Policy
Awarding Units and Transferring Credit
Descriptor Code: JBC(4)
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Definitions:
1. Accredited School – an elementary, middle or secondary school accredited by or
holding provisional status from the Georgia Accrediting Commission, the Georgia
Association of Christian Schools, the Association of Christian Schools International, the
Accrediting Commission for Independent Study, the Southern Association of
Independent Schools and/or one of the accrediting agencies that is a member of the
Georgia Private School Accreditation Council, and/or one of the following regional
accrediting agencies.
a. Middle States Commission on Secondary School of Colleges and Schools (MSA)
b. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
c. New York Board of Regents
d. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
e. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC)
f. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
g. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
h. The Alabama Independent School Association, and
i. Schools outside the State of Georgia which have been certified by the particular
state’s State Department of Education as an accredited school.
The term Accredited School does not include entities that are accredited as home study
programs or non-traditional educational centers.
2. End of Course EOCT EOC – Assessments administered at the completion of core high
school courses specified by the State Board of Education to measure student
achievement in the four content areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science,
and Social Studies.
3. Home Study Program – an educational choice option conducted in Georgia in
accordance with O.C.G.A 20-2-690© or conducted in another state in accordance with
the laws applicable to that state.
4. Non-traditional Educational Center – educational institutions that support home
study programs or other independent learning initiatives. This term does not include
alternative/non-traditional education programs operated by local boards of education.
5. Private School – an educational choice option conducted in Georgia in accordance
with O.C.G.A. 20-2-690(b) or conducted in another state in accordance with the laws
applicable to that state.
6. Subject Area Competency – a unit of high school credit awarded to students base on
subject area competency as demonstrated by a pre-defined score on a state-adopted or
approved assessment instruments, instead of or in combination with the completion of
courses through traditional classroom instructional minutes.
7. Unit of Credit – evidence of course completion as demonstrated by a final course
grade of 70 or higher on a numerical scale; or competency-based course credit as
demonstrated by a pre-defined score on a state-adopted or approved assessment
instrument.
8. Validation – the process of verifying credits earned.
Applicability
In accordance with the State Board of Education, Forsyth County Board of Education will
apply the requirements of this rule to all students regardless of the date in which they
first entered ninth grade.
Requirements for Granting Credit:
Students entering the Forsyth County School System from accredited and nonaccredited public and private schools, including home study programs or schools, will be
awarded credit for previous study and placed at the appropriate grade level based upon
the following criteria:
1. STUDENTS ENTERING FROM ACCREDITED PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Elementary and middle school students transferring to the Forsyth County School
System from an accredited public or private school as defined above will be
accepted and placed at the appropriate grade level in the Forsyth County School
System according to the student’s age and/or grade level at the former school.
a. High school students transferring to the Forsyth County School System from an
accredited public or private school will receive credit for courses taken at the former
school as recorded on the transcript(s) from the issuing school or schools.
b. Letter grades from transferred courses will be converted to a numerical grade using the
Forsyth County School System’s conversion formula set forth in the Administrative
Procedures IHA.
c. High school students who transfer from accredited schools must also pass state required
high school assessments and meet State of Georgia’s and Forsyth County School
System’s graduation requirements before a diploma will be issued.
d. Local boards of education may award units of credit for courses offered in the middle
grades that are based on the state-adopted curriculum for grades 9-12 approved by
the State Board of Education.
2. STUDENTS FROM NON-ACCREDITED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Students requesting admission into the Forsyth County Elementary and Middle
Schools from non-accredited public or private schools, including home schools,
will be evaluated for grade placement based upon the following criteria:
a. State and local board of education policy requirements relating to entrance into
kindergarten or first grade.
b. Performance on standardized tests and/or instructional placement tests in language
arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
c. Grade level placement and performance in the non-accredited school or program.
d. Chronological age verified by certified documents, physical size, social and emotional
maturity levels of the particular student.
After reviewing the above criteria, the principal of the school shall place the student in
the appropriate grade level. A review of the placement will be conducted after six weeks
to determine the final placement.
3.
STUDENTS ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL FROM NON-ACCREDITED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
HIGH SCHOOLS
a. Students requesting admission into a high school in the Forsyth County
School System from private or public non-accredited schools or programs,
including home schools, shall be awarded units of credit in the areas of
language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics for previous course
work based upon a review of the course materials and based upon the
student’s performance on standardized and/or instructional placement tests
or by scholastic performance.
b.
For students entering from a home school, whether the home school met the
requirements of O.C.G.A. §20-2-690 during the period of its operation may
be considered in the school system’s decision to award units.
c.
Students from public and private non-accredited schools, including home
schools, must meet State of Georgia and Forsyth County School System’s
graduation requirements before a diploma will be issued.
d. Grades for courses from non-accredited public or private schools, including
home schools, for which the student receives credit from the Forsyth County
School System shall be recorded as a number grade, but will not be averaged
with grades received from courses taken in the Forsyth County School
System. The number grade will be based on the student’s performance on
standardized and/or academic placement tests.
Awarding Units of Credit for Dual Enrollment Courses
Forsyth County Board of Education will award units of credits to students for high school
courses taken through postsecondary institutions as described in the State Board of
Education Rule 160-4-2.34.
Awarding Units of Credit for Career, Technical and Agricultural Education
(CTAE) courses with Embedded Academic Core Standards
1.
Local boards of education shall award course credit for the career, technical, or
agricultural education course and course credit for the associated academic core
course to students who successfully complete a course or course sequence in
career, technical, or agricultural study that includes embedded standards from
an academic core subject area as adopted by the State Board of Education.
2.
A student shall not earn more than three units of credit for academic core
courses by completing career, technical, or agricultural courses that include
embedded standards from an academic core subject area.
3.
Units of credit earned through courses in career, technical, or agricultural study
that contain embedded standards from an academic core subject area shall be
awarded as outlined in the Georgia Department of Education’s Guidance for
Awarding High School Credit.
4.
Local boards of education shall administer the appropriate EOCT EOC to a
student taking a career, technical, or agricultural education course with
embedded academic core courses of an area for which a EOCT
EOC has been adopted unless the student has already passed such EOCT EOC
Awarding Units of Credit for Mathematics Courses for Students Receiving
Special Education Services Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).
1. In addition to provisions of this rule, local boards of education shall award units of
credit for mathematics courses that will satisfy the mathematics course requirements in
State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2.48 to a student receiving special education
services under IDEA if the student meets all of the following:
a.
Prior to the student entering the ninth grade, the student’s
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team identified the student had a
disability that affected mathematics achievement.
b.
The student successfully earns course credit, in accordance with this
rule, for Mathematics I and Mathematics II or GPS Algebra and GPS
Geometry or CCGPS Coordinate Algebra and CCGPS Analytic Geometry;
and
c.
The student successfully earns course credit, in accordance with this
rule for at least two other state-approved mathematics courses, which
may include, but not be limited to, Mathematics Support courses.
2. Local boards of education shall inform parents and students that students who
do not complete Mathematics III, GPS Advanced Algebra, or CCGPS Advanced
Algebra may not meet the mathematics admission requirements for entry into a
University System of Georgia institution or other post-secondary institution
without additional coursework.
3. The IEP Team for students who receive Mathematics course credit in accordance
with this section shall document that:
a. The student’s disability has precluded the student from achieving gradelevel proficiency, as demonstrated by the student’s pattern of
performance on the state-mandated test in the area of Mathematics;
b. The student’s progress to date in response to appropriate instruction,
including special education and related services designed to address
the student’s individual needs, is such that, even if significant growth
occurs, the IEP team is reasonably certain that the student will not
successfully master the standards in Mathematics III, GPS Advanced
Algebra, or CCGPS Advanced Algebra, which could include students
enrolling in a single advanced mathematics course and receiving
instruction over two years. Additionally, the determination of the
student’s progress has been based on multiple measurements that are
valid for the content area of mathematics and that have been collected
over a period of time; and
c. The student has access to instruction in the state-adopted curriculum
and will be required to successfully complete Mathematics I and
Mathematics II or GPS Algebra and GPS Geometry or CCGPS
Coordinate Algebra and CCGPS Analytic Geometry in addition to
participating and earning credit in two additional state-approved
mathematics courses, which could include students enrolling in a single
advanced mathematics course and receiving instruction over two
years. The student’s IEP includes goals that are related to
mathematics, support access to the content standards, and are
designed to promote the student’s progress in the content area stateadopted curriculum.
Subject Area Competency to Receive Course Credit
Forsyth County Board of Education will award a unit of credit to a student when the
student successfully demonstrates subject area competency by scoring at the “Exceeds”
level on EOC prior to taking the course.
Students attempting to test-out must have parent permission and their parents shall be
informed of potential costs prior to the EOCT administration. The cost of EOCT
administration shall be paid by the parent or student. Course credit earned through
testing-out shall be reported in the same way as credit earned through course
completion.
Students may earn no more than three units of credit by demonstrating subject area
competency.
EOC Assessment Administration to Transfer Students
1. Local boards of education shall administer the EOC to students enrolled in a
Georgia public school while also enrolled in a private school, home study
program, or non-traditional educational center for which they receive graduation
credit for one of the required EOC courses. These students must take the EOC
regardless of the private school, home study program, or non-traditional
educational center’s accreditation status.
2. Local boards of education shall not require students who enroll from accredited
schools to take and pass the EOC to receive credit for a EOC course unless the
student was concurrently enrolled in a Georgia public school while taking the
course at an accredited private school.
3. Local boards of education shall require students who enroll from non-accredited
private schools, home study programs, or other non-traditional educational
centers to take and pass the EOC with a minimum of 70 grade conversion score
to receive credit for the course. A student enrolling from a non-accredited school
will receive one test administration opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in
order to earn credit for a course that requires the EOC. If the student does not
pass the EOC on that administration, the local board of education shall not grant
credit for that course. If the course is required to be eligible to receive a high
school diploma, the student shall enroll in the course and take the EOC at the
completion of the course
Educational Placement of Children in Military Families
Children of parents on active military duty, with few exceptions, should be placed based
on unofficial records and simultaneously request official records. A student's age may
not be a part of the placement decision if prerequisite requirements have been met in
another state. The system must honor placements determined by sending schools,
although nothing prohibits schools from conducting subsequent evaluations to ensure
appropriate placement and continued enrollment in any course. Schools must accept a
special power of attorney for enrollment purposes, may not charge tuition, and must
facilitate their participation in extracurricular activities and on-time graduation.
Right to Appeal
If a parent, legal guardian, or student disagrees with either the credit awarded or
denied for course work completed at a non-accredited public or private school, or a
home school, or with the grade placement selected, an appeal may be made to a school
committee designated by the Principal. The parent, legal guardian, or student has the
right to appeal the school committee’s decision to a committee appointed by the
Superintendent from an administrative pool. The Superintendent may approve or deny
the decisions made by the Administrative Committee. The decision of the
Superintendent is final.
Honor Graduates
The determination of honor graduates, as well as the selection of valedictorian and
salutatorian, shall be governed by the regulations set forth in the Administrative
Procedures IHF.
Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities
Eligibility and on track requirements to participate in extracurricular activities,
interscholastic athletics or any activity covered by local and state policy IDE and State
Board of Education Rule must be met by students entering or re-entering the Forsyth
County School System from public or private accredited or non-accredited schools. A
student whose records are incomplete or whose official records do not show semester
averages is ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for a full semester plus
any part thereof if entering the school district during a semester or grading period. For
high school students from non-accredited public or private schools, the school’s
principal must document on track credits based upon the units awarded as a result of
the review and testing process described above in Requirements for Granting Credit,
item 2.