Columbiana Exempted Village School District

The Columbiana Schools are committed to educational excellence for our students, staff, and community.

Columbiana is strategically located in the heart of America’s industrial and agricultural areas, an ideal position for healthy and consistent growth. A fine network of major highways enhances access to the community. Although the inner town boasts fine historical landmarks dating back to early 1800’s, new construction is constantly developing. Land use is carefully zoned to maintain values.

Twenty-one (21) units of credit are required for graduation. Required subjects are:
English 4 credits
Social Studies 3 credits
Mathematics 3 credits
Science 3 credits
Health 1/2 credit
Phys Ed 1/2 credit
Electives 7 credits
TOTAL 21 credits

Recommended for College Entrance:
Not every college will insist that all entering students have all the courses recommended below--though most will expect students to acquire them before undertaking further study or, perhaps, during the course of their college career. Some colleges will expect more at the outset. The goal, however, is to provide quality preparation for as many college entrants as possible.
4 credits English
4 credits Mathematics (Advanced Prep)
3 credits Science (laboratory sciences)
3 credits Social Studies
2 credits of the same World (foreign) Language
1 credit Fine Arts (selected from Theatre Arts, Band, Chorus, or Art)
The admission status of students to college may be affected if these recommendations are not met. The admission status varies with each college, as some colleges take into account college entrance examinations and grade point average as well as the student’s course of study. Students should check with specific colleges for special entrance requirements.

CCCTC REQUIREMENTS
Current CCCTC program offerings and applications are posted on the Career Center web page which can be found at http://www.ccctc.k12.oh.us/.

1. A student is required to complete 8 credits to enroll at CCCTC. Columbiana High School recommends that the following 9 credits be completed:

English 2 credits
Math 2 credits
Science 2 credits
Health 1/2 credit
Phys Ed 1/2 credit
Western Civ 1 credit
Am History 1 credit
TOTAL 9 credits

2. All vocational students must complete the total number of course and credit requirements for graduation from Columbiana High School.

3. Vocational subject credits will fulfill the majors and additional elective credits required for graduation from CHS.

Students who complete an intensive vocational or technical education curriculum in the high school may also distinguish themselves by meeting at least nine of the following ten criteria to receive a State of Ohio Honors Diploma-Vocational:
(a) Earn four units of English which may include one unit of applied communication;
(b) Earn three units of mathematics which will include algebra and geometry, or a sequence of courses that contain equivalent content;
(c) Earn three units of science that develop concepts for physical, life, and earth & space sciences;
(d) Earn three units of social studies;
(e) Earn two units of a foreign language, or two units of business/technology, or one unit of each;
(f) Earn three units in the student’s vocational or technical education curriculum;
(g) Earn two additional units in (a) through (f) or fine arts;
(h) Maintain an overall high school grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale up to the last grading period of the senior year;
(i) Complete a career passport that reflects achievement of the occupational proficiency benchmark established for the Ohio Vocational Competency Assessment;
(j) Obtain a composite score of 27 on the American College Testing Program Tests (ACT)or an equivalent composite score on the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT).
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CREDIT FLEXIBILITY

Students may earn credits by:
1. Completing coursework
2. Testing out of or demonstrating mastery of course content
3. Pursuing one or more educational options

Listed below are the educational options available to students at CHS. Educational options can provide an opportunity for students to learn in an independent or individual setting and to study or work with recognized experts in specific fields. This is subject to school and parental approval.

Independent Study

1. Independent Study is a method of study designed for students who are interested in pursuing a topic not adequately treated in a regular course. The student should apply for the program through the guidance counselor, detail in writing the nature of the study, enlist the services of a faculty advisor, and sign an Independent Study Contract Agreement wherein the student assumes full responsibility for the completion of the project and his/her activity during the program. Because of the unusual amount of unsupervised time associated with Independent Study, the students who apply must have demonstrated the required self-discipline in other courses. Students who enroll in this project must be recommended by a teacher in the most closely related field, the guidance counselor, and the principal. Independent Study must also be approved by the District Superintendent.

2. No Independent Study can be taken in a subject being offered in the current year’s schedule unless as a result of an irreconcilable conflict; also, Independent Studies are in addition to the minimum course load requirements.

3. Independent Study Contract forms are available in the office and must be completed prior to starting an Independent Study program.

Testing Out Options

1. Tests are being developed in a few select courses for the testing out option. If a student chooses to test out of a course, the instructor must be notified within the first five days of a semester class, and within ten days of a year long class.

2. If a student passes the exit exam, the grade earned on the test will be the final grade for the course. This grade will be recorded on the transcript and calculated in the GPA.

3. A student may retake an exit exam once, if failed on the first attempt. The failed test (F) and the grade earned on the second attempt will be averaged together for a final grade.

Correspondence Courses

1. If a correspondence course is being taken to meet graduation requirements, written notification of credit from the granting institution must be received by CHS prior to graduation.

2. Correspondence courses must be approved in advance by the CHS Principal and District Superintendent.

3. The student must take the final examination at CHS under the supervision of the guidance counselor or principal.

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Summer School

1. Summer school courses must meet the State of Ohio standards and a student must have approval of the CHS principal prior to registration.

2. No summer school classes may be taken to substitute for the same course offered at CHS unless the student has failed the course previously, wishes to take an advanced course at CHS for which the summer school course is a prerequisite, or to meet requirements for early graduation.

Tutoring for Credit

1. Any plan for a student to earn credit by tutoring must be approved in advance by the CHS Principal and District Superintendent. Tutoring for credit will normally be approved only for courses previously failed.

2. Qualifications of the tutor must be approved by the CHS Principal.

3. The burden of finding a certificated tutor for subject credit rests with students and their parents.

4. An educational plan for tutoring which includes objectives, assessment procedures, and required work must be approved by the CHS Principal. This must be in writing to the building principal prior to any work being started.

5. Credit will be granted upon written certification that all work has been completed satisfactorily as recommended by the tutor and approved by the CHS Principal. All completed work and tests are to be given to the building principal for inclusion in the student’s permanent record.

Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Program

Qualified students will be able to consider this option which allows students to enroll at a college or university on a full- or part-time basis to complete nonsectarian courses for high school and/or college credit.

Students and parents or guardians must attend a counseling session at Columbiana High School scheduled annually in early March or make their intentions known by the date of the meeting. Policies and regulations will be given out at the counseling session. Since new legislation is currently changing these regulations, we will constantly be updating our policy. The latest information will be available on file in the High School Office and/or you may want to call the Guidance Office to discuss this particular program.

Seniors to Sophomores

Seniors to Sophomores is a dual enrollment program, which enables academically qualified high school seniors to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. Students who participate in Seniors to Sophomores will be enrolled in college classes on a University System of Ohio campus and will have the opportunity to earn a year’s worth of both high school and college credit. Seniors may attend Kent State University – Salem Campus, and earn up to 24 college semester hours.

Virtual Learning Academy - (VLA)

Students that wish to make up credits or take courses that are not offered at Columbiana High School may choose to take classes via the internet. Courses are offered by Jefferson Community college through Columbiana High School. A List of courses and applications are available in the Guidance Office. No VLA classes may be taken to substitute for the same course offered at CHS unless the student has failed the course previously, wishes to take advanced courses at CHS for which the virtual class is a prerequisite to meet requirements for early graduation or to reconcile schedule conflicts.
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COURSE LOAD REQUIREMENTS

All students are required to carry a minimum of 6 classes each semester. By OHSAA regulations, students participating in athletics are required to be passing 5 full credit courses both the grading period prior to and all grading periods during the sports season. (Physical Education or any other course which meets all year for only 1/2 credit are not full credit courses).
GRADE POINT AVERAGE
1. A grade point average (GPA) is determined by: quality points
credits

2. Quality points are determined by: credits X grade value

3. Grade values are as follows: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.

4. All subjects graded as in #3 above, including summer school, independent studies, tutoring for credit, correspondence courses, Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Program courses if taken for high school credit, subjects failed, subjects repeated, No-Credit-Attendance subjects (NC), and subjects which are incomplete are counted toward a student’s GPA except Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Program courses if taken for college credit only. PLEASE NOTE: As stated above, Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Program courses would not count in a student’s GPA if taken for college credit; they would count if taken for high school credit.

5. Only final grade averages are used in determining a GPA.

6. Neither a plus (+) nor a minus (-) is counted in determining a GPA.

7. Students may repeat a course to improve their knowledge or for a better grade. Both final grades are figured into a student’s grade point average; however, only the credit from one course will apply toward graduation requirements. A repeated Advanced Level course does not count twice for the fulfillment of achieving more than half of the upper level courses.

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

A. Class Rank

Class rank is determined strictly by accumulated grade point average—highest to lowest—for Grades 9-12.

B. Valedictorian-Salutatorian

The senior with the highest accumulated GPA figured through the 1st semester of the senior year will be named Valedictorian; the senior with the next highest accumulated GPA will be named Salutatorian. If there is more than one Valedictorian, there will be no Salutatorian.

If there is a tie for Valedictorian, the single tie-breaker will be the number of advanced level courses taken. If seniors are still tied, there will be co-Valedictorians.

To be eligible for Valedictory or Salutatory status, a student must earn at least 8 credits from C.H.S. and have taken more than half of the advanced level courses.

C. Columbiana High School Honors Diploma

Any student wishing to be considered for a Columbiana High School Honors Diploma must have taken more than half of the Advanced Level Courses listed below.

The faculty has the ability to lower this requirement if it becomes unable to offer selected Advanced Level Courses.

Columbiana Honors Graduates must also have an accumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Advanced-level courses are as follows:
A.P. Calculus Integ 11A Spanish IV AP US History
A.P. English XII Physics AP English XI Adv. Chemistry
French IV Pre-calculus AP US Government
An asterisk appears before the name of each advanced level course in the course descriptions section of this handbook.

D. Honor Roll

Any student, Grades 9-12, will be named to the Distinguished Honor Roll by receiving a 4.0 grade point average for the grading period.
Any student, Grades 9-12, will be named to the Honor Roll by receiving a 3.00-3.999 grade point average for the grading period. Students must receive a “C” or better in all courses including non-GPA courses.

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E. Academic Letter

At the May Honors/Awards Program, the high school staff will award academic letters* according to the following criteria to:

All FRESHMEN who have appeared on the three previous Honor Rolls with a 3.75 or higher GPA and who are enrolled in at least 5.5 credits.

All SOPHOMORES who have appeared on at least three of the four previous Honor Rolls with a 3.75 or higher GPA (the fourth must be no lower than a 3.5 GPA) who have accumulated at least 5.5 credits, and who are currently enrolled in at least 5.5 credits.

All JUNIORS who have appeared on at least three of the four previous Honor Rolls with a 3.75 or higher GPA (the fourth must be no lower than a 3.5 GPA) who have accumulated at least 11 credits, and who are currently enrolled in at least 5.5 credits.

All SENIORS who have appeared on at least three of the four previous Honor Rolls with a 3.75 or higher GPA (the fourth must be no lower than a 3.5 GPA) who have accumulated at least l6.5 credits, and who are enrolled in at least 5.5 credits.

F. Yearly Promotion

To be promoted to sophomore, junior, and senior status, see credits listed below. (Students are placed into homerooms accordingly.)
June Promotion:
Sophomore 5 credits
Junior 10 credits
Senior 15 credits

G. Class Load

All students should be enrolled in a minimum of 6 classes per semester.

The mission of Columbiana High School and the community at large is to educate students to achieve their highest individual academic potential, as well as cultivate a sense of personal integrity.

The Columbiana Exempted Village Schools are located in Columbiana Ohio (population approx. 5,600) on the northern border of Columbiana County. The District includes all of the city of Columbiana as well as parts of Fairfield, Beaver, and Springfield Twps. in both Columbiana and Mahoning Counties, an area of approx. 18 square miles. The district made up of three school buildings listed below.
Grades Students
Joshua Dixon Elementary PreK-4 386
South Side Middle 5-8 337
Columbiana High 9-12 320

The Columbiana Schools believe in 21st century technology skills. The 2011-12 school year brings an expanded 1:1 Netbook initiative to the entire Columbiana High School grades 9-12. Every high school student receives a netbook as part of a rich technologically integrated curriculum. Classrooms are outfitted with Smartboard technology. Netbook carts and Ipad carts as well as 7 computer labs are situated throughout the 3 building district.

The District is supported by the Mahoning county Educational Service Center, Columbiana County Educational Service Center, Columbiana County Career and Technical Center, Columbiana County Job and Family service Center and Columbiana County Mental Health.