Academic Procedures

NC State Board Policy GRAD-009 requires all high schools in North Carolina to use the same grading scale for high school courses. Numeric grades will be entered on the student's transcript.  

A student's grade point average (GPA) is calculated by adding all quality points earned while in high school (grades 9-12) and dividing them by the number of courses taken. Students will receive an unweighted GPA that reflects no additional weighting for advanced courses and a weighted GPA that reflects additional quality points for advanced coursework.  The weighted GPA includes any additional quality points earned by taking Honors (addition 0.5 quality point) or AP/IB/Dual Enrollment College Transfer Classes (additional 1.0 quality point), while unweighted GPA does not include any additional quality points.  High School course credit earned in middle school or through Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) do not count towards the overall GPA.  Students who have questions about their GPA or how it is calculated should meet with their school counselor.

Each high school senior , upon receiving a diploma, will be assigned a class rank determined by the final weighted grade point average in all subjects counted as credits toward graduation.  Graduating students shall receive the following distinctions based on their weighted grade point average:

1. Students with a 3.75 - 3.99 weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of cum laude.
2. Students with a 4.0 - 4.249 weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of magna cum laude.
3. Students with a 4.25 or higher weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of summa cum laude.

Students transferring into an Orange County high school from another school may receive credit toward graduation for courses successfully completed in the sending school.

• Students transferring from one OCS high school to another will receive credit for all courses approved by the sending school and weighted credit for all courses designated as Honors, AP, IB, and CCP.
• Students transferring from another public-school system or from a public charter school into an OCS high school will receive credit for all courses approved by the sending school and weighted credit for all courses designated as Honors, AP, IB, and CCP only if comparable courses are in the North Carolina Course Code Manual that was in effect for the year the courses were taken.
• Students transferring from a non-public school accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* into an OCS high school will receive credit for all courses approved by the sending school and weighted credit for all courses designated as Honors, AP, IB, and CCP only if comparable courses are in the North Carolina Course Code Manual that was in effect for the year the courses were taken.
• Students transferring from a non-public school not accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* or from a registered home schools may receive credit toward graduation upon review and approval by the principal of the receiving school according to the following guidelines:
  • Documentation must be provided to the receiving OCS school by the sending school as to the course of study the student followed, materials used, work samples, total number of contact hours per course, and scores of any standardized tests the student has taken.
  • Grades will be recorded as "Pass" (P) or "Fail" (F) and will be identified on the transcript as non-OCS grades
  • Grades and credits will not be included in the calculation of GPA or class rank.

Determination of credit for students transferring to an OCS high school will be based on a review of individual circumstances.  To the extent possible, students who transfer in the middle of an academic year will be enrolled in courses that are like those in which they had been enrolled in their previous schools.  In the event that a student is unable to enroll in a course that is similar to the one in which they were enrolled, the student will be given the opportunity to enroll in an alternate course that will not result in the denial of credit to the extent practical in the school setting.  For example, if the student can perform adequately without having completed the first part of the class.

*Accrediting Associations:  Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western 

To send transcripts to NC institutions of higher learning, students should log in to their www.CFNC.org account, click on Application Hub, then click on Transcript, then select the college of your choice and submit your request. Allow 2 business days for processing.  There is no processing fee for sending transcripts through CFNC.

For those institutions outside of NC, students must submit a completed transcript request to their school counselor including a $5.00 processing fee. Allow two weeks for processing. Forms are available in the counseling office.
 

All courses use the NC approved Standard Course of Study.

Standard Courses

Course content, pace and academic rigor follow standards specified by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCoS). Standard courses provide credit toward a high school diploma and require the end-of-course test for those courses identified as such in the NC accountability program. Quality points for the GPA calculation are assigned according to the standard 4.0 scale and receive no additional quality points.

Honors Courses

Honors level courses in high school are critical in a school’s schedule to offer a range of programming. Honors level courses offer opportunities for students to work at an increased pace, depth and complexity. Students who participate in honors level courses develop critical-thinking skills, take ownership for their learning, and become creative problem-solvers and collaborators. Students enrolled in honors level courses will:

• Demonstrate the interest, ability, and motivation and/or the potential to interact with the honors level content.
• Exhibit personal responsibility for learning.
• Engage in an advanced level of learning through high quality work.
• Complete any prerequisite course(s) leading to the honors level course.
• Communicate with the teacher if additional support or challenge is needed to support achievement and growth.

These courses provide credit toward a high school diploma and require the end-of-course test for those courses identified as such in the NC accountability program. The state course weighting system awards the equivalent of 0.5 quality point to the grade earned in Honors courses.
 

Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses

Course content, pace and academic rigor are considered college-level as determined by the College Board or the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and are designed to enable students to earn high scores on the AP or IB test, potentially leading to college credit. These courses provide credit toward a high school diploma and require an EOC in cases where the AP/IB course is the first course taken by a student in a subject where an EOC is required by the NC accountability program. AP and IB exams are administered in the spring of each school year.  The state weighting system awards the equivalent of one (1) quality point to the grade earned in an AP/IB course.

Dual Enrollment/Career & College Promise Courses

Course content, pace and academic rigor are, by definition, college-level for these courses. College courses, which may be delivered by a community college, public university or private college or university, provide credit toward a high school diploma and may satisfy a graduation requirement or provide an elective course credit. The state weighting system adds the equivalent of one (1) quality point to the grade earned in community college courses included on the most recent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement Transfer List, and for courses taught at four-year universities and colleges.  Note:  No high school credit is awarded for college level classes that earn less than 3 credit hours.

As provided in State Board of Education policy CCRE-001, high school students who fail a course for credit may repeat that course.  To take advantage of this option, the student must repeat the entire course.  When a student initially fails a high school course and successfully repeats the course for credit, the new course grade will replace the original failing grade for the course on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.

The OCS Board of Education recognizes that high school students may need to repeat a course for which they have earned credit in order to increase their understanding of the course content, to improve skill mastery, or to meet postsecondary goals.  Students may repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit,  subject  to  the  following  preconditions  and  any  other reasonable  rules  established  by  the Superintendent:

• the student must have earned a letter grade of C or lower in the course on the first attempt;
• the student must make a written request to repeat the course;
• the principal or designee must approve the request;
• there must be space available after seats have been assigned to students who are taking the course for the first time or repeating a previously failed course;
• the course to be repeated must be a duplicate of the original class and must be taken during the regular school day at a high school in this school system or through the North Carolina Virtual Public School;
• upon completion of the repeated course, the new course grade will replace the student’s original grade on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility, regardless of whether the later grade is higher or lower than the student’s original mark;
• credit towards graduation for the same course will be given only once;
• a course may be repeated only one time; and
• students may repeat a maximum of four previously passed courses during their high school careers.

For more information about repeating a course for credit, contact your school counselor.

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) is a State Board of Education policy (GCS-M-001.13) that was passed in October 2013. CDM offers students in grades 6-12 the opportunity to personalize and accelerate their learning by earning credit for a high school course through demonstrating mastery of course content, without being required to complete classroom instruction for a certain amount of seat time. 

Students who wish to pursue CDM will need to show mastery of the content by completing two phases. In phase I, students must complete an exam of course content. In phase II, students must create a product/ performance that exhibits a deeper understanding and application of course content. 

Course Eligibility & Prerequisites 
Students may earn CDM for all high school courses in grades 9-12 and high school courses offered in grades 6-8. The following courses are excluded from CDM: 

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) work-based learning courses (internship, apprenticeship) 
• CTE courses that have a clinical setting as a requirement of the course, such as Early Childhood Education I & II,  and Nursing Fundamentals 
• CTE Advanced Studies courses or any course without state technical standards 
• CTE Courses in Field Test status
• English as a Second Language courses
• Healthful Living required courses 
• AP/IB courses 

For courses offered in a predetermined sequence, a student may only attempt to earn CDM for the next course in the  sequence. For example, if a student has taken NC Math I and would like to attempt CDM for NC Math III, the student would need to first successfully earn credit for NC Math II, either through CDM or traditional enrollment in the course.

Schedule Changes

Students and families must make course requests carefully, as schedule changes should be rare occurrences.  Schedule changes may be requested prior to the opening of school and through the first five (5) days of each semester with guardian and counselor signatures.  Listed below are the specific criteria for schedule changes:

• Attended summer school, thus creating a need for a change
• Scheduled for a class in which the student has already earned a credit, or failed a course that is a prerequisite for the scheduled class
• Has not been scheduled for the number of classes required by the  school
• A specific course is needed for graduation
• Course(s) may be changed to accommodate an administrative need

Schedule changes submitted after the first five (5) days but before the tenth (10) day of the semester must be initiated only by a teacher or guardian and will require a conference between the two parties. The agreed upon change would then be submitted in writing and will require principal approval. The NC Department of Public Instruction prohibits students dropping a class after the 10th day of the semester.

A schedule change that affects your course of study could prevent you from graduating with your class; therefore, all schedule changes will require a guardian’s signature.

Course Withdrawal

Course withdrawals are not allowed after the fourth week of the semester.

Withdrawals will be recorded on your transcript as WP if passing the course when withdrawing or as WF if failing the course when withdrawing from the course. These withdrawal codes for dropped courses are a part of your permanent record and will become a part of your transcript.
 

For students interested in pursuing education through the University of North Carolina System of Universities, the following graduation requirements are necessary for consideration of acceptance:

1. High School GPA:  A minimum weighted GPA of 2.5
2. Standardized Test Scores:  

• Students Entering in the Fall of 2025 or Spring 2026:  Students with a weighted high school GPA greater than or equal to 2.50 and less than 2.80 are required to submit a standardized test score (ACT or SAT)
• Students Entering in the Fall of 2026 semester and beyond:  Students with a weighted high school GPA greater than or equal to 2.50 and less than 2.80 are required to submit a standardized test score of a 17 or higher on the ACT or a 930 or higher on the SAT.

In addition to meeting the requirements above, all UNC System universities require the courses listed below and consider how well students perform, including performance in national achievement tests.

• Language:  Four course units in English
• Mathematics: Four course units of mathematics (NC Math 1-3, and one unit beyond NC Math 3).  The  UNC System strongly encourages future students to take at least one mathematics course in 12th grade.
• Sciences: Three course units in science including one life/biological science (Biology), one physical science (Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics), and one laboratory course
• Social Studies: Two units in social studies including one unit in U.S. History.
• Additional Courses:  Two additional academic courses from English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, or Computer Science.  Note: Completion of two sequential World Language courses is recommended, but not required.

Orange County Schools is a member of the NCHSAA and will follow the rules and regulations regarding eligibility as set forth in the NCHSAA bylaws/handbook and as determined by the NC State Board of Education as described in Policy ATHL-001: Interscholastic Athletics and Policy ATHL- 005: Student Participation Rules for Interscholastic Athletics.   

For more information about Athletics, visit the Athletics section of the OCS Website.