |
| B. | The number of students participating in educational options and earning credit based on demonstration of mastery; | |
| C. | The total number of credits earned by students through successful completion of educational options and demonstrations of mastery; | |
| D. | The extent to which student participation in flexible credit options reflects the diversity of the student body as a whole. |
Adopted 6/29/10