Placement of Incoming Freshmen

Seton Catholic Preparatory uses the High School Placement Test (HSPT) in conjunction with middle school grades and eighth grade teacher recommendations to place students in the appropriate classes.  The HSPT was the first test battery designed specifically to deal with selection and/or placement of students entering high school from various elementary schools. Since 1955, the HSPT has provided measures in the major skill areas as well as cognitive skill criteria resulting in the most comprehensive placement test available. 

Course Load Requirements

All students are automatically scheduled for a class or activity (study hall and/or as a teaching assistant) during each of the seven periods in the school day. Students who are lacking any credits in any given school year due to failure may not return to Seton Catholic Preparatory the following fall semester unless deficient credits are completed during the summer. Students who do not repeat these courses during summer school will not be readmitted. It is the student’s obligation to request that a transcript be sent from the summer school to Seton Catholic Preparatory before school opens in August.

Course Selection Changes and Schedule Changes

Choosing an appropriate program of study is an important part of each student’s high school responsibilities, and our process is student-centered through the counseling department. Parents are encouraged to meet early in their child’s tenure and participate in the yearly process of selecting courses that fulfill the requirements for graduation and meet the needs of their son/daughter.  Once registered for courses, the opportunity for students to initiate a schedule change occurs during the last two weeks of the preceding semester.

Schedule changes are subject to course availability, and require the approval of the teacher(s), parent/guardian, and the counselor and/or Assistant Principal.

 

• Schedule change requests are automatically approved if a student has been misplaced and may be approved when a student desires a more rigorous academic course load.
• Once classes begin, year-long courses may only be changed at the end of first semester.
• Students are not permitted to drop year-long courses for a study hall at the semester.
• Requests for an elective change are based on course availability and the number of students in classes. Requests to change an elective cannot result in a teacher change in a core class. Core classes include English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and World Language.
• Requests for a change from an honors/AP course to regular course, or vice versa, are based on recommendation from the teacher and in coordination with the students, parent, and counselor.
• First semester schedule change forms must be completed, signed, and turned into the Counseling Center within the first full week of school.
• Second semester schedule change forms must be turned into the Counseling Center by the Friday before final exams begin.

 

Course Progression

Individual course progressions vary according to the goals and academic aptitude of each student and the academic requirements of the colleges to which they plan to apply. Students should plan their course progression under the guidance of their counselor and parents.

 

Honors Courses

Students interested in Honors classes must have the approval of the department or instructor in order to take the course. Approval is based on a student's ability, motivation, and grades. If a student is not successful in an Honors class, he/she may be removed at the discretion of the teacher and the Assistant Principal.

 

College Courses and Dual Credit

Students earn college credit either by passing an Advanced Placement exam or through the dual enrollment program with Seton Hill University. College credit earned through the Advanced Placement program is dependent upon the score accepted by the university or college.  Prior to registering, permission must be obtained from the Assistant Principal for students who want to take courses concurrently at local universities or community colleges and wish to apply them toward their requirements or electives at Seton Catholic Preparatory.

 

Dual Credit Courses Offered at Seton

 

• College Chemistry
• Intro to Macroeconomics
• British Literature
• College Algebra

 

• Honors Pre-calculus
• American Government
• Psychology
  

 

Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced Placement is a program of rigorous college-level courses and examinations. They afford students an opportunity to earn high school credit as well as college credit and/or appropriate placement at the college level. In order to receive weighted credit and Advanced Placement designation on transcripts, students must successfully complete both semesters of the Advanced Placement course and complete the Advanced Placement examination in that course. In order to earn college credit, a student must attain a specific score on a national standardized examination, and attend one of the many colleges and universities who recognize students’ participation in the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program. By selecting an AP class during spring scheduling a student is making a firm commitment to complete this course the following school year. Students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the related national Advanced Placement examination in the spring.  AP courses are offered in social studies, world language, science, math, fine arts, and English.

Registration is now a 2-step process. Both steps are required to take an AP exam. 

• Students “join” their AP courses in their College Board account (https://myap.collegeboard.org)  After joining each AP course, students indicate whether they are taking the exam for each AP class. 

 

Advanced Placement Courses Offered at Seton

• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Computer Science A  
• English Language and Composition
• English Literature and Composition  
• French Language and Culture  
• Macroeconomics
• Physics C: Mechanics
• Spanish Language and Culture
• U.S. Government and Politics
• United States History
• World History: Modern
  

 

General Information for the Beginning of the Term

Each teacher must provide to students, by the end of a course’s second day of classes, a syllabus that includes a clear and complete description of the required work, the number and kinds of assignments, the approximate schedule of tests and due dates for major projects, and the grading criteria and procedures to be used. 

 

Two or more different teachers of the same course will give the same core summative assessments.

 

Daily Schedule

The school day officially begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday and at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Within the school day, several times a week, Sentinel Success is available. During this period, students have the opportunity to sign up to see their teachers, or teachers can request students to see individual students. The Sentinel Success mission is to align our focus on academic excellence within our Catholic faith community.  It is a structured approach towards accompanying our students to achieve their fullest potential. Sentinel Success is designed to broaden student support and address the needs of a diverse group of learners with a wide range of learning needs. The success period also provides support and opportunity for those students heavily involved in extracurricular activities to further their studies during the school day to provide a balanced lifestyle.

 

In addition, students can attend office hours after school; this is primarily academic to allow the students to meet with teachers. Teachers are available until 3:30 p.m. for extra help, tutoring, making up work, etc. Students are encouraged to use this time during sentinel success sessions or see teachers when needed. Teachers or parents may require student participation in make-up work or tutoring sessions until 3:30 p.m. Outside tutors may not substitute for 8th period attendance. Students on campus during 8th period are required to maintain a studious atmosphere. Athletes attending 8th period are to report to practice at 3:45 p.m.

 

Because students should take the opportunity to participate in activities or see their teachers, and because students can be detained for discipline or academic reasons, students should not take jobs or make appointments that require them to leave school earlier than 3:30 p.m. Carpools can be scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

 

Assessment Philosophy

All students should know that:

• The teaching staff understands that students learn in different ways and at different rates.
• Learning here requires hard work and that work will prepare them for their future.
• They will receive grades that are based upon multiple forms of assessment, such as tests, quizzes, projects, reports, collaborative work, presentations, laboratory reports and writing assignments.
• They will receive ample formative assessment feedback to know how well they are doing and whether they should make changes in what they are doing.
• Rubrics and exemplars will be used by teachers whenever possible to guide practice.
• The way grades will be determined will be explained at the beginning of the course and with each assignment.
• Summative assessment practices will measure the extent to which a student has attained proficiency in meeting the standards of the course.
• They will have opportunities to produce work of which they are proud and, at the teacher’s discretion, opportunities will be given for self-correction and resubmission of work.
• They will have opportunities to review their assessments, know which test items they missed, and know why their answers were unacceptable.

 

Homework Philosophy

Homework is integral to engagement and success in Seton Catholic Preparatory’s rigorous curriculum.  Failure to do homework and seek teacher assistance are the two greatest reasons students might not perform well at Seton.  With homework comes shared responsibility among students, families, faculty, and administration to manage the effect of homework on students’ ability to maintain a healthy and balanced life.  Because Seton Catholic Preparatory teachers are trusted to use their professional judgment in assigning homework that complements the learning objectives of the various courses, it is to be expected that there will be variation in the type, frequency, and amount of homework for any given course. Yet, it is also expected that Seton Catholic Preparatory teachers will be cognizant of and responsive to the fact that their respective courses are but one part of a student’s overall high school experience.

It is understood that students and their families will have individual objectives for their high school experiences. To that end, Seton provides a wide variety of options with respect to the types and levels of courses as well as extracurricular activities. Students and their families are expected to consider the impact decisions, such as the number of major-credit courses and course levels, will have on the students’ homework loads while developing and adjusting individualized courses of study geared toward achieving their personal objectives.

Finally, Seton Catholic Preparatory’s administration accepts its responsibility to continuously evaluate and improve the process by which information regarding homework expectations are developed and communicated to students and families. The goal is to create sufficient information regarding the nature and kind of homework so that informed decisions can be made when developing individual programs of study.

Addressing Homework Issues During the School Year

If the time spent on homework becomes an issue during the school year, the following steps can be helpful for a family:

• The student and his or her family should have a frank discussion about homework strategies and habits to determine if the student is utilizing his or her homework time as effectively as possible. This discussion 

should also include determining the impact of level changes and outside activities on the student’s ability to utilize his or her homework time effectively.

• The student should discuss his or her homework challenges with all relevant teachers to determine if the student has a clear understanding of homework expectations and/or if there are more effective homework strategies for a specific class.
• Most situations will be successfully addressed through the actions mentioned above. For those few situations that are still unresolved, the parents should contact the teacher, with the goal of working together to determine the best course of action for the student.

Incomplete and Missing Work

Students are responsible to complete and turn in all assignments by the assigned date due. Each department and/or teacher has a policy surrounding the grading and acceptance of late or incomplete work. Any incomplete work will merit no credit if such work is not made up by arrangement with the teacher within two weeks of the last day of the semester. 

 

Grading

The Seton Catholic Preparatory grading scale records student progress in numerical/percentage grades only.  The scale measures passing grades as those 65 and above.  The grade is an attempt to measure the student’s mastery of

the essential standards and targets for a class, or how well the student understands the material in class.  Ultimately, the final grade is a professional determination of the quality of the student’s body of work with consideration of their 

growth over the course of the class. Student grade point averages (GPA) are expressed as average percentage scores.  Letter grades, 4.0 scale, etc. are used if necessary when applying for college. Please consult your counselor.  The 

cumulative percentage average for determining Honor Roll and National Honor Society membership will be calculated by the following formula:

• Honors/Dual Credit/AP classes: Percentage grade x 1.07
• Regular classes: Percentage grade x 1.00

 

Contesting Grades

Students or parents who wish to contest a grade earned on an assignment, test or report card must first attempt to resolve the disputed grade with the teacher.  Should the matter be unresolved, the issue will be taken to the chairperson of the academic department.  If the grade is still contested, the issue may be referred to the Assistant Principal for Academics.  Any request to contest a grade must be made within two weeks of the grade in question being reported in Canvas.  Requests to contest a grade after ten school days may not be honored.

 

Extra Credit

Extra credit policies are set at the course level and are subject to the following restrictions:

• Extra credit points may not increase a student’s semester grade one full level. Points may carry enough weight to supplement a test or other assignment, but not to artificially raise a student’s overall grade significantly.
• Students may not submit multiple extra credit assignments.
• Students may not make-up extra credit assignments as they would regular assignments (tests; quizzes, etc.). Students with conflicts, such as athletics, clubs, etc. have a choice to take advantage of this extra credit assignment or attend their activity.