These policies and disclosures are specific to our full-time Academy students and act as a supplement to the policies available here. 

1.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: School Calendar

The dates for each semester are as follows:

• Fall Semester – Sep 1 to Jan 14
• Spring Semester – Jan 15 to May 31
• Summer Semester – Jun 1 to Aug 31

2.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Registration Process

The registration process for Full-Time/Academy students begins with the submission of a transcript and an interest form. If the student is invited to apply, the next step is to pay the registration fee. After that, the student submits all required application materials to SVHS.

Once accepted, the student will complete the registration paperwork and provide official transcripts from all previously attended high schools. Much of the information collected during registration is required by state and federal law, so it is essential that it be submitted to SVHS before enrollment can proceed.

After SVHS enters the registration information into the student information system, the student must enter into an enrollment agreement with the school. If the student is under the age of majority, a parent or guardian must co-sign the agreement.

The final step of the enrollment process is payment of the tuition fee. Once the registration and tuition fees have been paid, all registration information has been submitted, and the enrollment agreement has been signed, the student will be officially enrolled as a full-time student at Silicon Valley High School.

3.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Graduation Policy

3.1 Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate and receive a diploma from Silicon Valley High School Academy, students must complete a minimum of 230 credits.

To be eligible to graduate from and receive a diploma from SVHS Academy, the student must complete at least 25% of the credits required for graduation with SVHS Academy, and must have been continuously enrolled as a full-time student for at least two full semesters. 

All students must at minimum complete the following courses:

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of Math, including at least 1 Algebra 1 & Geometry (or Integrated Math 1 & 2) 
• 3 years of Science, including a life science and a physical science 
• 1 year of World History
• 1 year of US History
• 1 semester of Government
• 1 semester of Economics
• 1 year of Health and/or PE
• 1 year of either: VAPA (Visual Performing Arts) or LOTE (Language Other Than English)
• 1 semester of Computers & Information Technology
• 1 year of Personal Finance
• 1 year of Practical Arts
• Additional Electives

3.2 Graduation Process

Students will be assigned a grade level based on credit completion:

• 9th grade 0-40 credits
• 10th grade Minimum of 40 credits completed
• 11th grade Minimum of 90 credits completed
• 12th grade Minimum of 140 credits completed

Students’ progress towards graduation will be monitored by the academic advisor at SHVS. Students will have access to a Progress Towards Graduation report with suggested course of study. Students are welcome and encouraged to meet with the academic advisor throughout their enrollment at SVHS to monitor progress towards graduation and for post high school planning purposes.

Upon completion of all required courses, the academic advisor will conduct a final transcript review and send to the Head of School for graduation confirmation. Upon confirmation of graduation, students will be sent 1 copy of their official transcript and a SVHS diploma.

3.3 Graduation Ceremonies

As an online school with students in disperse geographical locations, it is not practical for SVHS to hold graduation ceremonies.  There are some aspects of the traditional high school experience that cannot be replicated online. SVHS can’t offer graduation ceremonies and suggest students hold their own events to celebrate graduation.

4.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Continuous Enrollment Policy/Requirement

Full-time students must take at least 4 (20 credits) courses each semester, passing at least 3 courses and earning at least 15 credits each semester (“Minimum Requirement”). Please refer to the Academic Probation Policy for the consequences if the Minimum Requirement is not met. The maximum number of courses a student is able to enroll in at the beginning of a semester is 6 courses. However, if the student completes these 6 courses before the semester-end, the student is eligible to request enrollment in up to two additional courses in that semester. For avoidance of doubt, a student must enroll in either 5 or 6 courses each semester and successfully pass at least 3 of those courses during that semester. Students may complete a maximum of 8 courses (40 credits) per semester. Within this limit, students may take no more than 2 Math courses and 2 LOTE courses per semester, for a total of 10 Math credits and 10 LOTE credits (equivalent to one full year of each subject). (See 2.5.1 Enrollment Restrictions & Credit Limits).

Unlike high school students, who are legally required to take a minimum number of courses each academic semester, adult students are not subject to this requirement. Those enrolled in the adult diploma program at SVHS may work with academic advising staff to develop a personalized course completion plan.

4.1 Full-Time Enrollment Policy

There are strict rules from the state and federal legislature requiring students to engage in full-time education.  Hence, if you fail to meet the Minimum Requirement, you will be unable to enroll in a new semester as a full-time student with SVHS.

5.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Attendance Policy

A student is considered absentee when the student fails to log in and make progress with his/her courses for a period of one week during a semester in which the student is required to be continuously enrolled.

Repeated, unremedied, unexcused absentee behavior will result in the student being declared truant, dismissed and disenrolled from the school. Refunds are not available to students that have been disenrolled as a result of truancy.

Before declaring a student truant and disenrolling the student from the school, the student will be provided with reasonable time to remedy the truancy and SVHS will undertake the following actions:

• SVHS will send absentee notices to the student and parent/guardian.

Valid excuses for absentee behavior include illness of the student, an appearance in court and attendance at a funeral service of an immediate family member.

The student and parent/guardian have the right to appeal the truancy and dismissal. Such appeal will be considered by the SVHS CAO.

6.0 Full-Time Student Attendance: Missed Meeting Policy

6.1 Supervising Teacher Meetings

SVHS Academy students who are absent from four mandatory school meetings with a Supervising Teacher within the same school year will be dropped from the school and will require the Administrator’s approval to re-enroll. Please note that the missed meetings within one school year do not have to be consecutive. Any meeting for which a student is more than 10 minutes late will be considered a missed meeting.

First Missed Meeting

Supervising Teacher will send an email notifying student and parent of the missed meeting and notify of the makeup meeting date and time.

Second Missed Meeting

Supervising Teacher will send an email notifying student and parent of the missed meeting and include the Academic Advisor.  Supervising Teacher will notify parent and student of the makeup meeting date and time.

Third Missed Meeting

Supervising Teacher will send an email notifying student and parent of the missed meeting and include the Chief Academic Officer/Academic Advisor.  Supervising Teacher will notify parent and student of the next month’s meeting date and time.

Fourth Missed Meeting

Supervising Teacher will send an email to the Academic Advisor notifying Chief Academic Officer/Academic Advisor of the fourth missed meeting.  Chief Academic Officer/Academic Advisor will send an email to student and parent notifying them of their dismissal from SVHS.

A full time student dismissed from SVHS may continue to take classes through the part-time program, but will not be considered for re-enrollment in the full time program within the same school year.  Student must reapply for re-enrollment consideration.

6.2 Honors Course Missed Meeting Policy

SVHS Academy students enrolled in Honors courses are required to attend all scheduled weekly Honors meetings. Students who are absent from four Honors course meetings within the same course will be dropped from the Honors designation with no refund and will be moved to the regular (non-Honors) version of the course.

Please note that missed meetings do not need to be consecutive. Any meeting for which a student is more than 10 minutes late will be considered a missed meeting.

First Missed Meeting

The Honors Instructor will send an email notifying the student and parent of the missed meeting. 

Second Missed Meeting

The Honors Instructor will send an email notifying the student and parent of the missed meeting and will include the Academic Advisor. 

Third Missed Meeting

The Honors Instructor will send an email notifying the student and parent of the missed meeting and will include the Academic Advisor and Head of School. The communication will serve as a final warning that one additional missed meeting will result in removal from the Honors course. 

Fourth Missed Meeting

The Honors Instructor will notify the Academic Advisor and Head of School. The Academic Advisor or Head of School will send an email to the student and parent confirming that the student has been removed from the Honors course due to missed meetings.

Upon removal from the Honors course, the student will be transferred to the non-Honors version of the course and will continue in the course without Honors designation. No refund will be issued for the Honors portion of the course.

After 2 dropped Honors courses due to lack of attendance, the student will not be permitted to enroll in any additional Honors courses for the remainder of the school year.

7.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Course Pathways Policies

Students will work with the Academic Advisor and the College & Career Counselor to develop an appropriate course of study to meet their individual goals. The recommended course of study is meant to provide guidance for a student towards successful completion of the requirements for graduation with a Diploma from SVHS Academy.

7.1 Sequential Courses

We recommend, when taking sequential courses, such as Algebra 1 Part 1 and Algebra 1 Part 2, that you complete the first course before you take the subsequent course. Prerequisites for each course are noted in the course catalog and course syllabi. You should always check with your Academic Advisor prior to enrolling in a course to ensure that prerequisites have been satisfied prior to enrolling in an SVHS course. 

7.2 Honors Course Enrollment Criteria

To be eligible to enroll in an Honors level course, a minimum grade of “B” in the prerequisite course is required, and a student cannot be on Academic Probation.

7.3 Honors Course GPA Weighting and Transcript Designation

SVHS Academy Honors courses are designed to reflect increased academic rigor and are recognized on the student’s official transcript.

All Honors courses earn an Honors designation on the official transcript, indicating completion of advanced-level coursework.

Honors courses marked with an asterisk (*) in the course catalog are approved for UC “a–g” Honors recognition and receive a +1.0 GPA weighting.

Honors courses not marked with an asterisk (*) receive a local Honors designation from SVHS Academy, are identified as Honors-level coursework on the transcript, and receive a +1.0 GPA weighting.

7.4 Honors Course Drop and Refund Policy

SVHS Academy Honors courses include live instructional components and enhanced academic expectations. As such, specific policies apply to dropping an Honors course.

• Students who drop an Honors course after two (2) weeks of scheduled Honors meetings are not eligible for a refund of any portion of the Honors course fee.
• Students who drop an Honors course prior to completing two (2) weeks of scheduled meetings may be eligible for a partial refund, calculated as follows:
  • Total Honors course fee
  • minus the cost of completed live Honors instructional sessions
  • minus the base (non-Honors) course cost
• Students who choose to drop the Honors designation and enroll in the non-Honors version of the course will be required to restart the course from the beginning. Previously submitted Honors coursework will not be transferred or applied toward the non-Honors course.

Additional Notes

• The two-week period is based on scheduled Honors meetings, not calendar days.
• Refund eligibility is determined based on the number of meetings held, regardless of student attendance.
• Honors course fees reflect access to live instruction, feedback, and advanced coursework expectations, which are not transferable once delivered.

8.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Incoming Credit Transfer Policy

SVHS Academy will consider acceptance of credits earned from other accredited institutions. Students must submit official transcripts upon enrollment with SVHS from all other previous institutions attended for credit transfer evaluation.

8.1 International Transcripts

Upon acceptance to the SVHS Academy, international students are required to provide to SVHS a translated and analyzed transcript (Course Analysis level) from The Evaluation Company TEC, a credential and transcript evaluation service which provides timely and cost-effective foreign academic credential evaluation and verification services.

8.2 Concurrent Enrollment Credit

SVHS students may participate in concurrent enrollment with their local community college. Credits will be evaluated for transfer upon submission of official transcripts at the completion of a college course. Students taking concurrent enrollment courses will still need to follow the continuous enrollment policy and may take up to 2 college courses per semester.

9.0 Repeat Courses Policy

Students who have taken courses with other schools, can take a course on the same topic with SVHS.  When a course has been repeated, the original course and grade stay on the transcript, but the credits for that course are indicated to be zero and the original grade for that course is excluded from the GPA calculation. The credits earned from the repeated course were assigned to that course and that grade factored into the GPA calculation. (See 2.6.2 Repeat Courses Policy).

10.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Academic Probation Policy

If you do not meet the Minimum Requirement or are not demonstrating adequate progress in your courses, you will be placed on Academic Probation. Specifically, if you complete less than 80% of your assigned work—based on the pacing guide set with your supervising teacher—across any two progress checks (these do not need to be consecutive), you will be placed on Academic Probation for the remainder of the school year.

When you are on Academic Probation Requirements:

Students placed on Academic Probation are required to:

• Attend bi-weekly videoconference meetings with their Supervising Teacher.
• Maintain assigned pacing with at least an 80% completion rate at each progress check.
• Complete five Personalized Learning Sessions with a credentialed teacher before returning to good standing.
  • These sessions will be billed according to the rates published on the Academy Tuition & Pricing webpage.
• Limit enrollment to a maximum of 25 credits (5 courses) while on Academic Probation.
  • Note: This limitation may delay graduation timelines.
• Successfully complete at least 80% of enrolled courses by the end of each semester.
  • “Complete” means all coursework, including final exams, has been submitted, graded, and a final passing grade has been issued by SVHS.
• Finish any courses not completed during the semester by the end of the following term.

Students will be withdrawn from the school if placed on Academic Probation and fail to comply with these requirements.

11.0 Full-Time/Academy Students: Minimum Age

The minimum age for admission to our diploma program is 13 years of age.

12.0 Work Permits for Full-Time/Academy Students

SVHS does not issue work permits. Students may contact their local school district for information on obtaining a work permit.

Definitions

If you are unsure of any of the terms used to describe our programs, please contact us. We will be happy to clarify.
“$”—Unless otherwise stated, all prices are in US dollars.
“Credit”—refers to an SVHS academic unit. The credits for a course are calculated by estimating the number of hours of self-paced study.
“Academic Dishonesty”—refers to any immoral way of achieving a goal associated with an SVHS course or program. Examples of academic dishonesty include: Plagiarism: The adoption or reproduction of original creations of another author (person, collective, organization, community or other type of author, including anonymous authors) without due acknowledgment; Fabrication: The falsification of data, information, or citations in any formal academic exercise; Deception: Providing false information to an instructor concerning a formal academic exercise—e.g., giving a false excuse for missing a deadline or falsely claiming to have submitted work; Cheating: Any attempt to give or obtain assistance in a formal academic exercise (like an examination) without due acknowledgment; Bribery: or paid services; Giving assignment answers or test answers for money; Sabotage: Acting to prevent others from completing their work; Professorial misconduct: Professorial acts that are academically fraudulent equate to academic fraud and/or grade fraud; Impersonation: assuming a student’s identity with intent to provide an advantage for the student.
“Education records”—refers to records directly related to a student maintained by SVHS or by a party acting for SVHS.

Questions

If you have any questions on these policies, please contact us.