Southampton High School Course Access Protocol

Southampton Public Schools believe that the entire student body should have access to all courses offered and have the opportunity to academically challenge themselves through a variety of rigorous, multi-leveled classes available. In the event that a student chooses to enroll in an Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) course without meeting the prerequisite classes and/or teacher recommendations listed in the Southampton High School Course Catalog, the following protocol will be used:

• The student or parent/guardian will contact the principal to request entry into a stated course.
• The principal will arrange a formal conference with the student, parent/guardian, and school counselor.
• During the conference, the following items will be reviewed with the student and parent/guardian:

The course in which the student is requesting to enroll in: The course that the student will default into if he/she does not continue in the Honors or AP course at anytime during the school year (prior to the end of quarter two). Please note that defaulting into another class may result in several to all classes being changed on the student’s schedule. Additionally, it will be the responsibility of the student to make up the missed work in the new class as determined by the classroom teacher. There shall be no penalty on the student’s grade for the makeup work.

The review process: Students enrolled through this "access protocol" will have their academic performance in the Honors or AP course reviewed two times during quarter one. The first review will take place after 4 weeks by the student’s counselor with data from the classroom teacher. The second review will take place prior to the end of the first marking period by the principal, counselor, and the classroom teacher or teacher of that department.

        *If a student is not recommended to continue in the current placement after the second review, but chooses to do so, he/she must sign a letter stating that he/she wishes to continue the placement despite the recommendation of the principal, counselor, and teacher.

         *If a student is not recommended, but remains in the Honors/AP course beyond the completion of the first semester and subsequently fails the class or exam, the student must repeat the course or alternate course (if required for graduation) the following school year.

• Extra Help: All students who enroll in an Honors or AP class using this access protocol must participate in the extra help period a minimum of two times per week during a five day school week and a minimum of 1 time per week during a shortened school week. Failure to participate in extra help as described above can result in removal from the course as determined by the principal.