Course Placement
Students will be placed into high school courses based on mastery of the appropriate standards in accordance with the student’s Customized Learning Path. Consistent with school board rules and in accordance with state statute (1012.28 (5) F.S.), the Superintendent has designated the principal of the school as the final authority in the placement of students in programs or classes.
Students will be provided with the opportunity to accelerate towards college and/or career. Every effort will be made for a student to take at least one college level course and/or earn an industry certification by graduation.
Each spring or upon enrollment, students meet with a school counselor to select courses for the upcoming school year. Course placement is based on a review of pre and/or co-requisite courses, current grades, state assessment scores and teacher recommendations.
Course registration decisions include:
- Review of core courses
- Selection of elective options
- Choice of traditional or virtual model
- Request for a reduced schedule for seniors and juniors*
* Possible reasons to reduce a schedule during the junior and/or senior year include: • Travel time to DE courses on the college campus
- Advanced schedule – full time college is typically 4 or 5 courses per semester
- Employment or internship
- Medical situation
- Graduation requirements can be satisfied and Algebra I EOC and FAST requirements have been met
Reading Intervention Placement Guide 2024-2025 – High School
Honors and Advanced Courses of Study 1002.3105 F.S., 1003.4281 F.S.
Each high school offers Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) options: whole-grade and mid-year promotion, subject matter acceleration, virtual instruction in higher grade-level subjects, the Credit Acceleration Program, and early graduation. Specific options and details for each student are available from the school counselor at the school. Each school district shall notify the parent of a student who is eligible to graduate early.
Honors or Advanced Course Definition
The following types of courses are deemed honors or advanced level and are subject to the placement criteria cited:
- preliminary International Baccalaureate (Pre-IB) courses,
- International Baccalaureate (IB) courses,
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) courses,
- Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) courses,
- Dual Enrollment (DE) courses,
- Advanced Placement (AP) courses,
- honors level courses designated in the SJCSD High School Course Catalog, or
- honors level and AP courses offered by St Johns Virtual School or Florida Virtual School that are taken as part of a student’s Customized Learning Path (CLP).
Honors or Advanced Course Placement
- Grades – A grade of C or better in the previous honors course or a grade of A in the previous standard course
- FAST – Level 4 or 5 in appropriate area and not less than a Level 3 in any area
- on Mathematics FAST for placement in honors mathematics classes
- on Reading FAST for placement in honors English, social studies and science or foreign language
- PSAT – A score of 480 or higher on the appropriate assessment
- Math score for mathematics honors class placement
- Reading and/or language for English, social studies, science and foreign languages honors class placement
- PLAN – A score of 170 (English), 210 (mathematics) or higher on the appropriate assessment
- Math score for mathematics honors class placement
- Reading and/or language for English, social studies, science and foreign languages honors class placement
- Norm Referenced Test – Stanine of 7, 8, or 9 on an appropriate assessment
- Math score for mathematics honors class placement
- Reading and/or language for English, social studies, science and foreign languages honors class placement
Acceleration Mechanisms – Articulated Acceleration 1007.27(1) F.S.
Articulated acceleration will serve either to shorten the length of time necessary for a student to complete the requirements associated with a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree, broaden the scope of curricular options available to students, or to increase the depth of study available for a particular subject. This shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
- Dual Enrollment (DE) courses and early admission,
- Advanced Placement (AP) courses,
- credit by examination
- International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and Preliminary IB courses,
- Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) courses and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE),
- Credit earned through Florida Virtual School shall provide additional opportunities for early graduation and acceleration.
- credit by examination
Accelerated students who have met graduation requirements may defer graduation and continue to take DE/AP/IB/AICE courses until their cohort year group graduates.
Enrollment in Advanced Placement Courses 1007.27(6) F.S.
Advanced Placement (AP) is the enrollment of an eligible secondary student (virtual or brick and mortar) in an Advanced Placement course administered by the College Board. Students are expected to take an AP exam at the end of each AP course. The student will receive the AP weighted credit regardless of the AP test score. Schools will impose the $98 ($146 for AP seminar or AP Research) exam fee plus the additional $40 unused or canceled exam fee when students who are registered for the examination do not participate. Additionally, fees will be imposed for unused/canceled exams (per College Board policy) by schools if a student drops an AP course at the semester.
If a student only completes one semester of an AP course, they will receive weighted credit for that semester. For example, if a student comes to our district having completed semester 1 of an AP course and then does not continue that course the second semester, they will still receive the .5 credit for the course code and the .5 weighting. The transcript should reflect the courses the student actually sat in each semester; for example, Semester 1-AP, Semester 2 Honors. The two together will satisfy one credit.
AICE, AP, and IB courses are designed to earn college credit as well as meet high school graduation requirements. As such, materials and discussions for these courses may reflect topics not typically included in SJCSD courses. Due to the dual credit nature of these courses, content and materials may not be modified.
High School Alternative Program Placement
A student shall be identified as eligible for an alternative program placement based on one or more of the following criteria:
- The student is academically unsuccessful as evidenced by low test scores, retention, failing grades, low GPA, falling behind in earning credits, or not meeting state or district levels in reading, math, writing or science.
- The student has a pattern of excessive absenteeism or has been identified as a habitual truant.
- The student has a history of disruptive behavior in school or has committed an offense that warrants out- of-school suspension or expulsion from school according to the district code of student conduct.
High School Alternative Placement for Students Retained Two or More Years
An alternative placement shall be offered for a student who has been retained for two or more years. The alternative placement shall provide the student with intensive, differentiated instruction designed to remediate the student’s academic deficiencies and shall include opportunities for the student to be placed in small group instructional settings. The alternative placement shall, under most circumstances, be at the student’s home-zoned school but may involve placement at a district-designated site. The alternative placement may not be a placement in a regular program at a higher grade.
Course Prerequisites and Corequisites
Many courses listed in the St. Johns County Course Catalog have prerequisites and corequisites. These prerequisites and/or corequisites must be honored unless student petition and the ensuing conversation with a school counselors indicate that an exception needs to be made based on data and a student’s Customized Learning Path.
Enrollment in Sequential Courses
Subject-area courses that depend on sequential information are expected to be taken in sequential order. In such courses, a student who fails to pass may not be allowed to enroll in the next higher course level until the failed course has been remediated in an approved program successfully, by retaking the course during the regular school year, in Adult Education or in another traditional or virtual/online school. If a situation of hardship or illness exists which prevents a student from taking a course in sequence, the principal, or designee, may grant an exception.
High School Enrollment and Grade Level Placement and Promotion
Requirements for Information Prior to Enrollment
Each student, at the time of initial registration for school placement, must note previous school expulsions, arrests resulting in a charge, arrests pending, and juvenile justice actions the student has had. Schools have the authority to honor the final order of expulsion or dismissal of a student by any in-state or out-of-state public district school board, private school, or lab school, for an act which would have been grounds for expulsion according to the SJCSD Code of Student Conduct SJCSD, according to the following procedures:
- A final order of expulsion shall be recorded in the records of the receiving school.
- The expelled student applying for admission to the receiving school shall be advised of the final order of expulsion.
- The superintendent or designee may recommend to the School Board that the final order of expulsion be waived, and the student be admitted to the school district, or that the final order of expulsion be honored, and the student not be admitted to the school district. If the student is admitted by the School Board, with or without the recommendation of the district school superintendent, the student may be placed in an appropriate educational program at the direction of the School Board.
Grade Placement and Promotion within High School
- The Customized Learning Path (CLP) is unique to each student and is based on his/her academic and career needs.
- Students shall be considered freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and fifth year seniors based on the credits listed below:
- A student shall be classified as a sophomore with a minimum of 5 credits (after Survey 2 to preserve the correct cohort graduation year for accelerated students).
- A student shall be classified as a junior with a minimum of 11 credits.
- A student shall be classified as a senior with a minimum of 17 credits.
- Students in regular education programs not reaching graduation status in four years shall be provided the opportunity of a fifth year to meet the district’s graduation requirements. Remediation shall be provided to assist the student passing the state-required tests.
- High schools may promote retained students from grade 8 to grade 9, grade 9 to grade 10, grade 10 to grade 11, or grade 11 to grade 12 at the end of the first semester upon documentation of the awarding of required make-up credits.
- A junior who is enrolled in a 24-credit diploma program shall be moved to senior status at the end of first semester if enrolled in the necessary coursework to graduate in the spring.
Students must be enrolled full time until graduation course work requirements are met. Full time is defined in terms of Full-Time Equivalency – 100% FTE:
- Traditional courses @ SJCSD high school site – 7 classes
- Full time virtual – 6 classes
- Full time dual enrollment – 4 courses
If a student chooses to combine options, the number of courses required for full time status defaults to the highest number of courses.
Students are encouraged to maintain full time status throughout high school to take advantage of all the available opportunities:
- Accelerated courses that may result in college credit (AICE, AP, DE, IB)
- Career and technical education courses that may result in industry certifications
- World language courses to broaden language acquisition and qualify for the biliteracy diploma seal
- Elective courses to continue to develop talents and skills
- Leadership opportunities in clubs, athletics, and academic programs of emphasis.
Students may petition the principal of the school to reduce a traditional schedule. Possible reasons to reduce courses during the year include:
- Travel time to DE courses on the college campus
- Advanced schedule – full time college is typically 4 or 5 courses per semester
- Employment or internship
- Medical situation
- Graduation requirements can be satisfied during the senior year without a full schedule if Algebra 1 EOC and FAST requirements have been met.
Consistent with school board rules and in accordance with state statute (1012.28 (5) F.S.), the Superintendent has designated the principal of the school as the final authority in the placement of students in programs or classes.
ACCEL- Grade Placement for Students Enrolled in the Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning Three-Year Graduation Program
Students enrolled in the three-year ACCEL 18-credit diploma program shall be considered freshmen, sophomores, and juniors according to the same criteria that apply to students seeking a four-year diploma. Students in the 18- credit ACCEL diploma program, who have 17 or more credits at mid-year of their third year of high school, shall move to senior status with all senior rights and privileges.
Adult High School Programs
Adult high school (adult education) programs are to be used primarily for students who have exited a traditional high school program. Upon written approval of a high school principal, students may attend an adult high school for credit recovery. In such cases, students shall be allowed, at the principal’s discretion, to be enrolled in both a high school and an adult high school to remain in the cohort group that started kindergarten together. Students who have met all requirements for the standard high school diploma except for passage of the grade 10 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) in reading and the Algebra 1 End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment, or an alternative assessment, by the end of grade 12 may participate in an adult general program for such time as the student requires to master English, reading, mathematics or any other subject required for high school graduation. Students attending adult basic, adult secondary or vocational-preparatory instruction are exempt from any requirements for the payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees. A student attending an adult general education program shall have the opportunity to take the grade 10 FAST and Algebra 1 EOC whenever offered by the state to receive a high school diploma.
Students on Community Control
The court shall determine the terms and conditions of probation. Conditions specified in this section do not require oral pronouncement at the time of sentencing and may be considered standard conditions of probation. These conditions may include that the probationer or offender in community control shall: 948.03 F.S.
- report to the probation and parole supervisors as directed and
- permit such supervisors to visit him or her at his or her home or elsewhere.
Teacher Notification of Students on Community Control
If a juvenile on community control attends a regular educational school program, then the identity of the juvenile and the nature of the felony offense shall be made known to each of the student’s teachers and appropriate district staff.
Termination of School Placement at Age 16
A student who attains the age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance beyond the date upon which he or she attains that age, provided the student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district School Board. The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school enrollment is likely to reduce the student’s earning potential and must be signed by the student and the student’s parent/legal guardian.
The following steps must also be taken:
- The school shall notify the student’s parent/legal guardian of receipt of the student’s declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment.
- The student’s school counselor or other school personnel shall conduct an exit interview with the student to determine the reasons for the student’s decision to terminate school enrollment and actions that could be taken to keep the student in school.
- The student shall be informed of opportunities to continue his or her education in a different environment, including, but not limited to, adult education and GED test preparation.
- The student shall complete a survey to provide data on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions taken by schools to keep student enrolled.
Out-of-State or Out-of-Country Transfer Students in Grade 11 or Grade 12
Florida Statute 1003.433 specifies that students who enter a Florida public school at the eleventh or twelfth grade from out of state or from a foreign country shall not be required to spend additional time in a Florida public school in order to meet the high school course requirements if the student has met all the requirements of the school district, state or country from which he or she is transferring. Such students who are not proficient in English shall receive immediate and intensive instruction in English language acquisition. However, to receive a standard high school diploma, a transfer student must earn a 2.0 grade point average and pass the grade 10 FAST in English language arts or an alternative assessment and pass the FAST Algebra 1 EOC assessment.
For graduation requirements for transfer students, see: Graduation Requirements.
Parent/Legal Guardian Request for Change in Placement Florida
Statute 1003.3101 gives a parent/legal guardian the right to request his or her child be transferred to another classroom teacher based on (1) the teacher’s out-of-field certification status or (2) personal preference. This statute does not give the parent/legal guardian the right to choose a specific classroom teacher. Teachers with out-of-field certification are named on our district website 30 days before the beginning of the semester. Parents/legal guardians may complete a Teacher Change Request form, which is also available on the district website and at schools. When the form is returned to the school, the parent/legal guardian will be contacted to schedule a conference (required). After the conference, the principal will either approve or deny the request with the rationale for the denial in writing. Schools must approve or deny the transfer within two weeks of receiving the request. Any approved change must not impact class size amendment. Consistent with school board rules and in accordance with state statute (1012.28 (5) F.S.), the Superintendent has designated the principal of the school as the final authority in the placement of students in programs or classes.
