2011-2012 Student Handbook - McKinney Independent School District

FUND-RAISINGStudent groups or classes and/or parent groups may be permitted to conduct fund-raising drives forapproved school purposes. An application for permission must be made to the campus principal at least 3weeks before the event.GANG-FREE ZONESCertain criminal offenses, including those involving organized criminal activity such as gang-relatedcrimes, will be enhanced to the next highest category of offense if they are committed in a gang-free zone.For purposes of the district, a gang-free zone includes a school bus and a location in, on, or within 1,000feet of any district-owned or leased property or campus playground.GRADE CLASSIFICATIONAfter the ninth grade, students are classified according to the number of credits earned toward graduationCredits Earned Classification5 Grade 10 (Sophomore)10 Grade 11 (Junior)15 Grade 12 (Senior)GRADING GUIDELINESGrading guidelines for each grade level or course will be communicated and distributed to students andtheir parents by the classroom teacher. These guidelines have been reviewed by each applicablecurriculum department and have been approved by the campus principal. These guidelines establish theminimum number of assignments, projects, and examinations required for each grading period. Inaddition, these guidelines establish how the student’s mastery of concepts and achievement will becommunicated (i.e., letter grades, numerical averages, checklist of required skills, etc). Gradingguidelines also outline in what circumstances a student will be allowed to redo an assignment or retakeand examination for which the student originally made a failing grade.State law requires a student’s score on an end-of-course (EOC) assessment to count as 15 percent of thestudent’s final grade for the course.Also see Report Cards/Progress Reports and Conferences for additional information on gradingguidelines. See Graduation below, Course Credit and Standardized Testing for additional informationregarding EOC assessmentsGRADUATIONRequirements for a DiplomaTo receive a high school diploma from the district, a student must successfully:• Complete the required number of credits;• Complete any locally required courses in addition to the courses mandated by the state; and• Depending on the year in which the student is scheduled to graduate, pass a statewide exit-levelexam or achieve the required cumulative scores on end-of-course (EOC) assessments.- 26 -