Students are expected to attend all classes for which they are scheduled, and to arrive on time prepared to work attentively for the full class session. The instructor’s evaluation of a student’s work usually depends in part on class participation; therefore, absence from class or lateness is viewed as a lost opportunity for both the individual student and the class collectively. Whenever absence or lateness is unavoidable, the student is responsible for communicating with the teacher and for making up all missed work. Classes immediately before and after vacations are as important as any other classes during a term; students are expected to attend them and to limit their vacations to the days prescribed in the school’s academic calendar.
General use of electronic devices will occur outside of the building. Once students exit through the glass doors on the 6th floor, they are free to call parents, text friends, plug in to music, play electronic games, watch movies, etc. On our campus, electronic devices will be used only for academic pursuits. No electronic devices may be visible while walking through the halls. All devices must be silenced and stored away before entering the doors on the 6th floor, and can be intentionally taken out for academic work in the library, or when seated at the 6th and 7th floor tables. An electronic device that is used for non-academic purposes or is visible in other parts of the building may be confiscated. If the student has not previously had any device confiscated, the device will be returned at 3:35 and the parents of the student will be notified, after a second time the device will be returned at 3:35 the following day with parent notification, any subsequent issue results in the device being held for a week’s time. Any confiscated devices will be held by Assistant Principal David Allen.
We acknowledge that in our society, given the tumultuous and violent history of the country, talking about race can feel uncomfortable and even overwhelming. We also acknowledge that while our best efforts at addressing this central topic in American life can be fraught with missteps, we need to courageously engage with this subject in a critical way to examine and dismantle racism. To help us navigate one aspect of discussions about race, we are instituting this policy. In a community discussion hosted by our Black Student Union, there was an understanding that reading aloud from a text or being a character in a play and using the author’s language, including the n-word, was not offensive when given context first. However, follow up discussion by students and teachers should not include using the actual word. Substituting “the n-word” to refer to it creates a respectful learning environment. Also critical in this BSU discussion was that the teacher set the ground rules and not ask the class what makes them feel uncomfortable. Putting the onus on the students could make individual Black students feel put on the spot. We applaud our students and faculty who take on this vital aspect of American education.
Read Our Modified Grading Policy for Remote Learning (Fall 2020)
This grading policy applies to all high school students at BHSEC Queens. It will be reviewed and updated annually and emailed to families in the beginning of each school year. The Academic Honesty Policy is an integral part of the grading policy in that students receive an F on any assignment or assessment when the Academic Honesty Policy in not followed, and receives an F in a course if the Policy is not followed three or more times during a student’s time at BHSEC Queens. We have a Revised Academic Honesty Policy in effect during our remote learning period.
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. At midterm and at the end of each semester, these narratives and grades are distributed to students and their families, and to advisors. 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. Narratives at the midterms will be more extensive for students in our high school program. End-of-term narratives will be more extensive for our college students.
All syllabuses will indicate the percentage weight attributed for each type of assignment.
For example:
Exams: 30%
Quizzes: 25%
Papers: 25%
Homework. 10%
Class Participation: 10%
Parents of BHSEC students are to be notified in these cases:
Notification should be made by via email to preserve a written record of the communication. For students late to a first period class, we will also send an automated phone message.
Notification can be made by the instructor or a member of the guidance staff, but should be made promptly.
Parents shall bear the responsibility of providing an up to date email address for the school.
The rationale behind these guidelines is so that we have a consistent policy in place to support faculty in making decisions about these cases; so that we prioritize cases in which students are in danger of failing or earning a D in a course; so that parents have adequate warning if a student’s academic standing is in jeopardy.
In recognition of the hard work that our students do throughout the year, the Bard High School Early College Queens faculty have implemented the following policy:
All work for a course is due by the deadline given out by the teacher. Students unable to meet a particular deadline, for whatever reason, should consult the course syllabus for information about the teacher’s policy on late work and should make every effort to conform to it. If illness or other problems prevent a student from completing all work for & course by the end of the semester, and the teacher is willing to accept late work, the teacher should state in the final narrative what exactly is missing; what the deadline is for submission; and how the student is to submit it (e.g., Email, snail mail with address).
Teachers may submit a grade change for up to 2 weeks after the end of a given semester, so all deadlines for late work should be set to enable the teacher to meet that deadline.
If a student has an unexcused absence on the day of an exam, quiz, or an assignment due date, consult the course syllabus for teacher policy. It is possible that no credit Will be given and/or no makeup assessment will be allowed for the missed work. Although any work handed in Will be given feedback even if the work is not eligible for credit.
If there is an excused absence on the day of an exam, quiz, or an assignment due date, students must consult with faculty on the day that they return to school even if it is not a day that the class typically meets. If those procedures are followed, there will be no academic penalty for an excused absence.
If you leave school early due to an unexpected illness on the day of an exam, quiz, or an assignment due date, as per school policy, the student must be signed out by a parent/guardian.
If there is a planned absence, be certain to talk to the teacher well in advance.
If a student has a documented, time limited circumstance that prevents them from completing the course in its established timeframe (for example, surgery or a death in the family) they will be awarded a grade of NX, which indicates that the course is still in progress. Approval of an NX is at the discretion of the school’s administration. A student who receives an NX must successfully complete remaining course requirements by the end of the following semester in order to receive a final grade and credit.
Two transcripts are maintained for BHSEC students: The Department of Education transcript and the Bard College transcript. Instructions for requesting copies of both are available on the BHSEC website under the College Transfer Office tab.
The Department of Education transcript records all courses taken to satisfy the Regents High School diploma. This record includes courses taken while at BHSEC as well as high school courses taken at other New York City Public Schools. The Bard College transcript lists only courses taken in the college program that are being applied toward the associate in arts degree.
Teachers record end of semester letter grades on the student’s report card; when they appear on the Department of Education transcript, those letter grades are translated into the New York Department of Education 100 point scale where the highest possible grade is 95, since BHSEC does not give A+ grades. Letter grades in college courses also appear on a Bard College transcript where they also appear numerically in the 4.0 scale used at Bard College and throughout higher education.
Bard High School Early College offers students & 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 & 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 BHSEC, students not eligible to begin college after 10th grade either transfer to a traditional four—year high school or opt to stay and repeat 10th grade.
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 counsellor or adviser, 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 |, a student must complete the required program of classes with & cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. At midterm in the fall semester of Year l, 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 | student”s fall semester average is below a 2.0, and the Year I student will be placed on academic support for the following semester. If the Year | 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 a 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 & class (receive & 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 counsellor, 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 are required to take between 12 credits and 18 credits each semester, unless they receive approval of an exception from their guidance counsellor and the dean. Students may request approval to change their classes during the first week of the semester through the Add/Drop process, as long as the resulting schedule meets the course load requirements and will enable the completion of A.A. requirements on schedule. The final dates for making such changes each semester are listed on the school calendar.
After the deadline for Add/Drop, a student in the college program may petition to Withdraw from one regular class in a given semester as long as it will not mean dropping below the 12 credits required to be a full—time student. The student’s guidance counsellor, and the academic dean must approve the withdrawal. The deadline to submit requests for withdrawal each semester, typically one week after midterm grades are distributed and after parent—teacher conferences, is listed on the school calendar. Upon Withdrawal, a W grade is listed on the student’s Bard College transcript. It appears as en NO grade on the DOE transcript.
A college student who is carrying at least 14 credits may request to take one course, excluding Seminar or other courses meeting the A.A. graduation requirements, on a Pass/Fail basis. This grading option must be exercised before the Withdrawal date for the semester, and is subject to approval by the guidance counsellor and the academic dean. Students should be aware that classes taken Pass/Fail will not be accepted for transfer at most colleges.
This option is designed only for those students who are not able to earn the 60 credits required for the A.A. in their 4 semesters in the college program. Year 1 and Year 2 students may transfer in up to 6 college credits to be applied toward the 60 credits the associate ¡n 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 BHSEC. 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.
College students, typically those in Year 2, may earn academic credit by successfully completing tutorial projects on topics that are not available through the regular course offerings. Before such a course of study can begin, a formal written course description and statement of student interest including discussion of relevant preparation, as well as & contract of student and faculty responsibilities (including credits, readings, number of meetings, and number and types of assessment) must be submitted and approved by the Dean of Academic Affairs and the Principal. Because tutorials require additional work and responsibility on the part of both the instructor and the students involved, these projects are only considered when comparable topics are not available in the regular course catalogue for a given semester.
Alumni/ae High School Transcript Request Form
Bard College Transcript Request Form
