Perry High School in collaboration with the Academic Boosters will award Academic Letters to students who meet specific requirements. We desire to have students achieve at a high level in the classroom (GPA) and participate on teams and groups outside of the traditional school day (Extracurriculars).
Requirements for Consideration
- Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.75 (weighted) or higher for the school year. This calculation is based on the final course grade of every course attempted.
-AND- - Active member of one of the following: Robotics, Battle Bots, Science Olympiad, Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, National Honor Society, and Fall Play/Spring Musical. Each coach/supervisor of the group will establish the expectations for practices and competitions.
Awards
1st Time Award Winner: Academic Letter
Other Winners: Metal bar to attach to letter
AP Courses could be offered on a rotating basis. See your school counselor to determine course availability.
What is the Advanced Placement Program?
The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program is an opportunity for students to pursue college-level studies while still in secondary school and to receive advanced placement, credit, or both, in college. By challenging and stimulating students, the AP Program provides access to high quality education, accelerates learning, rewards achievement, and enhances both high school and college programs.
Students can benefit from taking AP courses by learning a subject in greater depth, developing skills that will be critically important to successful study in college, and demonstrating to colleges their willingness to undertake a challenging course.
Who Benefits?
The AP Program benefits students in many different ways. Perry High School currently ranks in the top 10% in the state of Ohio in regard to participation rate. PHS students are encouraged to seek rigorous course work as they prepare for future endeavors. Here are a few examples:
- Students demonstrate scholarship on national and international academic levels. Taking an AP Examination enables students to compare their knowledge and understanding of a college-level subject with the high academic standards established by college faculty. The challenge of conquering these national and international standards gives students a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Students who plan to attend a university outside the United States may also be eligible to receive the Advanced Placement International Diploma for Overseas Study, which is recognized by universities throughout the world.
- Students study in greater depth. Students who take AP courses are able to learn a subject in depth, develop analytical reasoning skills, and form disciplined study habits that can contribute to continued success at the college level.
- Students improve their chances of being accepted by the college of their choice. College admissions personnel view AP experience as one indicator of future success at the college level. Successful performance in a college-level AP course is, therefore, a great advantage to a student who wishes to attend a highly selective college.
- Students are often exempted from introductory courses at college. Course exemption gives students time to broaden their college experience by exploring additional subject areas, participating in internships, and studying abroad, for example.
- Students may be granted sophomore standing. Students who earn satisfactory grades on enough AP Exams may be granted a full year’s credit by their college or university.
- Students are eligible to earn AP Scholar Awards. The AP Program offers several prestigious awards to recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement on specified numbers of AP Exams.
For more information on the benefits of the AP Program, please visit the College Board website: http://www.collegeboard.com/html/ap/docs/Choose-AP-Brochure.pdf
Advanced Placement Program Details
Auburn Career Center offers educational opportunities that focus on the acquisition of skills within a career cluster to students from Berkshire, Cardinal, Chardon, Fairport, Harvey, Kenston, Kirtland, Madison, Newbury, Perry, and Riverside high schools. Students may apply to ACC during their freshman or sophomore year. Career & Technical or College Tech Prep are the two pathways offered at ACC. College credit may be earned in the College Tech Prep Pathway. Students may continue their education at a (two-year or four-year) college or technical school or opt to enter the workforce directly following high school graduation. Acceptance at ACC is based on:
- Student’s interest area (Individual Career Plan)
- Credits and grades earned at (your school)
- Parental approval
- ACC approval
PHS students should have successfully completed the following courses by the end of their freshman year:
1 – English, 1 – Math, 1 – Science, 1 – Social Studies
PHS Students should have successfully completed the following courses by the end of their sophomore year:
2 – English, 2 – Math, 2 – Science, 2 – Social Studies
Students enrolled in courses at Auburn must enroll for their required academic classes at Perry High School. Bus transportation is provided to Auburn Career Center for all career/technical students.
Classes at Perry High School are scheduled by blocks. Each class is approximately 85 minutes in length and continues for one semester. Students can earn 8 credits each year and need 24 credits to graduate from Perry High School.
Block 4 is divided into parts “a” & “b”. Students may have a class shorter in length during 4th block (called a “skinny” class). If a student takes Band only or Choir only, they typically register for another skinny class.
Student(s) of Excellence and Student(s) of Distinction
Special Note:
A committee of students, parents, and staff members reconvened in the fall of 2017 to review and make recommendations for future changes.
After much discussion and consideration, the committee was able to find a solution that we believe will work to promote high standards, rigor, college/career/military preparedness, achievement and collaboration. Perry is not alone in trying to solve certain issues as many schools have moved to completely removing recognition of high achieving students. Maintaining recognition of high achieving students was a major focus of the committee.
Student(s) of Excellence:
A student must meet the following 3 benchmarks:
- Earn 35 Total Credits (includes high school credit earned at the middle school level).
- Successfully complete 10 AP or Weighted College Credit Plus Courses (CCP). This can be a combination of AP and Weighted CCP courses (example: A student can take 5 AP Courses and 5 weighted CCP courses and meet this benchmark).
- Achieve a 3.9 unweighted GPA or higher (calculated based on the courses taken as of the first day of summer following the successful completion of 8th grade).
Student(s) of Distinction:
A student must meet the following 3 benchmarks:
- Earn 33 Total Credits (includes high school credits earned at the middle school level).
- Successfully complete 7 AP or Weighted College Credit Plus Courses (CCP). This can be a combination of AP and Weighted CCP courses (example: A student can take 4 AP Courses and 3 weighted CCP courses and meet this benchmark).
- Achieve a 3.8 unweighted GPA or higher (calculated based on the courses taken as of the first day of summer following the successful completion of 8th grade).
GPA Determination
Starting with the class of 2020, Perry High School will not publish class rank. This was the recommendation of a committee based decision due to the potential detrimental impact it could have on students ranked outside of the top 10. (For example: a student could have a 4.2 GPA, but be ranked #30 in the class based on the competition level from class to class).
NOTE:
- Completed Advanced Placement (AP) year-long courses will be awarded an additional one (1) point towards the 7 total AP/CCP courses.
- Community Service will not count towards the total credit benchmark.
For all High School Students:
| Non-weighted Courses | AP (weighted) Courses | Honors (weighted) Courses |
|---|---|---|
| A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 F = 0 |
A = 5 B = 4 C = 3 D = 1 F = 0 |
A = 4.5 B = 3.5 C = 2.5 D = 1 F = 0 |
These values are for full credit courses. For example, an A in a half credit class would be worth only 2 points.
Class Advancement
Generally, credit requirements for class standing are as follows:
| Freshman | 0 - 5.5 |
|---|---|
| Sophomore | 6 - 11.5 |
| Junior | 12 - 17.5 |
| Senior | 18+ |
Any student earning a final cumulative grade point average (GPA) shall receive academic honor recognition at commencement as follows:
| Cum Laude | GPA ranging between 3.300–3.499 | |
|---|---|---|
| Magna Cum Laude | GPA ranging between 3.500–3.790 | |
| Summa Cum Laude | GPA ranging between 3.800–or higher |
Perry High School is chartered and approved by the Department of Education of the State of Ohio. Perry High School offers courses that will meet the entrance requirements of most universities and colleges in the United States. It is suggested that students’ study the entrance requirements of the college they expect to attend and plan courses accordingly.
When colleges consider an applicant, they are concerned with the overall qualifications of the student. Emphasis is placed on such things as high school preparation (grades, extracurricular activities, and course rigor), scores on college entrance examinations, high school and community activities and recommendations of the high school principal, counselor, or teacher.
Perry School Counseling Statement of Philosophy
We believe:
- All students can achieve to their highest potential.
- All students are entitled to an opportunity to succeed in an individualized, stimulating and supportive environment.
- Differences exist in personal styles: learning, teaching, and parenting. We need to identify, recognize and honor these differences while still holding all accountable to high levels of performance.
- All students should have access to high quality guidance services which include academic, career, personal/social development.
- The guidance program has a primary responsibility of being an integral part of the academic, social/emotional, career development of every student through a collaborative, supportive and systematic program.
- The guidance program needs to be responsive to the ever-changing needs of the students being served.
The Perry school counseling program will:
- Provide by state credentialed school counselors, proactive, preventative guidance services in the areas of academic, career, personal/social while still meeting the immediate needs of students.
- Focus on what all students should know, understand and be able to do in the three domain areas: academic, career and personal/social.
- Be supportive of our district mission and goal.
- Be equally accessible to all students K-12.
- Be delivered in a systematic fashion to all students.
- Be an integral component of the school.
All school counselors in Perry will:
- Be advocates for students.
- Abide by the professional school counseling ethics as advocated by the American School Counselor Association.
- Participate in professional development activities essential to maintain a quality school counseling program.
All school counselors at Perry High School will:
- Assist all students in developing a four-year plan to prepare for educational and career options after graduation from Perry High School.
- Assist all students in developing schedules that balance their course requests.
- Be available for counseling services in the three domains outlined by ASCA – Academic, Career, and Personal/Social – and will be ready to refer students to other services when necessary, such as Crossroads.
- Facilitate groups to assist students with their needs to ensure academic success.
- Work with all students to develop post high school plans.
- Provide information regarding testing: Pre-ACT, ACT, PSAT, SAT, AP and end of course exams.
- Facilitate Classroom Guidance lessons on various topics based on students social/emotional, academic and college career planning needs.
- Assist students with transitions including from middle school to high school, new students into the Perry district, and preparation for the transition out of high school.
- Meet with students during the school day from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., or by appointment. Schedules are subject to change based on student and staffing needs.
For a student to receive credit for a course, they must remain in the course for its entire length and receive a final grade of “D” or better. Partial credit will not be granted for unfinished courses, except in unusual circumstances which will require the principal’s approval.
High School Graduation Requirements Note: requirements vary class to class.
*Students must complete at least two semesters of fine arts taken any time in grades 7-8 to earn a fine art waiver. Students following a career-technical pathway are exempted from the fine arts requirement.
**Required for class of 2026 and beyond per the State of Ohio.
- Any courses taken prior to 9th grade for high school credit will not be considered in the GPA. Upon passing, course credit will be given on the high school transcript. A student has the option to retake a course in high school to improve the transcript grade and middle grade will be removed.
- Students who do not complete all graduation requirements will not be permitted to participate in commencement exercises.
High school students can gain state recognition for exceeding Ohio’s graduation requirements through an honors diploma. Students challenge themselves by taking and succeeding at high-level coursework and in real-world experiences.
All students identified with a disability and have and Individualized Education Program (IEP) are provided supports in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as stated on the IEP. Support to the students is facilitated primarily by the intervention specialists, but all teachers are involved in providing the appropriate goals, accommodations and modifications needed to ensure student progress and achievement.
ICE has been designed to provide all students with the tools they need to be successful in high school and beyond. This support comes in the form of direct academic intervention and enrichment in addition to goal setting and career exploration through Scoir & YouScience. ICE allows for flexibility in intervention, increases classroom instructional time, and promotes student accountability. College representatives and career speakers are also scheduled during ICE.
Ohio SB 311 provides for the issuance of academic credit based on demonstrated student competency and knowledge, instead of or in combination with completing hours of classroom instruction. This allows students to: show what they know and move on to content they are ready to learn; and learn subject matter for credit in ways not limited solely to seat time and the walls of a school building. Students may earn credits by: Completing coursework; Testing out of or demonstrating mastery of course content; or pursuing one or more “educational options” (for example, distance learning, educational travel, independent study, an internship, music, arts, after-school/tutorial program, community service or other engagement projects and sports). *Applies only to students earning high school credit. Elements of the plan include: Any student capable of meeting the conditions necessary to earn credit flexibility will be eligible under this provision; schools and students will pre-identify and agree on the learning outcomes and measures of success; teachers could use a multi-disciplinary team, a professional panel or a performance-based assessment to determine what learning has occurred; credits earned through this alternative means will be reflected on students’ high school transcripts, like any other class; The Board of Education will adopt the local policy for flexible credit and communicate this provision annually to parents and students; The Ohio Department of Education will work with school districts to build system capacity; the state will encourage the development of regional learning opportunities tied to local economic development; and Web communications featuring research and support for interested parties will be established.
Some online course offerings are available to students. Students may take an online course based on the criteria listed below. The course is selected based on the following:
- Enrichment - This includes an AP course that Perry High School does not currently offer or a course within a career field that a student would like to explore.
- Credit Recovery - A student has previously failed a traditional course and is not on pace to graduate with his or her cohort.
- Scheduling Conflict - A student needs a specific course to graduate but cannot fit the course into his/her schedule. This does not include a conflict with late arrival or early release.
- Online Health is offered in the summer.
Response to Intervention (RtI) is a multi-step approach to provide intervention supports for students to achieve at higher levels. At Perry, we believe when students struggle to achieve it typically is result of supports needed in one or more of the following areas: (1) academics, (2) social-emotionally, and/or (3) personal interests/career planning. A team approach can be powerful in supporting individual students so it is important that students, parents, teachers, or support staff contact teachers for academic intervention and contact guidance for social/emotional and career planning supports. To support academics, teachers provide instruction and interventions at increasing levels of intensity and monitor student progress in order to plan next instructional needs. Another area involves social-emotional success to include access to guidance, social workers, and/or mental health resources.
This Registration Guide has been approved by the Perry Local Schools Board of Education and is subject to updating with Superintendent approval as new information becomes available.
Class registration begins in February. An information session will be held in the evening for all high school students and their parents to learn more about graduation requirements, course offerings, and the technical aspect of the registration process. In addition, the high school counselors will present to the 8th grade classes to ensure they understand the process as a first time registrant. Every student is encouraged to meet with their counselor and consult with their teachers about their course choices based on their future plans for careers and/or continued education. Students will register for their courses through the Student Infinite Campus Portal. Students must pick 12 courses: 8 regular and 4 alternates. There will be no schedule changes once requests have been processed. Students and parents should select courses based on individual need and plans. The registration process closes at the end of February. The master schedule is developed based on student requests and it is the goal of the high school administration and counselors to issue schedules prior to summer break.
Things to consider when proceeding with a course change request:
- Does the student still meet the minimum course load requirement?
a. 9th and 10th grade must take at least four (4) courses per semester.
b. 11th and 12th grade must take at least three (3) courses per semester. - Does dropping this course have an adverse effect on graduation requirements?
- Does dropping this course affect eligibility for an honors diploma, Students of Distinction, Students of Excellence and/or athletic eligibility?
A course drop may occur within the first seven (7) days of a semester without notation of appearing on the student’s record. One of the following criteria must be met to have a schedule change:
- If a student wants to move up a level (e.g., Honors English III to AP English III).
- If a student’s schedule has an error.
- Successful completion of summer school courses.
- Failure of a prerequisite course.
- College Credit Plus option.
- Schedule overload.
A student may withdraw only if they have met one of the seven (7) criteria above. If a student wishes to drop a course after the first seven (7) days of a semester, a student must complete a withdraw form, which requires signatures from the teacher, parent/guardian, and school counselor. A meeting may take place involving the student, parent (s), teacher, and counselor to discuss and review what is in the best interest of the student. Any withdrawal after the first seven (7) days will be noted with a W/current grade (W/A, W/B, etc.) appearing on the student’s transcript. Any withdrawal after the first six (6) weeks may be noted with a W/F appearing on the student’s transcript.
Students requesting a schedule change should do so within the first seven days of the semester. Students must continue to attend the current schedule until final approval is made.
The transcript provides academic information to educational institutions and outside organizations regarding high school level courses. Any course attempted resulting in high school credit will appear on the Perry High School transcript.
When courses are transferred in from another high school, the following will take place:
- If the course has been completed, we will place the course on the transcript and report the grade provided to us through official documentation.
- If a course has not been 100% completed and credit has been granted by the previous school, the student will receive a pass/fail placed on their transcript for that specific course.
- Incoming courses will be weighted appropriately to match the Perry High School grading scale.