Academic Progress

Carenegie Units

One Carnegie Unit equals 7,965 minutes of successfully completed instructional time. All courses offered at Riverdale Academy will meet for 52 minutes of 164 days during the school year, for a total of 8,528 minutes per course. Any course offered at Riverdale Academy must be take at the school to earn a Carnegie Unit. This includes courses taught by Riverdale faculty members and dual-enrollment courses that are taken through a local university. The only exception to this rule is if the student has failed a course and must take a credit recovery course online.

High School Student Classification

High school students are classified according to the number of Carnegie Units successfully earned. The classification is as follows:

  • Freshman (9th): 0-4.5
  • Sophomore (10th): 5-10.5
  • Junior (11th): 11-15.5
  • Senior (12th): 16+

Grading Policy

Elementary (Grades 1-6)

  • All students should have a minimum of 9 grades per grading period.
  • A minimum of 2 major tests should be given in each subject per grading period.
  • All remaining grades should be derived from a variety of assignments – including, but not limited to, AR points, quizzes, projects, and/or homework.

Junior High (Grades 7-8)

  • All students should have a minimum of 9 grades per grading period.
  • A minimum of 3 major tests should be given in each subject per grading period.
  • All remaining grades should be derived from a variety of assignments – including, but not limited to, AR points, quizzes, projects, and/or homework.

High School (Grades 9-12)

  • All points will be equally weighted.
  • All students should have a minimum of 9 grades per grading period.
  • A minimum of 3 major tests per semester.
  • All classes will have a midterm exam (December) and final exam (May).
    • Classes worth .5 credit will have a midterm at the end of the first grading period with a final exam at the end of the semester.
    • Exams will be worth 20% of the overall grade for the semester.
  • All remaining grades should be derived from a variety of assignments – including, but not limited to, AR points, quizzes, projects, and/or homework.

Grading Scale

93% – 100% = A
85% – 92% = B
75% – 84% = C
67% – 74% = D
0 – 66% = F
Incomplete = I

Averaging of Grades

  • Report cards are issued every nine weeks.
  • Letter grades and percentages are listed on the report card.
  • The grade for each semester is calculated by:
    • Elementary/Junior High – averaging the grades for the first and second nine weeks in the fall and the third and fourth nine weeks in the spring.
    • High School – averaging the grades for the first and second nine weeks (80%) and exam (20%) in the fall and the third and fourth nine weeks (80%) and exam (20%) in the spring.
  • The final grade is obtained by averaging the first and second semester grades.

Honor Roll

The honor roll will be listed in three categories based on grade point average:

  • Board Honor Roll: 4.0
  • Principal’s Honor Roll: 3.5 – 3.00 (Honor Cord recipients must have a 3.5 or better).
  • Faculty Honor Roll: 3.0 – 3.49 with no grade lower than a C

Dual Enrollment

A dual enrollment course is a course, which, when successfully completed, earns one high school Carnegie Unit and three credit hours at a college or university. Students must meet all criteria of the Board of Elementary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), the host college or university, and Riverdale Academy in order to enroll in a course designated as “dual enrollment.” Riverdale Academy requires all sophomores and juniors to achieve the following scores on the ACT: a minimum composite score of 19, a minimum score of 19 in math if enrolling in a math classes, and/or a minimum score of 18 in English if enrolling in English, History, or elective classes. Seniors not meeting the ACT requirements may enroll if they have an overall 3.5 GPA. Decisions on eligibility for enrolling in dual enrollment courses will be made on an individual basis by the counselor and principal. Students must also have the written permission of a parent or guardian to enroll.

The only dual enrollment courses that will be recorded on the Riverdale Academy transcript will be those that substitute for a core class or one of the 4 electives that are required for graduation. Any additional courses taken by the student will not be considered for GPA and will not be used to determine valedictorian or salutatorian. All costs for dual enrollment courses are the responsibility of parents or guardians. Students are responsible for ensuring that final grades earned in dual enrollment courses are sent as an official document to Riverdale Academy. Grades not sent will not be recorded on the transcripts of Riverdale Academy.

Repeating Courses in High School

  • If a student fails a course which is required to meet graduation requirements, they must take the course over. In order to gain additional knowledge, a student may repeat a course that they have previously passed. However, if a student repeats a course that hey have previously passed, the first grade earned will be the one used in computing their overall grade point average (this applies to courses taken at Riverdale only).

Repeating Courses in PK – 8th Grade

  • If a student has repeated the current grade, then he/she may be promoted conditionally based on the recommendation of the teachers and the administrator.
  • If a student fails two major subjects or one major subject and 2 minor subjects, he/she shall be retained in that particular grade. Major subjects are: ELA (English/Language Arts), Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Minor subjects are: Spelling and Handwriting.

Challenge Policy

Pedagogical materials, including but not limited to: books, tapes, video, and film, are chosen using the following criteria:

  • Does the material enhance the mission and the goals of Riverdale Academy?
  • Is the material age-level appropriate?
  • Does the material meet the needs of a given subject or a given classroom?
  • Is the material pedagogically sound?

The teacher selects the material, reviews it, and embeds it into his/her lesson plans. The teacher may submit video and film material to the media specialist for review and input. The teacher may submit written material to the academic counselor for review and input. A parent or guardian who might have a misgiving about particular book, story, or film should first consult the teacher. One option for the teacher is to select other material for the given student as long as the material meets the four standards outlined above. If there is no resolution to the concerns of the parent or guardian, then the teacher and the parent or guardian should meet with the academic counselor for arbitration. The next step is to take the matter to the principal whose decision on the matter is final.

Graduation

Students are eligible for graduation at Riverdale Academy when they have fulfilled all of the requirements for graduation as set by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAID) and the Board of Directors of Riverdale Academy (board) and when the requirements are verified by the principal or school counselor. Successful completion of the 24 credits in the required courses as mandated by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) are necessary to receive a diploma from Riverdale Academy. Strict graduation protocols will be in effect and will be provided to seniors by the senior class sponsor.

Eligibility to Participate in High School Graduation Ceremonies

Riverdale Academy issues a diploma upon the successful completion of all requirements mandated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), Riverdale Academy. Diplomas, report cards, and transcripts for graduating seniors will be held until ALL fees, textbooks, etc. are paid or collected. Students may not participate in graduation ceremonies unless all fees have been paid in full and chromebooks returned prior to graduation.

Valedictorian-Salutatorian

  • The Valedictorian will be the member of the Senior Class who has the highest grade point average, with the average reflecting honor points.
  • The Salutatorian will be the Senior student with the second highest grade point average, with the average reflecting honor points.
  • To be eligible for Valedictorian and Salutatorian, the Senior must have these courses or the dual enrollment equivalent:
    • English: English I, II, III, IV
    • Math: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Advanced Math
    • Science: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
    • History: Civics, World Geography, U.S. History, World History
    • PE: Health (.5) and PE (1.5)
    • Foreign Language: Two credits of the same language (Ex: Spanish I & II)
    • Electives: Fine Arts and three other academic electives
  • To be considered for Valedictorian and Salutatorian, the student must have attended Riverdale Academy as a full-time student (a student enrolled in a minimum of three courses per semester) during both their junior and senior years, being enrolled for the two years in on-campus or dual enrollment courses.
  • Final grades for all course taken in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade will be used to calculate the overall GPA. In 12th grade, the progress report in the 4th 9 weeks will be used in the calculation.
  • Dual Enrollment classes taken after December in the 12th grade will not count towards the overall GPA.
  • The grades for the curriculum requirement courses will be uses to figure the GPA. Courses eligible for the five (5) point scale as mandated by the Louisiana Department of Education will be used for the GPA when successfully completed.

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