Do you need more information about IB, National Honors Society, Course Information or Graduation Requirements?  Please read over the following topics:

• International Baccalaureate

• National Honors Society

• Testing Out of Courses

• Schedule Changes

• Minimum Number of Courses Required

• Repeating Courses/Retake Policy

• College Courses

• Reclassification

• Report Cards and Progress Reports

• Grading

• Honor Roll Recognition

International Baccalaureate

Honors sections of certain core courses in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies are offered at Hutchinson High School. These courses are intellectually demanding and require more preparation than other classes. Taking more than two honors courses at one time would be considered a demanding load and is recommended in most cases only for the most capable students.  Taking Honors and IB Courses will earn a bonus point of .0833 for each trimester completed with a grade of C- or better.  Bonus points are used in calculating a student's weighted GPA and class rank. Students interested in taking honors classes must apply in March, and if selected must agree to remain in the courses until they complete them. Selection is based on past academic achievement and teacher recommendation.

Students who earn a grade lower than a C- will not earn bonus points and those students who do not complete all trimesters of an Honors or IB Course will not earn bonus points for any portion of the class.

Hutchinson High School began the IB program during the 2004-05 school year. IB is a rigorous liberal arts curriculum designed for academically able students who have the potential to earn an IB Diploma by taking 6 IB exams, writing the extended essay, completing Theory of Knowledge and CAS requirements or who choose to take individual IB classes. To succeed in IB, students must be dedicated learners. Actual IB courses are taken during the Junior and Senior years; however, prerequisites must be met in the Freshman and Sophomore years. Students interested in the IB program need to go through the Honors Application process as per the deadline. IB examinations take place each May with results released in July. Any student enrolled in an IB course is required to sit for the exam. The exam fees are the responsibility of the student. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. A student may take a class or two or sit for the full diploma.

To prepare for the IB curriculum, students enter the 9th and 10th grade Pre-IB program, which includes the following courses:

    Two years of World and American literature and English composition
    Two years of mathematics (should include Algebra 2 and Statistics/
    Trigonometry)
    Two years of science (Honors Life, Earth, Biology)
    French 1 & 2 and Spanish 1 & 2
    Students may elect to take IB courses without working toward the full diploma and satisfactory scores will earn them IB certificates in the classes for which they sit for exams.

To be eligible for an IB diploma, students must complete the following:

    Coursework in 6 areas and pass externally graded exams
    Write an extended essay in one of the IB disciplines
    Complete Theory of Knowledge
    Engage in 150 hours of creativity, action and service activities

For more information, contact Todd Ray at rayt@usd308.com or 615-4153. See also the International Baccalaureate section on this website.

National Honors Society

National Honor Society is an organization that recognizes students who excel in scholarship, character, and service. Qualified students will have one opportunity to be considered. To be selected for membership, students must complete a "Selection Process Packet" intended to verify high standards of character, leadership, and service. These qualities are weighted as heavily as academic scholarship.

Students considered for selection in NHS must meet the following criteria:

• 3.60 unweighted GPA with credit in at least 16 trimesters of honors OR 3.80 unweighted GPA

• a minimum of 30 documented community service hours

These requirements must be met by the end of the 2nd trimester of their junior year.

Students meeting the above criteria will receive a notice to pick up a "Selection Process Packet". The packet, along with other necessary information, must be returned to the NHS faculty adviser by the specified due date. All documentation of community service must be attached to the selection packet. The NHS faculty advisory committee will then review the information. If a student is selected for membership, an invitation is extended to the student to participate in a induction ceremony.

Testing out of Courses

In some cases, students may possess the skills and knowledge needed to pass a course without actually enrolling in it. Due to the importance of discussion and written expression in meeting Language Arts Outcomes, students are discouraged from testing out of English classes. To test out of other courses, the following procedure must be followed:

1.  The student will contact a counselor/gifted facilitator the trimester prior to taking or testing out of a course.

2.  The counselor will contact the department chairperson to arrange a time to meet with the student.  In a meeting with the student, department chairperson, and counselor, it will be determined by the department chairperson if the student has enough background information to pursue testing out of the course. If so, the student will be provided a textbook and/or a course outline to study.

3.  At a time to be determined by the department chairperson, the student will be given a final exam.

4.  If the student passes the exam with a minimum score of 85%, the department chairperson will inform the Main Office in order to post the student grade.

5.  To earn a grade of "P" and honors points for honors classes, there will be one test out opportunity. To earn a grade of "P" and no honors points for honors classes, there may be multiple test out attempts.

Schedule Changes

Schedule changes are not automatically granted and will be considered on a case by case basis. Teacher to Teacher changes are not granted unless the requested teacher has fewer students in that section. Students are encouraged to talk with their counselor before the trimester begins to discuss possible schedule changes. After the trimester begins, only two days are allowed for student schedule changes. Students who wish to transfer from one course to another should report to their counselor during the first two days of the trimester with the change form signed by a parent/guardian. All dropped courses including college courses will be considered a withdraw failure after the second day of the trimester and show as a WF on the student’s transcript. All students must enroll in a minimum of five courses in the first trimester. Seniors may have four classes during the second trimester and then may enroll in the minimum number needed for graduation third trimester. All underclassmen must be enrolled in five courses for the entire three trimesters.

Minimum Number of Courses Required                                  

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of five courses each trimester with the exception of seniors third trimester. Students taking classes which are scheduled outside of the normal 5-period day, during 0 hour, for example, are expected to schedule their courses consecutively whenever possible.  If a senior is a second trimester graduate, they may have the option of enrolling in four classes during second trimester.  Seniors in good academic standing may take fewer than five classes third trimester.  A special request form must be signed by the senior, parent and counselor in order to take fewer than five classes third trimester.

Repeating Courses/Retake Policy

Students wishing to retake a class and have the failing grade removed from their transcript must appeal to an administrator within ten days from the end of the failing trimester. Factors to be considered in deciding this request are attendance, effort, attitude, and teacher input. Decisions by the administrator are final and no appeals are allowed.

College Courses

Junior or Senior students with a minimum of 15 credits and a 2.5 high school GPA or any students with gifted IEPs that specify college classes may enroll in HCC courses. Assessment testing is also a prerequisite for enrolling: 21 ACT Math, 20 ACT English, 17 ACT Reading, or a 75 COMPASS score. Students will earn college credit for all successfully completed HCC courses; those wishing to earn high school credit for college courses must enroll in classes from the dual credit course list. All dual credit college courses will earn a letter grade. Students who drop a dual credit college class after the first three days of the class will receive a "failing" grade.  This will affect the GPA.  Students planning to participate in activities governed by the Kansas High School Activities Association must make sure they are enrolled in a minimum of four courses for which they are receiving high school credit. Information needed to select and enroll in college courses is available in the Counseling Center.  All foreign language classes taken at HCC will be for .50 credit per semester class.  See the course directory for a list of approved dual credit courses.

Reclassification

Sophomores must have earned 5.50 credits to be classified as a 10th grader. Juniors must have earned 11.00 credits to be classified as an 11th grader.  Seniors must have earned 17.50 to be classified as a 12th grader.

Report Cards and Progress Reports

Unofficial progress reports will be distributed to students and their parents after the fifth week of every trimester. Official grade reports will be issued at the end of each trimester; these grades will appear on students' permanent records and will be used to determine Honor Roll membership, grade point average and class rank. 
Our student information system, Skywardl, allows parents to check their child's grades and attendance on the internet 24 hours a day.  Go to the following web address http://skyward.usd308.com and log in.

Grading

The following grades may be earned by students:

A = 90% - 100%

B = 80% - 89%

C = 70% - 79%

D = 60% - 69%

F = BELOW 60% (No Credit, but is counted as an attempt in figuring GPA. Includes HHS/HCC dual credit courses)

I = INCOMPLETE

Honors sections of certain core courses in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies are offered at Hutchinson High School. Taking Honors and IB Courses will earn a bonus point of .0833 for each trimester completed with a grade of C- or better.  Bonus points are used in calculating a student's weighted GPA and class rank. 

Honor Roll Recognition

Two honor rolls will be compiled at the end of each trimester to recognize students who have demonstrated above average scholastic achievement. To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in at least four classes and have no incomplete grades.
The Principals Honor Roll will list students with grades of an A in all classes.
The Honor Roll will list students with a GPA of 3.0 or above.
Graduation with Honors/High Honors
Graduation with High Honors/Honors
The following criteria will be used for recognition at graduation. All criteria and calculations must be complete by the end of the second trimester of the senior year.

Graduation with High Honors:

• 3.6 or higher unweighted GPA with 18 trimesters of honors classes OR a 3.8 or higher unweighted GPA without the 18 trimesters of honors classes.

• No grade lower than a C- in any class.

Graduation with Honors:

• 3.3 or higher unweighted GPA with 16 trimesters of honors classes OR a 3.6 or higher unweighted GPA without the 16 trimesters of honors classes.

• No grade lower than a C- in any class.

Students at Hutchinson High School must have completed all of their graduation requirements before they are allowed to walk in the graduation ceremony. This includes any online or Learning Center credits.