First period begins at 9:00 a.m. All students must be in the school building by 9:00 a.m. All students in the high school program must stay in the building until dismissal at 3:45 p.m.
Students must attend all classes. The following absences may be classified as an excused absence:
As an indication of academic performance, students receive letter grades for each course taken, as well as written narratives describing course objectives, the student’s success in meeting them, and suggestions for how to address particular difficulties. Midterm grades are not grades of record, but are intended as indications to students of their progress and success in achieving the learning objectives of a course, along with suggestions for improvement. All syllabuses will indicate the percentage weight attributed for each type of assignment.
TWO (2) transcripts are maintained for Bard High School Early College students:
Bard High School Early College offers students a rigorous academic program. In meeting the academic needs of students eager for intellectual challenge, it moves students from the 9th grade of high school through the first two years of college in four years. Bard High School Early College seeks students ready to rise to this challenge and offers various forms of support to any who have difficulty once at the school. In order to enter the early college program, students must achieve a cumulative average of at least 2.0 (C or 75) in 9th and 10th grade. Because no 11th and 12th grade high school curriculum is offered at Bard DC, students not eligible to begin college after 10th grade either transfer to a traditional four-year high school.
To be in good academic standing, students in the 9th and 10th grades must complete the required program of classes each semester with an average of at least 2.0 (C or 75). A student who is not in good standing at the end of a semester will be placed on academic support for the following semester. A student who achieves both a semester and cumulative average of at least 2.0 will automatically regain good standing. At mid-term in the fall and spring semesters, any student whose average is below 2.0 will be required, with his or her parents, to attend a meeting with representatives of Bard High School Early College to discuss the student’s difficulties and to determine what support is necessary. A similar meeting will be required at the end of the fall semester and/or spring semester if the student’s final semester average is below 2.0. Furthermore, all students on academic support meet regularly with their guidance counselor or advisor and are encouraged to make use of tutoring offered in the Learning Commons.
The administration and faculty of Bard High School Early College are eager to see all students admitted to the program succeed in earning the A.A. degree, and are committed to supporting those who could benefit from special assistance. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 is required to enter the early college program and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 is required in the early college program for graduation with the A.A. degree.
To be in good academic standing at the end of Year I, a student must complete the required program of classes with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. At midterm in the fall semester of Year I, any early college student whose average is below 2.0 will be required, with his or her parents, to attend a meeting with a representative of Bard High School Early College to discuss the student’s difficulties and to determine what steps and supports would be helpful. A similar meeting is required at the end of the fall semester if the Year I student’s fall semester average is below 2.0, and the Year I student will be placed on academic support for the following semester. If the Year I student’s average is still below 2.0 at the end of the spring mid-term period, the student will again be required, with his or her parents, to attend a meeting with representatives of Bard High School Early College to discuss the student’s difficulties and to determine what further support is necessary.
If a Year II student’s cumulative average is below 2.0 at the end of the fall semester, the student will again be required, with his or her parents, to attend a meeting with a representative of Bard High School Early College to discuss the student’s difficulties and the type of degree which the student can realistically expect to receive at the end of the spring semester. Students are expected to graduate from the early college program in four semesters.
High school students who fail a class (receive a grade of F) during the school year must retake that class. In such a case, both the failing grade and the new grade will be recorded on the student’s high school transcript. Occasionally, when only a few elements of the course requirements were not met, the student can work with the teacher, guidance counselor, and administration to complete the requirements while enrolled in a Credit Recovery Course in the semester following the failure. The original grade and the Credit Recovery grade both appear on the DOE transcript.
Year 1 and Year 2 students may transfer in up to 6 college credits to be applied toward the 60 credits of the Associate in Arts Degree. Students who elect to take courses at other colleges who do not need them for the A.A. should simply wait and apply to transfer them to their four-year college after leaving Bard. Students should request approval from the academic dean for the specific courses proposed before taking college courses at another institution and are responsible for providing documentation (official transcript and syllabus) after satisfactory completion of the course.
Moderation is the process by which students reflect on their high school experience to determine whether or not they are ready to enter the college program. At the end of tenth grade, students meet with faculty and staff of Bard DC to review their Bard transcripts, key assignments, and academic/collegiate behaviors over the two years of the pre-college program. Students are expected to prepare for moderation by writing a 2-page reflection on their Bard experience, selecting and submitting 2 pieces of writing that best reflect their academic growth over the course of the program, and preparing to discuss and answer questions about their academic performance and behavior in the Bard program. After the moderation meeting, there will be a time for a review of the documents and a determination on whether or not a student is ready to matriculate into the college program. You can review the moderation process here. More information will be shared in your 10th-grade year.
