• ACADEMIC POLICIES

• Instructional Levels
• Graduation Requirements
• Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
• Learning Disabilities Program
• Grading
• Grade Point Average
• Class Rank
• Scheduling
• Schedule Changes

• CURRICULUM

• COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

• Computer Science Department
• English Department
• Fine Arts Department
• Music, Theatre, Visual Arts
• Foreign Language Department
• Health/Physical Education Department
• Mathematics Department
• Religion Department
• Science Department
• Social Studies Department

• LEARNING DISABILITIES DEPARTMENT

ACADEMIC POLICIES

INSTRUCTIONAL LEVELS
St. Ursula Academy is a college preparatory school that offers an intensive four-year program in the fields of religion, English, social studies, mathematics, science, French, Spanish, Latin, and fine arts. These courses are available on two levels: college preparatory and honors.  Advanced Placement Courses are also offered.

The program of each freshman is planned in the light of elementary school achievement and a basic entrance examination. Each year the individual student's program is reviewed, evaluated, and directed according to her abilities and interests. A student is encouraged to select a program appropriate for her abilities and interests.  Honors and Advanced Placement courses can be taken only with the approval of the respective department and/or academic dean.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Those students preparing for a baccalaureate program will receive a college-preparatory diploma upon completion of 23.00 units of credit including the following:

        Religion - 4
        English - 4.5
        Mathematics - 3
        Science (3 units) - 4.5
        Foreign Language - 3
        Social Studies - 3
        Health/Physical Education - 1
        Fine Arts - 1
        Computer - .5
        Elective Courses - 1

                         Total 25.5

Additional units of credit may be taken in English, mathematics, computers, science, foreign language, fine arts, social studies, and other electives. Required mathematics courses are Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. Required science courses are Biology, Chemistry, and one other laboratory science. A student must take three years of the same foreign language. However, a student who takes two years of Latin may take two years in a second foreign language. A student who takes only two years of Latin must take two years of the second foreign language. Permission of the academic dean is required to elect the Latin option. Required social studies courses are World History, U.S. History, and Senior Government/Economics.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) COURSES
Students must have the permission of the academic dean and be recommended by the appropriate teacher/department to enroll in an Advanced Placement course. Students who elect to take AP courses in Junior and/or Senior year will be billed an additional amount for the exam. The College Board determines the fee for the exam. Students who are enrolled in AP courses are required to take the AP exam for that course unless a teacher requests otherwise.

LEARNING DISABILITIES PROGRAM
Saint Ursula Academy offers a program for college-bound, highly motivated young women with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Students in the Learning Disabilities Program are mainstreamed into the regular college-preparatory curriculum. However, program participants benefit from a number of special modifications and services which demonstrate St. Ursula's commitment to providing a successful college-preparatory experience for learning disabled students. The special modifications and services include tutoring, course-work support, diagnostic testing, textbooks on cassette tapes, PSAT and AP tests administered orally, SAT and ACT available on cassette tapes, extended examination and testing periods, oral examinations and tests read by tutor, and the use of a tape recorder to record class notes. Students enrolled in the LD program will be billed additional fees for participation in the program.

GRADING
Any system of grading is at best a relative measure of a student's progress in a particular area of study. It is important that both students and their parents understand this relativity so that they neither weigh the grades too heavily nor ignore them altogether. It is also important that they understand the alpha system of grading used at St. Ursula Academy.

Honors and AP courses at St. Ursula Academy are weighed at a higher point value than the college-preparatory courses. Additionally, .5 credit and .25 credit courses are weighted appropriately in computing a grade point average. The following system is used at the Academy. The numeric equivalents are given for comparison purposes.
 

GRADE POINT AVERAGE
Grades from all academic subjects are weighted and averaged for the GPA and the honor roll. The GPA takes into account the amount of credit a course receives as well as any honors or AP weighting. The exam grade is included in the final average for a course.

Summer school courses (enrichment or remedial) or any make-up courses are not averaged in the GPA. A failing grade in a course is counted in the GPA. Credit is awarded for a successful make-up course, but make-up work is not counted in the GPA.

CLASS RANK
St. Ursula Academy does not report class rank because of the relatively homogeneous abilities within a selective population.

SCHEDULING
Each year the individual student has the opportunity to review and evaluate her academic program with her teachers and guidance counselor. The students prepares her list of requests or the following school year and submits it in writing to her counselor.

The academic dean confers with the head of each department (as needed) to confirm placement of students. The guidance counselors are consulted as changes are planned.  In order to schedule an Honors course, the student must have permission from the teacher/department. She must have permission from the academic dean to schedule more than three Honors courses. The academic dean oversees the student scheduling process and gives the final approval to all schedules.

SCHEDULE CHANGES
Once course choices are made in the Spring, St. Ursula strongly discourages any change. Students need to take initial course selection seriously and understand that curriculum and personnel decisions are based on student course selection. After June 1, schedules will only be changed upon the approval of the academic dean and principal.  Naturally, all changes are contingent on course availability and class size. This fee does not apply to any change necessitated by school scheduling errors.

Please note: Courses must be selected with care: once classes have begun in a term, it is extremely difficult and often impossible to change courses.

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Programs adopted by the Academy are based on the Graded Courses of Study developed by the Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee of St. Ursula Academy is composed of the principal, academic dean, guidance director, and heads of departments. All courses are college preparatory.
 

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