Academic Information

Grading Policy

A standard percentage scale is used school-wide:

 93% - 100% = A  (4.00) EXCELLENT
 90% - 92%   = A- (4.00) 
 87% - 89%   = B+ (3.00)
 83% - 86%   = B   (3.00) ABOVE AVERAGE
 80% - 82%   = B-  (3.00)
 77% - 79%   = C+ (2.00) 
 73% - 76%   = C   (2.00) AVERAGE
 70% - 72%   = C-  (2.00) 
 67% - 69%   = D+ (1.00)
 63% - 66%   = D   (1.00) BELOW AVERAGE
 60% - 62%   = D-  (1.00) 
 59% and BELOW = F (0.00) FAILURE

Grades earned in all high school Honors or Advanced Placement courses will receive an extra full grade point bump when calculated into the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). This point bump will apply, however, only to grades of C or better.

Grades of ‘D’ or ‘F’ made up at Grace are averaged into the cumulative GPA. For eligibility consideration, the full grade (not the average) will be considered when calculating the GPA.

Final Examinations

Comprehensive finals are given at the end of each semester. The final may be worth no less than 10% and no more than 20% of the student’s overall grade. A special exam schedule for final examinations will be published near the end of each semester. Seniors and 8th-grade students take second-semester finals early.

ALL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS MUST BE CURRENT FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE FINAL EXAMS AT THE END OF EITHER SEMESTER.

Grading Periods

Grading periods are five to seven weeks each and serve to advise in areas of probation and ineligibility. Permanent transcript grades are sent home at the end of each semester. The report card will not include a conduct grade but will include attendance information as well as comments from teachers. Eligibility for school athletics and other co-curricular activities is determined by each grading period. For more information on student, eligibility see the Probation and Ineligibility section of this Parent/Student Handbook.

All courses which have been marked as ‘incomplete’ must be completed within the communicated timeline or a grade of ‘F’ will be entered.

Class Standing

Class standing will be based on the total number of credits successfully achieved.

1. To be eligible for sophomore status and activities, a student must have completed 70 credits at the end of freshman year.
2. To be eligible for junior status and activities, a student must have completed 140 credits at the end of sophomore year.
3. To be eligible for senior status and activities, a student must have completed 210 credits at the end of junior year.

Students who are unable to matriculate to the next grade level due to poor grades and insufficient credits must make up all necessary coursework over the summer. If a student is unable to complete the credits necessary for matriculation, a meeting will be scheduled with the student, parents, Academic Advisor, and the Principal to determine if the student will be eligible to return to Grace in the fall.

To advance in any Math or Foreign Language course, students must have earned at least a C- or better both semesters. If this is not the case, students will be required to repeat these courses in summer school.

Tutoring

• Teachers are available for extra help after school from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.  Please let the instructor know ahead of time and they will be there to assist.  In addition to this, we offer subject-specific tutoring labs in both math and writing.
• Peer tutoring is offered twice per week for all levels of math.  This highly productive environment is overseen by staff and is an opportunity for your students to get one-on-one assistance in math from either an instructor or an upperclassman.  It is offered twice per week from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.  Days and locations will be announced at the start of the year.
• The Writing Center is a place that is open twice per week from 2:30 to 3:30 pm as well. Here, students can bring an essay or another major writing assignment they are working on and get professional assistance from either an instructor or an upperclassman.   Days and locations will be announced at the start of the year.

Course Selections

Course selections will occur in the spring of each year for the following school year. It is important to note that every effort is made to accommodate a student’s desired course selections. However, in some cases, students may not receive all the courses they choose.

AP, Honors, and Advanced Level Courses

AP, Honors, and Advanced Level Courses are intended to challenge a student beyond the already difficult level of College Preparation. Students who wish to challenge themselves in these courses must accept full responsibility for the rigorous educational demands.

Students are responsible for checking to ensure they meet the prerequisites for these courses before signing up. Students must meet the prerequisite standards to take advanced-level courses.

Grades earned in all high school Honors or Advanced Placement courses will receive an extra full grade point bump when calculated into the cumulative GPA. This point bump will apply, however, only to grades of C or better.

Advanced Placement (AP) Tests: AP tests are taken in an attempt to receive college credit for work completed in high school and to demonstrate proficiency in subject matter to accentuate a student’s college acceptance potential. College credit will depend upon the score received on the tests as well as the requirements set forth by individual colleges. These tests are administered by Grace School.

Class Withdrawal/Changes

Students may drop/add courses until the end of the second full week of each semester. Legitimate requests to drop or add courses during this period may be initiated at the request of the student, parent, teacher, or administrator. Proper paperwork must be filled out and approved by the Guidance Counselor before a change is made. This paperwork can be found in the Student Services Center. Withdrawing after the first week of school, and before the end of the seventh week, will result in a ‘W’ on your child’s permanent transcript. However, the ‘W’ notation will not affect the student’s cumulative GPA. Withdrawal after the seventh week of the semester will result in a ‘W/F’ grade, which will affect the student’s cumulative GPA. All class changes require a parent’s signature and the Guidance Counselor's approval. All schedule changes are subject to appropriate prerequisites and schedule accommodations.

As a College Preparatory school, Grace encourages students to consider four-year colleges and/or universities upon graduation from high school. Because of this, students and parents are highly encouraged to seek college counseling early on in their high school careers.

For a list of recommended college resources, click here. 

Grace contracts with online textbook vendor  BNC-12, which is owned by Barnes & Nobles, for all textbook purchases. Details about how to order books, as well as which textbooks will be required next year, may be found at https://bnck-12.com/gracebrethren. 

Credits for PE are not repeatable. 
Transcripts of transfer students will be evaluated and approved by Administration.

Seniors MUST be enrolled in a minimum of six (6) courses each semester; however, a full course load of seven (7) classes is highly recommended. Students who do not have a 2.6 cumulative GPA or higher and a minimum of 210 units at the start of their senior year are not eligible for a free period.

To participate in the Graduation Ceremony and/or receive a Grace high school diploma, seniors must meet the following requirements:

1. Complete all academic requirements and accumulate the 270 credits necessary for graduation.
2. Have all financial obligations to the school paid in full.*
3. Have a satisfactory disciplinary record.
4. Have a minimum GPA of 2.0 with no more than three (3) semester F’s in his/her 4-year high school career**

*Any petition for special arrangements regarding financial obligations must be made to the Head of School.

**Any student failing to meet these academic or disciplinary requirements may petition the principal for inclusion in the graduation ceremony. Diplomas, however, will not be conferred until all academic requirements are met.

To receive a promotion certificate, 8th-grade students must complete all academic requirements necessary for promotion (as outlined above) as well as the following:

1. Have all financial obligations to the school paid in full.
2. Have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all core classes.
3. Have no more than 3 semesters of Fs in their 2 years of junior high.**
4. Have a satisfactory disciplinary record.

**Any student receiving an average grade of F in any core subject for the semester must attend summer school before promotion to the 9th grade. The student must be enrolled in the summer school program to meet this deficiency to participate in the promotion ceremony.

Inclusion on the Honor Roll is based on the student’s weighted grade point average (GPA) for the semester just completed.

Laureate - 4.00 Average with all A's at 90% or above
Highest Honors - 4.00 Average and above
High Honors - 3.67 - 3.99 Average
Honors - 3.00 - 3.66 Average

Students with a D or F in any subject for the semester are excluded from the Honor Roll.

Honor Roll recipients are honored twice per year at an awards chapel. Parents are welcome to attend these events and will be notified of their occurrences.

Honor graduates are students who earn the requisite cumulative GPA over all four (4) semesters of junior high or all eight (8) semesters of high school.

Students are required to have a 2.0 or above cumulative GPA to graduate from Grace. If a student’s semester GPA falls below 2.0 at the end of any grading period, the student will be placed on Academic Probation for the following grading period.

Additionally, any student who has an F on their report card could also be placed on Academic Probation, regardless of his/her GPA, at the discretion of the Principal. While on Academic Probation, students may continue to participate in athletic and co-curricular school activities.

Should the student have below a 2.0 GPA at the next grading period, he/she will become academically ineligible. Ineligible students may not participate in either athletic events (including practices in season) or co-curricular activities (such as drama, music, leadership, clubs, or field trips). Students will remain academically ineligible until their GPA is brought to 2.0 or above at the next grading period. Parents will receive formal, written notice of all such academic standings.

All probationary and ineligibility guidelines meet or exceed those as put forth by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

Should a student become ineligible in the last grading period of the year, summer school at Grace may be used as a grading period to rescind this ineligibility. Should Grace not offer the required course over the summer, outside coursework will be considered.

Iowa Tests: A standardized test given annually to 7th graders to help identify the student’s level of achievement.

PSAT 8/9: The preliminary aptitute test is administered to all 8th and 9th graders in the Fall. This tests helps students and the school identify areas of strength and needed improvement.

PSAT/NMSQT: The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is given annually by the school each October. Sophomores and Juniors are required to take this test. The results provide students with information on their potential performance on college entrance exams. This is the only qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship program which offers recognition and scholarships for high achievement.

SAT and ACT Tests: The SAT and ACTs are national aptitude tests that are required by most four-year colleges for entrance. Registration forms and information are available in the Student Services Office. These tests are administered on various Saturdays during the year at a variety of test sites. It is recommended that these tests be taken in the fall and spring of the junior year and the fall of the senior year.

Student Records

Student school records are kept in the school office. According to the California State Department of Education:

• Parents of currently enrolled or former pupils have an absolute right to access all pupil records related to their children, which are maintained by school districts or private schools. The editing or withholding of any such records, except as [specifically] provided for [by law], is prohibited. (Section 49069)
• Parents who wish to view their student’s school records must make an appointment with a school administrator to view those records.
• It is the policy of Grace School that student discipline records never be issued to any individual other than the parent or guardian.
• Official transcript requests need to be made in writing to the registrar. Grace graduating seniors who are applying for colleges and/or universities will receive official transcripts for every school to which they apply. Please allow 48 hours, during the school week, to fulfill requests.

 

Grace is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). It is also a member of the approved Secondary Schools of the University of California.