Awarding Credit for HS Courses

DHS grants credit for courses failed during any school year, if repeated and passed in summer school. A course may also be taken to improve a student’s grade.

All courses taken for credit or for a change of grade must be taken 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 5 weeks. In the case of remedial courses, credit will be applied to either first semester or second semester, as needed. Credit is not available for any Darien student who has not completed grade 9.

Darien students interested in taking a course for credit should receive approval from the appropriate department chair before beginning the class. 

Attendance:

Courses for which grade changes or credit are awarded cover a great deal of work in a relatively short period of time. Unexcused absences will result in loss of credit.

Excused Absences:

• Excused absences are those involving illness, in which case a physician’s note is required.
• Other compelling circumstances will be judged by the summer school principal as legitimate reasons for lateness or absence.
• Excused absences may not equate more than 5% of the total class hours.
• Parent notes excusing a student for lateness or absence because of oversleeping or transportation difficulties are not considered excused absences.

Lateness to class or excused absences from class will require a student to make up the time with the classroom teacher. Since summer school teachers are paid only for the number of hours they are teaching in the classroom, additional time with a student may require an additional fee negotiated by the parents of the student and the teacher.

Maximum Credit:

Maximum credit for any approved high school course taken by any Darien High School student for grade change or credit during the Darien Summer School Program or any five-week summer program will be set at .5 credit per course successfully completed. Students wishing to study for a full-credit should seek a 120-hour summer school course elsewhere.

Grade Point Average & Credit:

A grade from the Darien Summer School will be weighted into the student’s GPA in the following manner: the summer school grade will not replace the original grade earned during the regular school year. However, the summer school grade weight times the point value of the grade will be entered in the student’s GPA. No additional credit will be awarded if credit was already earned (the received grade was above an “F” grade).

“F” Grades:

If a student earns a grade of F (no credit) for a single semester of the regular school year, the student may be awarded .5 credit with a passing grade during the Darien Summer School program. The new grade earned in summer school will be computed in the student’s GPA, but the original weight of F will remain in the GPA computation. It is recommended that a student earning an F grade in both semesters of a two-semester course retake the course in the regular program. Students failing both semesters of a two-semester course may take one semester for credit in summer school, but must repeat one semester in the regular session before becoming eligible to advance to the next level in the course sequence.

Final Reports:

As the majority of our courses are for enrichment, most do not provide progress reports. Parents may speak with the instructor for updates on their child’s performance.

If applicable, final reports will be available for students taking courses for credit following completion of the summer session. Duplicate reports will be submitted to school officials designated by students or parents. Final reports of those high school students with monetary or material debts will be withheld until all obligations are met.