Academics
Academic Progress and Probation
Academic Progress
Student progress can be continuously monitored on Veracross. In addition, student achievement is reported to parents at the end of each semester through report cards. Quarterly academic alerts are issued every nine weeks. After the drop/add period is closed, students will be unable to drop, add, or change courses. The one exception is for schedule changes at the end of the semester for year-long classes at the honors or Advanced Placement level where a student has earned a 75% or lower. At this point, the student would be moved down one level for second semester. Parents/ guardians will be informed of possible non-promotion or non-graduation for academic deficiency at the beginning of the second semester or as soon thereafter as the condition exists.
Students who fail a semester course or either semester of a year-long course will be required to make it up in an accredited summer program that has been approved by the administration or the following year at AHN if time and conditions permit.
Academic Probation
A student will be placed on academic probation for the semester immediately following any semester in which she receives two or more Ds or one failing grade. If a student who is on academic probation receives a report card that places her on academic probation for a second consecutive semester, the student is subject to dismissal.
Co-Curricular Activities:
Academic performance can also affect participation in co-curricular activities (athletics, clubs, etc.) as outlined below.
- Upon completion of the first six weeks of each semester, grades will be viewed weekly by the high school administration. At that time, any student with a grade lower than 70% cannot miss the class(es) in which she received that (those) grade(s) to participate in a co-curricular event. Students will regain their eligibility once their grade(s) has (have) risen to or above a 70%.
- Any student who receives an “F” grade in any class for a semester is ineligible to participate in co-curricular activities for a three-week period. The three-week ineligibility period would be in effect over the first three weeks of the following semester.
- Any student who earns two Ds or one F in a semester is ineligible to participate in co-curricular activities the next semester.
Diploma Requirements
A minimum of twenty-seven (27) credits is required for graduation. Basic requirements include the following:
Subject | Credits |
Theology | 4 |
English | 4 |
*Social Studies | 3½ |
**World Language | 3 |
Mathematics | 4 |
Science (must include Physics, Chemistry and Biology) | 3 |
Fine Arts | 1 |
Health and Fitness | 1 |
Electives | 4½ |
Service Hours | 100 |
Credit Clarifications:
*Must include Global Studies, 20th Century History, American Civics, United States History and Economics
** Three consecutive years of the same language.
In addition to these graduation requirements, the Academy curriculum is designed to accommodate those who are pursuing the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
Exam Policy
Semester Exams
At the end of each semester, students take exams for each of their courses. Seniors are allowed to exempt their first and second semester exams if they have an 89% or higher at the end of the semester and have not accumulated more than five (5) class absences in the semester, and have not had an Honor Code violation. Advanced Placement courses (in the first semester) and projects in lieu of an exam may not be exempted.
Exam dates are published at the beginning of the school year. Attendance for all semester exams is mandatory. Students who miss exams due to illness must have a doctor’s note for the date of the missed exam and the exam must be taken at the earliest date possible after the originally scheduled exam date. Exceptions to this policy are rare and are usually only made for family tragedies and extreme illness. Exceptions may only be granted by the administration. Vacations of any kind do not count as excused absences for originally scheduled exam dates. Students who miss exams due to vacation plans may receive a zero for the scheduled exam.
Students’ transcripts/grades may be withheld until they have met all of their financial obligations including, but not limited to, the proper return of club, athletic and media center materials.
Grading
Grading System
Letter grades will be reported on the report card. Grade point averages are weighted.
Letter Grade | Number | Grade Point |
A+ | 97-100 | 4.5 |
A | 92-96 | 4.3 |
A- | 88-91 | 4.0 |
B+ | 84-87 | 3.7 |
B | 80-83 | 3.4 |
B- | 76-79 | 3.0 |
C+ | 72-75 | 2.7 |
C | 68-71 | 2.4 |
C- | 64-67 | 2.0 |
D | 60-63 | 1.5 |
F | 59 or below | 0 |
Weighting
Each semester one (1) point is added to the grade point total for each Advanced Placement course in which a student has at least a “C” average. Five-tenths (.5) of a point is added to the grade point total for each honors course in which a student has at least a “C” average. Courses in which a student earns a “D” average for the semester will always calculate as a 1.00 grade point.
Honor Roll
To be eligible for any of the following honor rolls, a student must maintain an average of a “C” or better in each of her classes. Honor roll is determined at the end of each semester.
- President’s Honor Roll with Distinction - weighted GPA of 4.50 or higher
- President’s Honor Roll - min. 4.00 weighted GPA
- Principal’s Honor Roll - min. 3.70 weighted GPA
The valedictorian and salutatorian speak at the graduation ceremonies. To qualify for this honor, a student must have attended the Academy of the Holy Names for grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 (eight semesters in total) and have achieved the highest and second highest grade point averages, respectively.
Honor Societies
Eligibility requirements for honor societies adhere to their national guidelines but may be more restrictive or have additional requirements. Notification processes for all AHN honor societies:
- Students will be notified of eligibility.
- Students must complete an application and return it to moderator by the stated due date, if applicable.
- Parents and students will be notified of acceptance.
The Academy is proud to offer membership in the following honor societies:
International Thespian Society
Latin Honor Society
Mu Alpha Theta
National Art Honor Society
National Beta Club
National Dance Education Honor Society
National English Honor Society
National Honor Society
Quill & Scroll
Rho Kappa
Science National Honor Society
Spanish Honor Society
Tri-M Music Honor Society
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Membership in the Academy of the Holy Names Chapter of the National Honor Society is an honor given to a student who meets the criteria of scholarship, character, leadership and service. Students do not apply to be members; they are selected for membership. Sophomores and juniors with a weighted cumulative grade point average of 4.20 or above at the end of the second semester are invited to submit an application to be considered for selection. An email invitation will be sent to sophomore and junior students who meet the academic requirement early in following school year in anticipation of an October induction.
Scheduling
Academic Placement, Honors, and Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
Honors and AP-level courses are offered in all five academic subject areas. Any student may request an honors or Advanced Placement course if she successfully completed the previous course. A student must maintain a 75% or higher grade average in the first semester to stay in the honors or Advanced Placement course. If the grade average is below 75%, the student will move down one level for the second semester.
Students may earn college credit for Advanced Placement course work should they earn a 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board’s AP exam. Students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the AP exam. Failure to complete the exam will result in a removal of AP designation on the student’s transcript. The suggested recommendation is a maximum of four Advanced Placement courses per academic year.
Course Changes
Careful choices during course selection time should eliminate the need for schedule changes. However, if a course change is needed, the following policies will be implemented. Entry into a class will be considered if there is space available in the class the student wishes to enter and if the student is free to take the class at the time offered. Placement policies may also affect whether or not a student is granted permission for a schedule change.
There is a drop/add period that allows for schedule changes at the beginning of the year for a year course and at the beginning of each semester for a semester course. A course change may be initiated within this time period for any of the following reasons:
After the drop/add period is closed, students will be unable to drop, add or change courses. The one exception is for schedule changes at the end of the semester for year-long classes where a student has earned a C+ or lower.
During a semester, if a student transfers from a lower-level class to a higher-level class of a similar course (i.e. History Honors to AP History or Biology CP to Biology Honors) only grades for the higher-level course will be used in the course average for that semester. If a student transfers into a different course (i.e. Fit for Life to Art 2-D) in a semester, only the grades for the new course will count.