Attendance is an important aspect of any class at ISB. Because performance in class through collaborative activities is essential to student learning and assessment, student absences may have a negative impact on student progress.

All absences need to be authorized by a parent. Please call our attendance hotline at 503-356-3691. Extended absences (longer than 3 days) need to be pre-arranged with teachers. Forms are available from our Attendance Secretary. After 10 consecutive days of absences students will be unrolled from school. Please contact the registrar and/or counselor regarding extended absences.

Credits are the units by which academic progress is measured. Each semester class completed with a mark of D or above will earn one-half credit. In middle school, this credit will be recorded on the middle school transcript. In high school, this credit will count towards the 24 credits required for graduation.

The district encourages students to perform at the highest academic levels. Many middle school age students, though appropriately enrolled at the middle level, are ready and able to master high school curriculum.

If in addition to course planning and placement the student needs high school courses taken during middle school to be entered on the high school transcript in order to successfully follow the timelines in the student’s Education Plan, the option will be made available. Such student who complete a high school course in mathematics (Geometry, IMP II, and higher) or world languages (high school level one or higher) that includes the same curriculum and proficiency demands of a high school course and is taught by a district teacher certified to teach the course at a high school, will have the courses entered on the student’s high school transcript with the letter grade awarded.

By granting credit, the district will reduce the established units of credit to be completed in grades 9 through 12 for high school graduation.

Middle school students who are not enrolled in a high school level course but believe they can demonstrate proficiency in a world language offered by the high school the student will be attending may be assessed to assure accurate program placement in high school. If the student needs to satisfy a diploma requirement in this manner in order to successfully follow the timelines in the student’s Education Plan, the student will utilize the credit for courses by evidence of the proficiency process.

Retaking Courses with a D or N

High School students may elect to replace a D or N grade on their transcript by taking the identical Beaverton School District course and earning a C or better. If the grade is a C or better on the second attempt, the first grade will change to N. Both attempts at the course will remain on the transcript.

Credit Check

Your counselor will work with you to meet all graduation requirements. If you are credit deficient, your counselor will suggest ways to complete graduation requirements with additional programs of study.

These may include Evening Academy, summer school, correspondence or on-line courses. An off-campus course may be transcripted only if the course represents an extension or acceleration of the student's high school graduation program or if the course is needed in order to attain enough credits to graduate. This course should be included as part of the student's education plan and profile. Students planning to enroll in off-campus courses during the summer should submit a Summer Learning Plan by the last school day in May.  Students need to meet with a counselor and get all college course work approved before they take the class for transcripting purposes.  Course work taken for enrichment or that is not an extension of a sequence offered at the high school will not be placed on a high school transcript and is not eligible for weighting.

Homework expectations will vary from class to class, however students should expect to do homework on a daily basis to support their in-class learning. Work will be relevant and relate to students’ development of independent learning. Review each class syllabus for information about homework expectations.

ISB believes that extracurricular activities are an important part of a student’s education.

We believe that these activities help students to learn and practice valuable life skills such as meeting deadlines, working as a team, and interacting with their community.

ISB also holds very high academic standards. In light of this, we believe that academics should be taken care of primarily, with participation in activities being considered secondarily. Our eligibility and participation policy, which mirrors the policy of the Beaverton School District, is as follows:

Students participating in activities provided at ISB or other schools in the district must be passing all classes and have a GPA of 2.0 or higher during their participation in the activity. Progress reports, quarter grades, and semester grades will be the grade checks that will deter- mine eligibility for participation.

If students are not meeting the passing criteria they will not be able to participate in the activity until they provide documentation to the activity advisor indicating that they are passing all of their current classes and their GPA is a

2.0 or greater. Families are encouraged to work with ISB Counselors to develop a plan to support the academic success of their student.

ISB counselors work very hard to give students their first choice electives requested during the spring registration process. Students are encouraged to select alternate courses to guide counselors in schedule building. There is no guarantee that students will receive forecasted courses. If a scheduling error is made, counselors should be notified during the first week of the semester so corrections can be made. Because the offering and staffing of many courses depend upon the requests made during forecasting in the spring, students are expected to accept and complete the courses they have requested. We are not able to offer students the option of scheduling classes with specific teachers or at specific times of the day.

Schedule change request forms are available in the office. The request will be considered if it can be accomplished while maintaining balanced class loads. Students may not drop or add classes after the first 10 days of the semester. Courses dropped after the first 10 days result in a grade of “withdraw/fail (W/F)” being placed on the student transcript. This grade counts against the student’s GPA.

Students will register for eight periods of class. Each semester lasts eighteen weeks. Students will receive progress reports at weeks 6 and 9 of each semester. Teachers will issue the following grades to students: A, B, C, D, or F. Only the final second and fourth quarter grades will appear on a student’s official transcript. Please check the ISB calendar on the school’s website for information about grading days, vacations, and other activities scheduled at ISB.

Students are responsible for all fines and fees incurred while attending school in the Beaverton School District. ISB reserves the right to withhold grade reports, diplomas, and records of students who owe fees, fines, or damages of $50 or more in compliance with ORS 339.260 and ORS 339.270.

In keeping with the high academic standards at ISB, all students attempting a full IB diploma will be acknowledged as IB Scholars. Out of this group a single Valedictorian will be chosen. The Valedictorian will have the highest cumulative weighted G.P.A. after 8 semesters of course completion, and completed all IB Middle Years Program and Diploma Program requirements, including:

• Personal Project
• CAS
• Extended Essay/TOK
• Exams
• Internal Assessments

In the case of a tie: Valedictorian Honors will be given to the student who shows exemplary service to the school and local community as decided by a committee of ISB staff.

Both regular and weighted GPA will be computed and recorded on a student’s academic high school transcript. An “A” in a weighted class will yield 5 points (4 points for the “A” and 1 point because it is a weighted class). In weighted classes, a “B” will yield 4 points and a “C” will yield 3 points.

BSD Weighted Grades