What is a credit?
Credits in high school document that students have met the academic requirements of a course and are awarded upon course completion. Most of our classes that are held for an entire school year are worth 1 credit, while classes that are only one semester are generally 0.5 credits.
How do I know how many credits I have?
If you are unsure how many credits you have, please contact your school counselor. We will be creating graduation plans for each high school student this fall that map out your courses throughout high school. Once your graduation plan is complete, your counselor will reach out to let you know how to access, read and understand your graduation plan.
If you attended ISPA for the 2017-2018 school year, you can also find your current credit total in the top left corner of your final report card.
If you attended ISPA for the 2017-2018 school year, you can also find your current credit total in the top left corner of your final report card.
Transfer credits
If you transferred to ISPA after already earning credits at another school we will review your transcript and apply those transfer credits towards our graduation requirements. Each transcript is reviewed individually to ensure that you are in the correct classes and grade level as well.
Grade Level
At Insight PA, grade level is entirely determined by the number of credits a student has earned. This allows your grade level to be a clear indicator of how close (or far) you are from the 22 credits required for graduation. It is important to recognize that at the high school level, grade level is not nearly as meaningful as the number of credits earned because it is credits, not grade level, that determine when a student graduates. A 12th grader with 14 credits and a 10th grader with 14 credits are both still 10 credits away from graduating!
Here is the credit scale used to determine grade level:
0 – 4.99 credits: 9th grade
5 – 10.99 credits: 10th grade
11 – 15.99 credits: 11th grade
16 – 22 credits: 12th grade
Here is the credit scale used to determine grade level:
0 – 4.99 credits: 9th grade
5 – 10.99 credits: 10th grade
11 – 15.99 credits: 11th grade
16 – 22 credits: 12th grade
Grade Point Average (GPA)
GPA is a measure of student academic success in high school and it is often used by businesses and colleges when evaluating your overall high school performance. Basically, it is a numeric value that correlates with your grades.
At ISPA, we use a very standard GPA scale which is listed below. If you would like to know your current GPA, please reach out to your counselor or you can use a GPA calculator tool like: gpacalculator.net/high-school-gpa-calculator/
At ISPA, we use a very standard GPA scale which is listed below. If you would like to know your current GPA, please reach out to your counselor or you can use a GPA calculator tool like: gpacalculator.net/high-school-gpa-calculator/
Course Quality Points:
A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 F = 0 Honors Course Quality Points: A = 4.5 B = 3.5 C = 2.5 D = 1.5 F = 0 AP Course Quality Points: A= 5 B= 4 C= 3 D= 2 F= 0 |
As you can see, we currently are not factoring + and - in your GPA and honors courses are worth more quality points than our typical courses.
If your GPA is a 3.0 that tells us that you have a B average in your courses, while a GPA of 1.5 shows you earned mostly Ds. Note: GPA can be calculated for each semester, but cumulative GPA, which looks at your entire high school career, is what you will include on future resumes and applications. |
Early Graduation Policy
Parental involvement for students under the age of 18 is required. The high school principal shall approve such requests if he/she determines that all state and local graduation requirements have been met and that early graduation is related to career and/or educational plans of the student making the request. Upon approval by the high school principal, and confirmation that student has met all general requirements for graduation, the student shall be awarded a high school diploma.
In order to be eligible for early graduation, students must complete the junior year with a minimum of 20 credits if they plan to earn an ISPA high school diploma of 22 credits earned at the conclusion of 1st semester the following year. If the early graduation application is approved, an early graduation contract will be signed by the student, the student’s parent/guardian, the student’s guidance counselor, and the principal. This contract, once signed, further affirms that if requirements are not met, the student will have to finish out the duration of senior year (2nd semester) and thereby forfeits early graduation eligibility.
Guidelines:
1. All graduation requirements are completed, including but not limited to course and elective requirements.
2. A formal request in writing for early graduation is completed on or before May 1 of the student’s junior year if the student plans to graduate 1st semester senior year; or on or before May 1st in prior school year if the student is attempting to graduate in 3rd year. This application must include parental consent and signature, if student is not 18 at the time of application submission.
4. The student’s guidance counselor is involved and has had a chance to discuss post-secondary plans, academic goals, and the student’s rationale for making the request.
5. There is a direct relationship between the request for early graduation and the career goals of the student.
• Criteria that will be taken into consideration in granting or denying the student’s request for early graduation is based on the following information:
A. Are the student plans for the second semester consistent with career goals?
B. Are there courses that are available to the student which they have not taken which they can sign up for which will better prepare the foundation for their post graduate plans?
C. Are work plans consistent with the skills the student is looking to gain in the long run?
D. Is the student older than the other students in the current graduating class?
In order to be eligible for early graduation, students must complete the junior year with a minimum of 20 credits if they plan to earn an ISPA high school diploma of 22 credits earned at the conclusion of 1st semester the following year. If the early graduation application is approved, an early graduation contract will be signed by the student, the student’s parent/guardian, the student’s guidance counselor, and the principal. This contract, once signed, further affirms that if requirements are not met, the student will have to finish out the duration of senior year (2nd semester) and thereby forfeits early graduation eligibility.
Guidelines:
1. All graduation requirements are completed, including but not limited to course and elective requirements.
2. A formal request in writing for early graduation is completed on or before May 1 of the student’s junior year if the student plans to graduate 1st semester senior year; or on or before May 1st in prior school year if the student is attempting to graduate in 3rd year. This application must include parental consent and signature, if student is not 18 at the time of application submission.
4. The student’s guidance counselor is involved and has had a chance to discuss post-secondary plans, academic goals, and the student’s rationale for making the request.
5. There is a direct relationship between the request for early graduation and the career goals of the student.
• Criteria that will be taken into consideration in granting or denying the student’s request for early graduation is based on the following information:
A. Are the student plans for the second semester consistent with career goals?
B. Are there courses that are available to the student which they have not taken which they can sign up for which will better prepare the foundation for their post graduate plans?
C. Are work plans consistent with the skills the student is looking to gain in the long run?
D. Is the student older than the other students in the current graduating class?