High School Graduation Requirements: Transfer of Coursework and Credits/Partial Credits

San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education

Administrative Regulation 6146.11

High School Graduation Requirements: Transfer of Coursework and Credits/Partial Credits

 

This Administrative Regulation applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.

 

Foster youth, Homeless/Youth in Transition, Former Juvenile Court School pupils, a Child of a Military Family, Migratory Youth, and Children Participating in a Newcomer Program (“Eligible Youths”) are legally entitled to variable credit for all coursework partially completed. All SFUSD students may earn variable credits in a course if the course requirements have been partially satisfied due to interrupted attendance in the course (i.e., mid semester enrollment, transfer, significant absences). Course grades are determined by the course teacher. Quantity of credit is determined using the guidance below. The intent of this guidance is to maximize accumulation of credit for academic attainments during periods of educational disruption.

Definitions

 

Foster youth means a child who has been subject to one of the following: (Education Code 48853.5)

1. Has been removed from his/her home pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 309 (investigation and release of child)
    
2. Is the subject of a petition filed under Welfare and Institutions Code 300 (jurisdiction of juvenile court)
    
3. Has been removed from his/her home and is the subject of a petition filed under Welfare and Institutions Code 300 or 602

 

Former Juvenile Court Pupil means a youth who attended a juvenile court school. 

 

Homeless/Transitional Youth means a youth who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition may also include:

1. Youth who are living in temporary shelters or temporary shelter rooms,
    
2. Youth who are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or awaiting foster care placement,
    
3. Youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reasons,
    
4. Youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, and/or
    
5. Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above.

Child of a Military Family means a school-aged child enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade who lives in the household of an active duty member.

 

Migratory Child means a child who has moved with a parent/guardian/caregiver from one school district to another within the past 12-month period so the parent/guardian/caregiver or other immediate family member can secure temporary or seasonal employment in an agricultural or fishing activity and whose parents have been informed of the child’s eligibility for migrant education services. 

 

Child in a Newcomer Program means a pupil who is participating in a program designed to meet the academic and transitional needs of a newly arrived immigrant pupil that has as a primary objective the development of English language proficiency.

 

Transfer of Coursework and Credits

1. When an Eligible Youth transfers into a District school, the District shall accept any coursework that the Eligible Youth has satisfactorily completed while attending another public school, a juvenile court school, a charter school, a school in another country, or a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency and shall not require the Eligible Youth to retake the course. (Education Code 51225.2)
    
2. Full credit: If the Eligible Youth satisfactorily completed the full course, the sending school shall issue full credit and the receiving school shall accept full credit for the course.
    
3. Partial credit: If the Eligible Youth did not complete the entire course, the sending school shall issue him/her partial credit for the coursework satisfactorily completed and the receiving school shall accept this partial credit, and the Eligible Youth shall be required to take only the portion of the course that he/she did not complete at his/her previous school.

 

Process for Issuing Partial Credits (Sending School)

Partial credits and grades earned by a student shall be included on the student’s official transcript within two business days of the District’s notification of the student’s transfer, as required under Education Code 49069.5.

1. To issue partial credits the sending school counselor shall work with the registrar to collect check out grades from assigned teachers based on all work completed as of the youth’s last day for grading.
    
2. A check out grade is the final grade issued by an individual teacher based on youth’s cumulative work over the entire grading period up until the last date for grading, including exam scores, home and class work, participation, and attendance.

3. Foster youths’ grades may not be lowered for absences caused by placement changes, court appearances, or participation in court-ordered activities. Teachers should be informed of the last day for grading so that they may issue proper check out grades based on work completed before the transition began. This may be significantly before the last day of enrollment.
    
4. Every effort should be made to capture partial credit. If a progress report shows passing grades prior to the student’s change in placement, but grades dropped during the student’s transition partial credit should be issued based on the higher grades.
    
5. For each class the youth was receiving a passing grade, use the Calculation formula below to determine how many credits were earned on the basis of 0.5 credits for every seven regular class periods attended per subject (typically 45-60 minutes) . If the school is on a block schedule, each block schedule class period of 90 minutes or more shall be equal to two regular class periods per subject. An alternative school (e .g ., continuation school, independent study program, or adult school), can issue credits according to this partial credit model policy or may issue a higher quantity of credit in accordance with its approved credit plan.
    
6. Complete and forward official transcript to receiving school within 2 business days of receiving school’s request for records.

 

Credit Calculation Formula

 

7 CLASS PERIODS = 0.5 CREDITS PER SUBJECT

7-13 class periods = 0 .5 credits per subject	42-48 class periods = 3 credit per subject
14-20 class periods = 1 credit per subject	49-55 class periods = 3.5 credits per subject
21-27 class periods = 1 .5 credits per subject	56-62 class periods = 4.0 credits per subject
28-34 class periods = 2 credits per subject	63-69 class periods = 4.5 credits per subject
35-41 class periods = 2 .5 credits per subject	70+ class periods = 5 credits per subject

 

Process for Alignment of Partial Credits (Receiving School)

Whenever partial credit is issued to a youth in any particular course, he/she shall be enrolled in the same or equivalent course, if applicable, so that he/she may continue and complete the entire course. (Education Code 51225.2)

 

To align partial credits, the receiving school counselor, in conjunction with the registrar, shall:

 

1. Request all records from sending school within 2 business days of a foster youth or homeless/transitional youth’s enrollment. If sending school does not provide records within 2 business days, contact sending school and the appropriate SFUSD support office to request the immediate transfer of records.
    
2. Review and update student transcripts to include partial credits and check out grades for all classes in which the youth was previously enrolled, applying them to the same/equivalent courses and graduation requirements.

• Check-out grades and partial credits previously awarded by the sending school for the current grading period should not be removed or averaged with grades and credits at the receiving school.
• If the sending school considered a class as satisfying a state graduation requirement, the receiving school must apply the partial credits to the same/equivalent course. The receiving school may not count core class credits as elective credits.

3. Enroll student in the same/equivalent classes as those attended at the sending school. If unclear as to equivalency, contact sending school for clarification or review the UC Doorways website (www.ucop.edu/doorways) A-G course listings.
   • If the receiving school does not offer the same/equivalent course during the current grading period, the counselor cannot count the partial credits as elective credits and require the youth to retake the entire course during a different grading period, if it would prevent the youth from completing all graduation requirements by the end of their fourth year of high school. (Education Code 51225 .2(d))
   • If the receiving school does not currently offer the same/equivalent course, first attempt to enroll the youth in another course that satisfies the same graduation requirement (e.g., Physics v. earth science, which are both Physical sciences). If such a course is not available, the receiving school should enroll the youth in a course within the same subject area (e.g., another science such as Biology). Under no circumstances may the receiving school count core class partial credits as elective credits or enroll the youth in all elective courses.

The receiving school should work with the education rights holder or parent/guardian to determine the appropriateness of concurrent enrollment so the youth can complete a full grading period of credits for previously enrolled courses not offered at the receiving school. Consult with SFUSD Office of Extended Learning and Support for available course offerings. California law requires schools to obtain the permission of an education rights holder (parents or individual appointed by the juvenile court) before enrolling a foster youth who lives in a licensed children’s home or foster family home in such alternative programs. (Education Code 48853)

 

In no event shall the District prevent a foster, probation-involved or homeless/transitional youth from taking or retaking a course to meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the California State University or the University of California. (Education Code 51225.2)

4. At the end of the current grading period, once final grades are posted, calculate the remaining partial credits owed based on the number of periods attended per class after the youth’s enrollment in the receiving school. Add all grades and credits earned to the youth’s official transcript.
   • Youth should be awarded credits and grades for all courses passed at the receiving school, even if the youth did not earn a passing grade or any partial credits at the sending school.

 

Process for Supporting Mid-Year Transfers (Receiving School)

Even when enrolled in the same or equivalent course, students transitioning between schools require significant support to succeed when entering a class mid-year.

1. Students entering classes in process must receive accommodations to support entering mid term, including but not limited to summaries of recent readings or lectures, assigning peer mentors or buddies, access to tutoring, modified assignments or grading, and alternative assessment.
    
2. In no event shall a student be penalized for content covered while they were not enrolled. While students can choose to make up prior reading or course material, they cannot be required to do so to pass current assignments.

 

Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.