Table of Contents

Planning Your Education

Your school provides this course curriculum guide as a means of assisting students and parents in planning their high school course of study. Consideration should be given to planning the entire four year program with specific outcomes in mind. Is the student planning on attending a two or four-year college? Is the student planning to enter the military or the work force upon graduation? The successful student will plan based on goals that he and his parents establish upon completion of high school. Therefore, students are encouraged to carefully select courses during the registration process. Your school's guidance counselors and teachers stand ready to assist them. Parents are invited and encouraged to actively participate by assisting their student.

Classes are scheduled based upon student requests. However, due to schedule conflicts and changes in course offerings, the staff cannot guarantee that students will be scheduled for all courses they request. Therefore, it is very important that students list alternatives in case of class conflicts. In addition, be aware that the school builds a master schedule and employs teachers based on students' requests; therefore, schedule changes after the deadline will only be considered on a very limited basis. Students should see their guidance counselor for a list of the schedule change requests that will be honored and the deadline by which these requests must be submitted.

Online Registration

Online Registration was implemented in 2004. It allows parents and students to request related arts courses for the next school year from home via the Internet. Families who do not have access to the Internet will be given opportunities to use school computers to register online. Parents and students should understand that requesting a related arts course through online registration does not guarantee that the student is placed in the course the next school year. Final placement in a course is dependent upon enrollment, scheduling feasibility, and teacher allocation. Parents without Internet access at home will receive a printed copy of the course curriculum guide by request. The window for students to select related arts courses online is posted by the school on the school's website and in parent newsletters. Schools will provide instructions on accessing the online registration tool.

State Diploma Requirements

Unit Requirements for Grade Advancement

Uniform Grading Scale

The following conversion table will be used to determine GPR and rank in class.

Grade point ratios will be figured uniformly in all schools using the following formula. The formula will yield each student's GPR which can then be ranked from highest to lowest rank in class. Computations will not be rounded to a higher number. All diploma candidates are included in the ranking.

College Admission Requirements

Usually college admissions requirements are far beyond the minimum requirements for high school graduation. Students who plan to attend college should consult catalogs of colleges to assure that they are choosing the right courses. Colleges also look at the GPA and class rank as well as College Entrance Exam scores such as the SAT or ACT for admission.

Guidelines for Courses

State Dept. of Education regulations and Greenville County Schools Board of Trustee policies/rules that relate to high school course offerings offer the following guidance:

• Per State Uniform Grading Policy "Students in grades nine through twelve may retake a course at the same level of difficulty if they have earned a D or an F in that course. ... Retaking the course means that the student completes the entire course again (not a subset of the course such as through credit or content recovery). If the course being retaken has an EOCEP, the EOCEP must be retaken. The student's transcript will reflect both course instances. Only one course attempt and the highest grade earned for the course will be calculated in the GPA.
  
  A student who has taken a course for a unit of high school credit prior to his or her ninth grade year may retake that course regardless of the grade he or she has earned. A student who retakes a high school credit course from middle school must complete it before the beginning of the second year of high school. A student in grades nine through twelve, must retake a course by the end of the next school year or before the next sequential course (whichever comes first). In such a case, only the highest grade will be used in figuring the student's GPA. The student may not retake the course if the course being replaced has been used as a prerequisite for enrollment in a subsequent course; i.e., a student may not retake Algebra 1 after having earned credit for a higher level mathematics course (Geometry, Algebra 2)."
• Courses that include students who are part of a team, club, or organization must be open to all other students who meet the prerequisites and who want to benefit from the content and skills taught.
• Carnegie units are not to be awarded for extracurricular activities or preparation for interscholastic competition such as band competition practice, football practice, cheerleading practice, dance team rehearsals, forensic tournament rehearsal or student council activity.
• Students are not allowed to earn a Carnegie unit for being a teacher's aide with the exception of the science lab assistant and the media center specialist's assistant.
• Schools offering courses in Service Learning and/or other work-based, credit-bearing instructional experiences such as Internship or Cooperatives are to abide by all rules governing those experiences and courses. Students must attend class a minimum of one day per week if they are engaged in their work-based projects outside the school. Insurance forms, attendance logs, and performance evaluation documentation must be on file at the school. Teachers of these courses are required to make site visits and to keep appropriate documentation on each student.
• An honors course must have a published syllabus that verifies rigor that is sufficiently beyond the college prep requirements.
• Honors-level texts and other course materials must be differentiated and more rigorous than those used in the college prep courses.
• Teacher recommendation means that a teacher recommends a course as a future path for that student. The appropriate content-area teacher is designated in the prerequisite.
• Instructor approval means that the teacher who is actually teaching the course must approve of that student's placement in the course.
• Specific instances demanding an exception to the grade level requirement for a course must be addressed by the appropriate District level Academic Specialist.
• Students and parents who disagree with a recommendation made by a teacher may choose to complete a "Parent Override Request" and set up a conference with the teacher who made the placement. The form is available through the guidance office at the school.
• Students may apply to audit a class. Please note that if a course is audited that the class cannot be retaken for credit. Students may pick up the application and receive more information from their guidance counselor.
• Curriculum Guide Key:
  • AP – Advanced Placement Level Course
  • IB – International Baccalaureate Course
  • CP – College Preparatory Course
  • H – Honors Level Course
  • EW – Dual Credit

Early Dismissal Guidelines

Section I - Instructional Program

Title: Instructional Arrangements: Scheduling for Instruction

Code :IED

Status: Active

Adopted; June 8, 2004

Last Revised: October 24, 2018

A senior may apply for a flexible schedule (late arrival or early dismissal), if all the following criteria are met:

• The student attends school a minimum of one-half day (4 traditional classes or two block classes);
• The student is on track to graduate;
• The student's principal and parent(s) determine that a flexible schedule is in the best interest of the student's academic success.

The superintendent may waive this policy in exceptional situations. He/she shall promulgate a rule setting forth situations in which such a waiver would be appropriate and specifying the procedure for obtaining a waiver.

Career Center Program

Registering for a Career Center Course

All students who wish to register for a Career Center program are to contact either their school’s counselor or a counselor at the Career Center to receive instructions on completing the application process.

Fine Arts Center Program

Riverside High School Information

Attendance Policy
Most students begin earning unit credits in the ninth grade. Some students begin earning high school credits in middle school. Unit credit is given for high school subjects successfully completed by students. A student must be in attendance at least 170 days to receive credit for a one-year course. A student must be in attendance at least 85 days to receive credit for a semester course. (This applies to attendance in each individual class).  Exceptions will be made for cases of extended or chronic illness when certified by a physician, and for absences for emergencies when excused by the principal.
 

Course Recommendation Parent Override Process

Riverside High School 2024

In order for a course recommendation Parent Override to be considered, all steps of the process must be finalized by the deadline, April 10th 2024.

Parent emails teacher - The parent will email the teacher that made the recommendation they are wanting to override and explain the reason for the request.  The teacher will respond with feedback.  

Parent forwards communication to school counselor - After the teacher responds with feedback, the parent will forward the email showing the communication between the parent and the teacher to the student’s assigned school counselor.  

Parent submits Parent Override Request Form - The parent completes and submits the digital Parent Override Request Form agreeing to all the conditions of the override.   

          Parent Override Request Form - https://forms.gle/5aPMnZ1t5Qdnktqx7

Greenville County Schools Parent Override Policy

Teachers in Greenville County middle/high schools give careful consideration to student placement for the following year. Parents have the right to participate in the registration process and may override a teacher recommendation in order to place their son or daughter in a different course and/or level. Please be mindful that the following conditions must be met in order for the override to take place:

1. The parent must contact the student’s teacher to discuss reasons for a different placement.
2. The student and parent recognize that the student should meet published school district prerequisites before a   change can be considered.
3. The student and parent understand that this parent override request will be honored only if space is available in the course requested.
4. The student will not be allowed to drop to a lower level or move up to a higher level during this school year unless an administrative appeal decision has been rendered on behalf of the student.
5. The parent understands that he/she will be contacted by the school’s counselor if this request cannot be honored.