IKF.G
ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES
DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS
1. Students are not eligible to receive high school credit until they have completed the eighth grade. Exception: The
Acceleration Committee, in concert with the appropriate middle school and high school principals, may accommodate
individual requests from students requesting high school credit after completing an accelerated course at the middle
school (if the course is taught by a high school-certified teacher).
2. With prior approval by the Principal, up to two units of correspondence course credit from an accredited school
may be accepted toward meeting diploma requirements.
3. With prior approval by the Principal, units of credit may be earned outside of the district in summer school or night
school.
4. Students may test out of a course should they feel they have the proficiency to do so. Tests will be determined by
the individual school and can consist of assessment formats other than that of paper and pencil. Up to two units of
credit towards a diploma may be earned in this way.
5. Students will be expected to attend school for eight semesters. Prior approval must be granted by the principal for
any exception to the eight-semester requirement. Final principal approval will depend upon the student’s completion
of the required 24 units of credit and upon presentation of a specific plan to enter college, vocational school, or a
training program. The awarding of a diploma from high school shall depend upon successful completion of the
approved plan. Twenty-four graduation credits will be required of all students.
Students transferring in senior year from an accredited institution to a Parkway High School will be required to
complete at least three (3.0) credits in a Parkway High School during semester prior to completing graduation
requirements in order to earn a Parkway diploma. (Exceptions at the Principal’s discretion.)
6. In exceptional circumstances, if determined beneficial to an individual student, the Principal may waive a Parkway
requirement, provided State Department of Education requirements have been fulfilled.
The procedure for enrolling and reviewing credit for a student who has been home schooled is as follows: The
Subject Department Chair will review materials provided by student and family to decide current placement. Materials
should include, but not be limited to, a plan book, diary, other written records indicating subjects taught and activities
in which the student was engaged, a portfolio of samples of the student's academic progress, a record of evaluations
of the student's academic progress, and other written or credible evidence equivalent to the above. After student has
completed one semester of study in a Parkway High School, the high school's Academic Review Committee,
consisting of the school principal, the student's assistant principal, the counseling chair, the student's counselor, and
the Director of Pupil Personnel and Diversity, will determine which graduation requirements the home schooling
experience has satisfied. Parkway credit will not be given for this learning. Course work required for graduation and
mastered through home schooling will be recorded on the transcript and followed by the designation "HS" for home
school. The Academic Review Committee will then develop with the student and parents a program of studies that, if
completed satisfactorily, will earn a Parkway diploma. Because this program of studies could reflect the mastery of
some graduation requirements through home schooling for which no credit is given, this program of studies could
require less than 24 units of credit.
7. For students who are SUSPENDED at the time they complete their diploma/graduation requirements through a
Parkway alternative educational program, the following guidelines apply:
Students who complete their graduation requirements at the end of the first (1st) semester may choose to continue
receiving any educational services for which they qualify or may cease accessing those services at the end of the 1st
semester. Suspended students will be subject to the same “early exit” procedures/rules as other students and will
receive diplomas from their Parkway high schools in May. If students’ suspensions extend through the end of the
academic school year, they are prohibited from participating in any school or district sponsored activities, including
any graduation related activities.
Students who complete their graduation requirements at the end of the second (2nd) semester will not be entitled to
any further educational services. They will be given diplomas from their high schools at the time other students
receive their diplomas. If students’ suspensions extend through the end of the academic school year, they are
IKF.G
prohibited from participation in any school or district sponsored activities, including any graduation related activities.
For students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA-2004) who
have been EXPELLED but complete their diploma/graduation requirements through a Parkway alternative
educational program, the following guidelines apply:
Students’ education records and transcripts will document all courses completed and the grades received for those
courses completed through a Parkway alternative educational program following expulsion. Credits (generally
modified) will be awarded for completed courses for which a passing grade was earned. Their education records and
transcripts will indicate that such courses and credits were from an alternative educational program and setting rather
than the students’ former Parkway high schools. Students’ educational records and transcripts will be maintained at
the district-level following expulsion and will only reflect semester grades. No marking period grades or progress
reports will be given. Attendance and career GPAs, will not be maintained, computed, or reported. Expelled students
are prohibited from participation in any school or district sponsored activities, including any graduation related
activities. Expelled students who complete diploma/graduation requirements will receive a “Parkway District Diploma.”
(See #9 below.)
8. Students who choose to complete their high school education by meeting the state requirements for the Missouri
Option Program will receive a “Parkway District Diploma.” (See #9 below.) However, a new-to-Parkway School
District student may enroll in Missouri Option Program and earn a district diploma even though they did not attend nor
earned any credit in the Parkway School District. Students participating in the Missouri Option Program are required
by the state to remain enrolled in the Parkway School District. Students who meet the requirements of the Missouri
Option Program and are in good standing may participate in the Fern Ridge High School graduation ceremony to
receive a “Parkway District Diploma.”
9. A “Parkway District Diploma” will not include the name of the students’ previous high schools or the signatures of
the high school principals. Only the Board of Education president and secretary and the superintendent of schools
shall sign the diplomas. The “Parkway District Diploma” will read: “This Certifies that [STUDENT NAME] has
completed the Course of Study prescribed by the Board of Education and is therefore entitled to this Diploma, given
at St. Louis County, Missouri, this [DATE].”
10. Parkway may accept credits awarded by the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County to Parkway
students attending (on a part or full time basis) a SSD technical high school. Transcripts are to indicate when the
student attended and which courses were completed at the technical high school. Parkway grade point averages
(GPA’s) will be based only on course work completed in Parkway high schools and transferred in from a previously
attended accredited high school. Parkway students completing their high school requirements on a part or full time
basis at a Special School District of St. Louis County technical high school may be eligible to receive a Parkway
diploma from the Parkway school within whose boundaries they reside, provided they have satisfied both State and
Parkway requirements.
11. The district will participate in the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP), which offers Parkway enrolled
students the opportunity to participate in online courses in a variety of grade levels and content areas from
kindergarten through grade 12, as set forth below:
a. Students who are enrolled in Parkway may take MoVIP courses during the school day or outside of the
school day. Students who are enrolled in Parkway may utilize available hardware and Internet access during
available periods of time during the school day as designated by the Principal.
b.
The number of credits that a student may earn during any academic period will not be limited by the district.
Students and their parents/guardians are encouraged to meet with school counselors to develop an
educational program, including MoVIP courses, which best meet the individual needs of district students.
c.
The school district will receive an official transcript from DESE providing a numerical percentage for
satisfactorily completed coursework through MoVIP. A guidance counselor will assign a letter grade and
course credit, using the grading scale contained in Parkway's "Guidelines for Transcribing High School
Transcripts."
12. For students requiring modified curriculum and students with special needs receiving special education services
under the OR who have disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the following guidelines
apply.
IKF.G
REQUIREMENTS
Modified Curriculum: All students are entitled to have their curriculum/program modified (i.e., significantly reduced or
alternative curriculum) and receive modified curriculum credit for such course work. Modified curriculum credits are
intended for students who, despite adaptations, are unable to achieve the minimal outcomes defined for each course
and therefore require the essence of the Parkway course to be changed to accommodate the needs of students.
Depending on students’ identified special needs, diploma requirements may be modified, waived and/or added, and
course content/curriculum modified by their special education/IDEA Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams,
Section 504 Plan teams, or parents and staff knowledgeable about and responsible for students without disabilities
and their instructional needs. It is necessary to formally determine, authorize, and document (in the student’s records)
waived, or modified, and/or added requirements, when course content/curriculum /credit has been modified, and any
grading changes (i.e., switching to a pass/fail instead of letter grades). Grades and credits will be based upon
completion of the various modified course requirements and the extent to which the modified expectations for the
course are met, exceeded, or failed.
Graduation requirements, transcript notations, and other appropriate information about grades, credits, and diplomas
for special needs students are to be shared with parents and students and included in the schools’ course guides.
CREDIT
For a student whose IEP/Section 504 Teams or teachers and parents determine that adaptations, modifications,
support (i.e., special education), or alternative instruction is required, the following guidelines are to be used to
determine what type of credit will be earned for course work.
The type of credit, regular or modified, earned is determined by the content and nature of the work expected of the
student and not by who teaches the student/course or in what setting (i.e., general or special education) the student
spends a given period. Therefore, students may be awarded modified credit for a course taught by either a Parkway
or special education teacher. Scheduling for students with special needs, including those registering for courses
earning modified curriculum credit, will take place at the same time and in the same manner as for all other students.
REGULAR Curriculum Credit:
• General education classroom and standard course work, even with consultation between general and
special education teachers, collaborative instruction, or support provided to student by special education
staff (i.e., teacher, interpreter, assistant).
• Adaptations of a course’s requirements, curriculum, testing, instructional methodology, or materials,
provided that the essence of curriculum, objectives, and competencies is maintained (i.e., changes in input
or output modes or to tests and assignments).
• A “learning strategies” course taught by a special education teacher.
NOTE: “Learning Strategies” courses or other non-traditional courses taught by special education teachers
may count as electives or, based on IEP team consensus, as meeting requirements in mandated areas of
study. Although there is no limit to the number of years or semesters in which a student may take “Learning
Strategies” courses, only one unit of regular elective credit may be earned per school year from “Learning
Strategies” courses.
• Standard general education curriculum taught and basic competencies fulfilled in special education
classroom, provided that the essence of the course is maintained.
• Minor changes to course content, but essence of course content not changed
NOTE: Final decisions whether the essence of a course is maintained or not, are to be made by the
instructional staff.
MODIFIED Curriculum Credit:
• Student in a general or special education classroom, but the essence of the course content has been
individualized for the student and changed by significantly reducing and/or altering the standard
requirements, objectives, and competencies.
IKF.G
• Subject (i.e., Math, Science, English) area content taught by a special education teacher that is determined
to be substantially different from a Parkway course.
• Curriculum objectives (i.e., “daily living” or vocational skills) that do not relate to specific subject areas or
Parkway courses (These can be developed by the IEP team, the special education teacher, or the SSD.
• A special education work-transition program which does not qualify as a regular Parkway work-study
program.
When a student with a disability is placed by his/her IEP/Team in a SSD special education school, a private
facility that does not offer a high school diploma (through SSD purchase of service), or another alternative
educational setting (AES), the course work completed by the student in that setting is to be considered for
credit. The amount and type of credit to be awarded for each course is to be determined on a case-by-case
and course-by-course basis by the appropriate Parkway staff. All credits earned will apply toward a diploma.
When such students do not complete their individualized course of study at a Parkway high school, they will
receive a “Parkway District Diploma” rather than a diploma from their previous Parkway high school. This
provision, however, does not apply to those students who already have earned the normally required credits
for a diploma prior to placement outside their high school (see paragraph below). Students who do not
complete at least three (3.0) credits in a Parkway high school will not be eligible to earn a diploma from the
Parkway School District.
When a special education student earns the normally required number of credits for a diploma, but the IEP team
recommends that the student’s individually prescribed course of study should include additional special education
programming (i.e., SSD Vocational Services Program [VSP]), the diploma is to be awarded after completion of all the
student’s prescribed programming.
NOTE: It is recommended that a Parkway building administrator and the SSD area coordinator form a building-based
team made up of both general and special education staff to develop a collaborative approach to implement the
above guidelines. Whenever appropriate and possible, special education course work should parallel the Parkway
curriculum. Parkway curriculum and instructional staff are to work jointly with special education staff to ensure
curricular integrity.
TRANSCRIPTS
A student’s transcript and, when appropriate, other forms (i.e., Individual Graduation Plan) will document the
prescribed and completed course of study and types of credit earned. When modified curriculum credit has been
earned, the course title will be preceded by an asterisk (*) and may include a different course number. The following
notation will appear on Parkway transcripts: “*= Modified Curriculum.”
GRADES/GPA/
Regular letter grades (with their normal point values) are to be given for all course work receiving modified curriculum
credit. All grades (i.e., from regular and modified curriculum credit courses) would be used to compute GPAs.
Modified curriculum credit course grades are averaged in the same manner as regular credit grades to compute
grade point averages and determine eligibility for extra-curricular activities.
Career (i.e., cumulative) GPA’s will be computed for every high school student but not REPORTED on grade reports
and the transcript for a student when modified curriculum credit courses represent twenty percent (20%) or more of
all high school courses taken by the student (whether he/she received credit for them or not). Current (i.e., for the
semester) GPAs should be computed even when twenty percent (20%) or more of the course work that semester is
modified.
CLASS RANK/HONORS RECOGNITION
The graduating class of 2016 and beyond will not receive a class rank but will receive honors recognition under the
newly 2011-12 board adopted Latin Cum Laude System for Parkway Graduates. The criteria are as follows:
Summa Cum Laude: students with grade point average of 4.0 and above, gold honor’s cord
Magna Cum Laude: Students with grade point average of 3.75-3.99, silver honor’s cord
Cum Laude: Students with grade point average of 3.5-3.749, orange honor’s cord
For the school years when class rankings are still applicable, students will NOT be included in class rankings when
modified curriculum credit courses represent twenty percent (20%) or more of all the high school courses taken by a
student (whether he/she received credit for them or not). Following the institution of the honors recognition system
(instead of class rank), students will NOT be included in honors recognition system when modified curriculum credit
courses represent twenty percent (20%) or more of all the high school courses taken by a student (whether he/she
received credit for them or not).
NOTE: The establishment of a cut-off point at which a career GPA or class ranking is no longer reported does not
affect a student’s opportunity to earn high school graduation credits or a Parkway diploma. A cut-off of twenty percent
(20%) was recommended by the joint Parkway and Special School District committee assembled in June 1993, to
develop additional procedures and information for implementing Policy IKF.BP and these Guidelines. The
establishment of a cut-off point was intended as an incentive for students to take regular credit courses whenever
possible and to avoid a negative impact on the class ranking and honor’s recognition of those students taking more
traditional courses of study. This also may help avoid misinterpretation of a student’s status and course of study by
post-secondary institutions or employers.
Reviewed:
June 13, 2012