UAS - High School Curriculum

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Regular Program Courses

The REGULAR PROGRAM has been designed as a "college preparatory" course of study to provide a high level of academic preparation that will enable a student to prepare for "post-secondary" opportunities.

College Admissions

College catalogues must be consulted for specific requirements. Certain college majors may require more mathematics and/or science courses in a high school program. If your are considering applying to a selective college, consult with the counselor about special entrance requirements.

High School is a time for a wide range of academic preparation designed to prepare a student for whatever the future will hold. Again, "minimizing" course work is very self-defeating and serves only to limit the opportunities available to a student upon graduation from UAS. While a course may not be required for admission to the college you are choosing, it may prepare you in other ways to handle college curriculum.

Every student at UAS is encouraged, if not required, to partake in the most challenging courses available at UAS. "Maximizing" your UAS opportunities will pay huge dividends as you attempt to enter college. Admission officers look very carefully at the level of challenge in a student's high school program to determine admission.

4-Year Planning

Students should be familiar with graduation requirements and make careful plans for taking desired courses.

The "4-year plan" outlining a sequence for taking required courses leading to graduation and post-secondary opportunities is critical. This plan should be initiated in the spring of the 8^th grade and reviewed and updated each year during the spring semester as you progress through your high school course work. Your counselor will be available to assist you in this process.

The listing below is a summary of the minimum number of credits required to be classified as a Freshman (9^th grade),Sophomore (10^th grade), Junior (11^th grade), and Senior (12^th grade). Students are assigned to a grade on the basis of the accumulated number of credits earned at the beginning of each school year.

Students are reclassified during August just prior to the beginning of each year. The only exception is for 11^th grade students who have been classified as 11^th graders, but are in their fourth year at UAS. In such cases, these students may be reclassified in January of their fourth year and be elevated to senior 12^th grade classification if it is reasonable to conclude they will be eligible for graduation in May or in August of their fourth year.

The following classification system is used only for academic placement:

GRADE 9	0.00 to 6.25 credit units
GRADE 10	6.50 to 12.75 credit units
GRADE 11	13.00 to 19.25 credit units
GRADE 12	19.50 to +++ credit units

Grade Point Average (GPA)

At the successful completion of each course (passing grade of at least 60%), grade points are awarded according to the grade received. Grade points are awarded on the following schedule:

Grade	Regular Grade Points	AP Grade Points
A	4	5
B	3	4
C	2	3
D	1	2
E	0	0

Course Load

A normal class load for a UAS student is four (4) 90-minute periods per day, each 9-week semester. All students will be enrolled in a full class load based on course and schedule availability. Most colleges and universities expect and want students to take full advantage of advanced courses in core academic subjects and/or elective offerings.

Students may not earn more than 8 credits per school year without approval of the Principal.

A student may not earn more than one (1) credit during the summer without prior written approval of the Principal.

Course Credit

Students must maintain a grade average of 60% or above on a scale of 0 - 100% in order to receive credit for the course.

A student who fails the first semester of a course, but passes the second semester of a course, shall receive one (1) credit when the average of the two semesters is at least 60%. For some courses, a prerequisite of 70% may be required.

A student who passes the first semester and fails the second nine-week semester in a course will either: