Course Requests
Course requests for the subsequent school year are completed during the spring semester. All course requests for the subsequent school year must be finalized by 4:00pm on the last school day in April and may not be changed.
Schedule Changes
Requests to change enrollment in fall semester and/or year-long courses must be made between August 1 and the last day of the first week of classes during the fall semester (Friday, September 4, 2020 at 3:30pm).
Requests to change spring semester courses must be made by Monday, October 5, 2020 at 3:30pm. There is no add/drop period in the spring semester, with the following exceptions: level changes, dropping a 7th class, adding a 7th class (provided it fits into the student’s free period), or correcting a scheduling error.
Withdrawing from Classes
For fall semester classes, a student may withdraw from a class no later than the last school day in October provided the student maintains the required number of courses. There will be no record on the transcript if the withdrawal takes place by Monday, October 5, 2020 at 3:30pm. However, if the withdrawal occurs past this deadline, the student will receive a “W” on the transcript.
Students may not withdraw from a year-long course at any time after the last school day in October. With rare exception, Advanced Placement (AP) courses require a one-year commitment on the part of the student and cannot be changed or dropped after the first week of classes in the fall semester. Waivers of this policy must meet the approval of the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Academics.
In the spring semester, a student may withdraw from a one-semester class no later than the last school day in January with no record on the transcript provided the student maintains the required number of courses. Withdrawals are not allowed in the spring semester beyond this deadline.
In order to withdraw from a class after the first week of classes, the student must go through a process in which he/she has conversations with and obtains signatures from his/her School Counselor, the relevant Department Head, the teacher, and for seniors, an SHP College Counselor. The conversations are intended to make sure the student makes an educated decision concerning the withdrawal, based on significant discussion about the possible ramifications, if any, of withdrawing from the class. The Withdrawal from Class Form clearly articulates the process and must be completed and returned to them before the withdrawal can occur.
NOTE: Seniors should be aware that College Counseling must notify colleges of any such withdrawals for those colleges that have already received information about the senior’s schedule.
Online Learning courses: please refer to the Online Learning section for SophieConnect registration policies.
Moving from Advanced Placement (AP)/Honors Level Classes to Regular Level Classes
Students may move from an Honors or AP level class to a regular level class during the first week of classes in the fall semester. After the first week in the fall semester, a student in a year-long Honors/AP class may request to move to the mainstream equivalent, only if the following criteria has been met:
- The move is recommended by the teacher and counselor, OR
- The student earned a C (76%) or lower on the first major assessment
A conference with the student, teacher, parent(s) and counselor(s) will be required BEFORE the level change deadline. If approved, a Level Change Form must be completed. Consideration will be given to the student’s mastery of the material to date, overall workload, and/or any extenuating circumstances. The deadline for such a move is Monday, October 5, 2020 at 3:30pm. No moves can be made during the fall semester after this deadline, regardless of the student’s grade.
If a switch occurs by the Monday, October 5, 2020 deadline, the transcript will show enrollment in the mainstream course only – there will be no record on the transcript that the student was in the Honors/AP level course during that semester. However, the assessment grade(s) the student earned in the Honors/AP course will be transferred to the teacher of the mainstream course and will be included in the student’s overall grade calculation for the mainstream course, with a 0.333 letter grade bump.
Students may request to move from a year-long Honors/AP course at the semester, if their assessment average was at a C or lower during the fall semester. The deadline for this request is the last day of the first week of classes of the spring semester at 3:30pm. Students may not move from one AP course to a different AP course, with the exception of AP Calculus BC to AP Calculus AB. It should be noted that a level change can only occur into the equivalent mainstream course. If there is no equivalent course, a change will not be possible.
In order to move from an Honors/AP level class to a mainstream class, the student, parent(s), counselor(s), and teacher of the Honors/AP course must meet to discuss the reasons for the request and determine the best course of action. If approved, a Level Change Form must be completed to finalize the move with the registrar. A fee for the AP exam may be incurred.
Second Semester Schedule Changes for Seniors
A senior who wishes to change his/her second semester schedule in any way after this information has been sent to colleges must go through a process in which he/she has conversations with and obtains signatures from his/her SHP College Counselor. The conversations are intended to make sure the student makes an educated decision concerning the schedule change, based on significant discussion about the possible ramifications, if any, of such a change. The Second Semester Schedule Change Form clearly articulates the process and must be completed and returned to the School Counselor before the change can occur. Seniors may not drop the second semester of year-long courses.
NOTE: Seniors should be aware that College Counseling must notify colleges of any second semester schedule change for those colleges that have already received information about the senior’s schedule.
Schedule Change Deadlines Summary
Fall Semester and Year-long Classes:
August 1st through the last school day of the first week of classes
- drop/add period for fall semester and year-long courses.
Last school day of the first week of classes- last day to move from an Honors/AP level course to a regular level course without going through the level change process.
Monday, October 5, 2020 at 3:30pm- Last day to withdraw from a fall semester class (including year-long classes) without record on transcript
- Last day to change spring semester courses
- Last day to move from an Honors/AP level course to a mainstream level course. No record of the Honors/AP course will appear on the transcript. A fee for the AP exam may be incurred.
Last school day in October- Last day to withdraw from a fall semester class (including year-long classes). A record of the withdrawal will appear on the transcript.
Spring Semester:
Monday, October 5, 2020 at 3:30pm is the last day to change spring semester courses.
Exceptions to extend this deadline may be granted for one of the following reasons:- A level change at the semester, with approval, by the last day of the first week of the spring semester at 3:30pm
- Adding or dropping a support class at the semester (CSS or Writer’s Workshop), with approval
- Adding a 7th class at the semester, if it does not change any other classes and fits into a free period. NOTE: Courses may not be added after the last day of the first week of classes in the spring semester.
- Dropping a 7th class – the last school day in January is the last day to drop a one semester spring course, with approval.
Mixed-Level Classes
In a handful of cases, two classes of different levels will be scheduled into the same classroom, during the same period, with the same teacher. When this is done, it is usually because one or both of the classes are too small to offer separately, and yet are similar enough that the expectations of the students in each level can be differentiated. This may happen in World Languages, Fine Arts, and senior English. Here are some examples of mixed-level classes.
- Latin 2/2 Honors
- AP Latin and Latin 5
- Mandarin 3/3 Honors, Mandarin 4/4 Honors
- Ceramics and Advanced Ceramics
- Advanced Photography and AP 2D Design in Photography
NOTE: This list is not exhaustive, and classes that are mixed-level one year are not necessarily mixed the next year, and vice-versa.