Whitmore School Policies

1. Admission, Refunds, and Withdrawal

  1. CompuHigh/Whitmore School admits students without regard to race, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or color.
  2. CompuHigh/Whitmore School retains the right to refuse enrollment or re-enrollment from any student whom the Registrar believes will not benefit from, or work well within, the CompuHigh educational system.
  3. Students transferring from schools outside of the USA who wish to graduate from Whitmore School must enroll in the Diploma PLUS program.
  4. Students under the age of 14 must be approved by Educational Director for admission. If a student is granted permission to enroll, they are required to enroll in the Diploma PLUS program.
  5. A student enrolled in an individual course may transfer to the Whitmore School Diploma Program. If the conversion is made within one month of the individual course enrollment, then the individual course enrollment fee may be used as credit toward the Diploma Program enrollment fee.
  6. A student may withdraw from CompuHigh/Whitmore School upon written notification to the Admissions Director. Incomplete coursework is not considered a cancellation of enrollment.
  7. The enrollment fee, less a $145 administrative fee, can be refunded if a student withdraws in writing within 15 days of enrollment.
  8. No reduction or refund of fees is given in the case of student non-performance or lack of course completion.
  9. There will be a $25.00 fee for declined payments. The student’s password will be removed until payment and fee are received.
  10. The $50.00 Transcript Evaluation Fee will be applied toward tuition upon enrollment in one of our Diploma Programs.

2. Tuition, Re-enrollment and Extensions

  1. Enrollment Year – Tuition pays for 12 months from the date of enrollment. Example 9/13/18 – 9/12/19.
  2. Tuition pays for Diploma Program Students to be scheduled for up to 6.0 credits in an Enrollment Year. Students enrolled in the Diploma PLUS or Diploma PLUS with College Advisor are allowed one 0.5 credit academic support course for each year of enrollment in the PLUS program: 0.5 credit Academic Success, and 0.5 credit Career Readiness 1, 0.5 credit Career Readiness 2, or 0.5 credit College Readiness 1 and 0.5 credit College Readiness 2, at no additional tuition.
  3. Credits that have not been completed during an Enrollment Year, will roll over upon re-enrollment and be counted toward the 6.0 credits of the next Enrollment Year. No course progress will be lost, and students continue working exactly where they left off.
  4. Re-enrollment – At the end of the Enrollment Year, students must re-enroll, and pay tuition, to continue working on coursework/ graduation requirements, except for the following circumstances:
    1. If the student has fewer than 3.5 credits to complete in order to meet his or her graduation requirements, the tuition fee will be charged on a per course basis. (Students may also elect to pay full tuition if they would like the opportunity to take up to 6.0 credits and exceed their graduation requirements.)
    2. If the student is a graduating senior or the student does not intend to re-enroll AND has 5 or fewer lessons/labs/projects to complete a course, a 30-day extension may be purchased in lieu of a year’s re-enrollment. The cost for a 30-day extension is $60 per course.
  5. Early Re-enrollment – Students who complete 6.0 credits prior to the end of their 12-month Enrollment Year, may re-enroll early. This option allows students to accelerate their graduation date.

3. Special Admissions: Under Age Students

  1. 9th graders will be admitted who have completed the 8th grade and are 14 years old.  Younger students wishing to enroll in Whitmore School must articulate the reasons why in a written petition for admission. The Principal and Educational Director shall review the petition written by the student and decide on special admissions.
  2. Students younger than 14 years old who have been granted permission to enroll shall be required to enroll in the Diploma Plus program.
  3. Students (under the age of 14 or not completed 8th grade) who would like to enroll in an individual course as a trial prior to enrolling in the diploma program shall be required to enroll in the Individual Course PLUS to receive additional monitoring by their guidance counselor.

4. Student Course Work

  1. All students’ work must be a product of their own individual effort, thoughts, and skills. All work must be in each student’s own words. Copying from the Internet or another student’s work is never acceptable.
  2. Students may submit up to 2 posts per course per day in most courses – 1 new assignment and 1 revised assignment or 2 revised assignments.  The exact course limits will be explained on the Teacher Message page for each course.
  3. Students may engage in up to 3 academic courses at a time. Students who wish to engage in additional academic work simultaneously must seek permission from the Guidance Director or Educational Director.
  4. Non-completion of an initiated course carries no penalty and does not appear on the student transcript.

5. Award of Whitmore School Credits

  1. All assignments in a course must be completed to a mastery level before a grade can be given. Mastery is defined as meeting the stated objectives of the lesson and meeting the criteria in the grading rubric.
  2. Upon completion of required work in a course, students will request course credit through the Credit Report Form, accessed from the Student Desk.
  3. Course grades are calculated as an average of the grades on the course lessons, labs, and projects.
  4. Students may be required to pass a proctored exam before course credit is awarded. Exams must be passed with at least a grade of 60%.  No credit for the course will be awarded if the exam is failed.
  5. Course credit will only be awarded to students who have been enrolled in the course for at least one month.
  6. Academic Year – An Academic Year begins on September 1 and ends on August 31. Credits will post on the student’s transcript in the Academic Year in which they are completed. NOTE: The maximum number of credits that may post to a Whitmore School transcript in an Academic Year is 10.0.

6. Repeating Courses

  1. No more than 1.0 credit will be recorded on the student transcript for each course, even if the course is taken in different schools, or the referring school has awarded more than 1.0 credit.
  2. Students are welcome to retake courses completed at other schools to improve their mastery of the material and/or their GPA. Upon completion of the course retake, the previous course grade and the credit will be deleted from the student’s transcript.

7. Graduation Requirements

  • Students wishing to graduate from Whitmore School must enroll in one of the diploma programs: Diploma Program, Diploma PLUS Program, Diploma PLUS with College Advisor Program, or Adult Diploma Program.
  • Students pursuing a diploma from Whitmore School, who have transferred from an accredited or public school, must complete a minimum of 4.5 credits at Whitmore School. These credits must include 2 core courses* from 2 different subject areas. (*core subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)
  • Students pursuing a College Prep track diploma from Whitmore School must earn 22 credits including the following:
    • 4.0 credits of English
    • 3.0 credits Social Studies (0.5 credit US Government, 0.5 credit World Geography, 1.0 credit US History, 1.0 other credit Social Studies)
    • 3.0 credits Science (1.0 credit Natural Science, 1.0 credit Physical Science, 1.0 credit other Science)
    • 3.0 credits Math (2.0 credits above Alg 1)
    • 0.5 credit PE
    • 1.0 credit Fitness and Safety or Health
    • 1.0 credit Fine Arts
    • 2.0 credits World Languages
    • 4.5  credits Electives or other core courses
  • Students pursuing a General Studies track diploma from Whitmore School must earn 18 credits including the following:
    • 4.0 credits of English
    • 2.0 credits Social Studies (0.5 credit US Government, 0.5 credit World Geography, 1.0 credit US History or World History)
    • 2.0 credits Science
    • 2.0 credits Math
    • 0.5 credit PE
    • 1.0 credit Fitness and Safety or Health
    • 0.5 credit Fine Arts
    • 6.0 credits Electives or other core courses

8. Grades

  1. Numerical grades for lessons range from 5-10 with the following numerical grade equivalencies:
    10 = A
    9.5 = A
    9.0 = A-
    8.5 = B
    8.0 = B-
    7.5 = C
    7.0 = C-
    6.5 = D
    6.0 = D-
    5 = F
  2. As of 2015, Whitmore School offers weighted honors courses and transfers honors and AP courses with a 0.5 point weighting. The following grade scale is applied to transcripts:

    Grade

    Percentage

    Grade Points

    Weighted*

    A

    93-100

    4.00

    4.50

    A-

    90-92

    3.67

    4.17

    B+

    88-89

    3.33

    3.83

    B

    83-87

    3.00

    3.50

    B-

    80-82

    2.67

    3.17

    C+

    78-79

    2.33

    2.83

    C

    73-77

    2.00

    2.50

    C-

    70-72

    1.67

    2.17

    D+

    68-69

    1.33

    —

    D

    63-67

    1.00

    —

    D-

    60-62

    0.67

    —

    F

    0-59

    0.00

    —

    *Whitmore School offers Honors courses in some subjects with a 0.5 weighting. AP and Honors courses from other schools are also transferred in with the 0.5 weighting regardless of the weighting at the previous school.

Whitmore School does not transfer grades of F from other schools. Only courses in which credit was earned are transferred and calculated into the GPA, including high school level credits earned in the eighth grade.

9. Attendance

CompuHigh / Whitmore School offers a great deal of flexibility to families and students. Students are responsible for setting their own pace and time schedule for work in their courses. CompuHigh / Whitmore School does not maintain requirements for ‘seat time’, rather quantity and quality of work mastered. That being said, students should plan to work on their schoolwork daily to keep on track toward graduation. NOTE: Many states require students to meet the compulsory attendance requirement in their state regardless of where they attend school. It is the parent’s responsibility to abide by the educational laws of the state in which you live.

CompuHigh / Whitmore School will confirm full-time attendance (minimum of 20 hours per week) upon request when a student is submitting a minimum of 9 posts per week. Students needing DMV forms, Social Security forms, or other attendance verification forms filled out must have met these criteria during at least 2 consecutive weeks in the current enrollment year before the form will be sent. If the student stops submitting work, a cessation form will be sent.

10. Authenticity of Student Work

  1. All new students must complete the New Student Orientation and sign the Academic Honor Code Agreement attesting their understanding of and agreement to abide by school policy regarding academic integrity.
  2. All students’ work must be a product of their own individual effort, thoughts, and skills. All work must be in each student’s own words. Copying from the Internet or another student’s work is never acceptable.

11. Disciplinary Measures

  1. School administrators may lower a course grade by up to one full letter grade in instances of repeated plagiarism.
  2. Students may be placed on Academic Probation, suspended or expelled for offenses including cheating, plagiarism, harassment, or disrespectful behavior toward students, staff, or teachers. Students on Academic Probation, suspension or expulsion, will lose access to their online student account temporarily or permanently, respectively.
  3. If a student cheats; plagiarizes; is disrespectful toward a student, staff, or teacher;  or fails to follow repeated instructions, the student will need to complete a Skills and Principles lesson. Students referred to a Skills and Principles lesson from a particular course will be unable to work on academic lessons in that course until they have completed the Skills and Principles lesson.
  4. Students cannot begin a new course while they have a Skills and Principles lesson pending.
  5. If a student is assigned two or more Skills and Principles lessons for the same type of infraction, the student may be suspended for up to one month without a tuition refund.
  6. If a student is assigned three or more Skills and Principles lessons for the same type of infraction, the student may be expelled without a tuition refund.
  7. If a student is assigned two or more Skills and Principles lessons for cheating or plagiarism the student may be required to pass a proctored final exam to get course credit. Students will be assessed an Exam Fee of $225 for each exam.
  8. If a student re-enrolls after being assigned two or more Skills and Principles lessons, the student must re-enroll in a Diploma PLUS  program.
  9. If a student is suspended, the Principal will explain the suspension in a phone call to the student or the student’s parent/guardian.
  10. The Registrar reserves the right to refuse the enrollment or re-enrollment of any student.
  11. School administrators and guidance counselors must be allowed direct phone and written contact with a student. If direct contact with a student is refused, the student’s enrollment may be terminated.
  12. If there is suspicion or evidence of cheating, or noncompliance with mastery, Whitmore School has the right to require the student to pass a proctored exam to obtain a final grade for the particular course.
  13. Proctored exams that are given because of repeated plagiarism or suspicion of cheating will be worth 50% of the student’s overall grade and must be passed with a grade of 60% to get credit for the course.

12 Grade Levels

  1.     Grade 9 encompasses all students with less than 5 course credits.
  2.     Grade 10 encompasses all students with at least 5 but less than 11 course credits.
  3.     Grade 11 encompasses all students with at least 12 but less than 16 course credits.
  4.     Grade 12 encompasses all students with 16 or more course credits.

13 Credit Transfers

 13A. General policies regarding all transfer students.

  1. The registrar evaluates all requests for transfer credit.
  2. Transfer credit is only awarded for high-school or college-level courses.
  3. Courses are awarded 1 credit or 0.5 credit based on the Carnegie Unit system.
  4. No more than 1.0 credit will be recorded on the student transcript for each course, even if the course is taken in different schools, or the referring school awards more than 1.0 credit.
  5. Transfer credits are accepted for all courses on transcripts from public high schools.
  6. Students pursuing a diploma from Whitmore School must complete a minimum of 4.5 credits at CompuHigh/Whitmore School. These credits must include 2 core course credits* – from 2 different subject areas, and 2 additional elective or core course credits. (*Core course subjects are English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.)
  7. Whitmore School may accept credits from non-accredited schools when validated by one or more of the following procedures:
    • A review of the student’s academic record
    • An analysis of a sending school’s curriculum
    • A review of a Homeschool Association portfolio of student work
    • An assessment of scholastic performance – $25 exam fee for each exam
    • Transfer credit may be recorded with a grade of P (pass).

13B. Policies regarding students with course credit from public high schools and other accredited sources.

1. Whitmore School recognizes accreditations from:

Cognia (Advanc-Ed)
NCA – North Central Association
SACS – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
NWAC – Northwest Accreditation Commission
WASC – Western Association of Schools and Colleges
NEASC – New England Association of Schools and Colleges
MSA – Middle States Association
NCPSA- National Council of Private School Accreditation
IB – International Baccalaureate
GAC – Georgia Accrediting Commission

2.     Students must be enrolled in the diploma program.

3.     Transfer credits are accepted for all courses on transcripts from public high schools or high schools accredited by one of the above-listed organizations.

4.     Credits are transferred with the letter grade awarded by the previous high school.

5.     Transferred credits will count toward the total number of credits required by CompuHigh / Whitmore School, but may not fulfill specific course requirements for graduation.

13C. Policies regarding students with course credit from high schools outside of the USA.

  1. Transcripts from outside the USA must be translated into English and include a course-by-course USA credit equivalent and grade equivalent.
  2. When specific core course credit value is not indicated on a transcript or more than seven courses are listed in one year, Whitmore School may award 1 credit for English, native language, and mathematics, and 0.5 credit for other courses.
  3. Non-native English speakers may be required to take additional assessments in order to determine course placement.
  4. Non-native English speakers are required to enroll in the Diploma PLUS program.

13D. Policies regarding students with course credit from a non-accredited homeschool program.

  1. At the discretion of the Registrar, some credits may be transferred when validated by the methods listed in 11A-7. However, the following additional limitations may apply to non-affiliated homeschool credits:
  • Transfer credit may be awarded in English courses if the student earns a passing grade in the next sequential English course from  Whitmore School.
  • Transfer credit may be awarded in mathematics courses if the student earns a passing grade in the next sequential mathematics course from Whitmore School.
  • Transfer credit may be awarded in Science and Social Studies upon taking and passing an assessment of scholastic performance in the subject. Students will be assessed an Exam Fee of $25 per exam.
  • Transfer credits are recorded with a grade of P (Pass); no letter grade will be recorded.

13E. Credits earned from other schools or colleges while students are enrolled in Whitmore School

  1. Students wishing to take additional courses from other schools or colleges while enrolled at Whitmore School must request approval prior to beginning the outside course to ensure the credit(s) will transfer to their Whitmore School transcript.
  2. No more than 10.0 total credits per Academic Year will be recorded on the student’s Whitmore School transcript. This includes a combination of credits earned at Whitmore School and other schools.

13F. College courses may be transferred to fulfill high school graduation requirements on a case-by-case basis using the following “Carnegie student hour” to Whitmore high school credit conversion:

  • 3-4 credit College courses = 1 credit at Whitmore School;
  • 2 credit College courses = 0.5 credit at Whitmore School;
  • 1 credit College courses = 0.25 credit at Whitmore School.

14.  Proctored Exam Policy

Whitmore School’s unique mastery education system allows us to provide accredited online courses without tests and exams in most cases. However, there are special cases that require a student to take a proctored final exam for a course. Students will be assessed an Exam Fee of $225 per exam.

A proctor is someone who you have arranged to watch you take the exam, confirm your identity, and confirm that you have completed the exam without help. The proctor must be a professional such as a school teacher or librarian.  The proctor may not be your friend, family member, or tutor.

Proctored final exams are required for

  • Students caught or suspected of cheating in a course. (see discipline policies). These exams are worth 50% of the student’s grade.
  • if requested by the Principal or Educational Director in order to transfer credit from non-accredited schools

In all cases, Proctored Test Procedures must be followed.

Before taking a proctored exam, please note the following:

  • Proctor approval must be obtained from CompuHigh/Whitmore School administration.
  • All coursework must be completed and a grade given for each lesson prior to taking the proctored exam.
  • Students must send all information required for the proctored exam at least 1 week in advance of their desired exam date.
  • You must score a minimum of 60% on the exam to pass it. You cannot retake the exam. If you don’t pass the exam you will not be awarded credit for the course.
  • Taking a proctored exam does not exempt you from any Whitmore School policies such as completing all of the course requirements, or the 2-post per day limit.

15. Students in Nations Outside of the United States

  1. Students who speak English as their second language must be enrolled in our Diploma PLUS Program.
  2. Intermediate skills (B2 – on the CEFR scale) in English reading and writing are a prerequisite for grade-level English Language Arts placement. Whitmore School may use a variety of methods for determining language level.
  3. If a student’s written English skills are not sufficient for coursework at Whitmore School, enrollment may be denied. If a student has already been enrolled, Whitmore School administration may choose to cancel the enrollment within one month. In this case, a refund will be given minus a $145 processing fee.
  4. Credits from schools outside of the United States will be considered for transfer to CompuHigh / Whitmore School on a case-by-case basis. Transcripts sent to CompuHigh / Whitmore School must be certified and translated into English.
  5. Students enrolling in individual courses will be required to enroll in the Individual PLUS program.
  6. Upon completion of courses with Whitmore School, the school will prepare and mail one (1) set of documents to the student’s home nation. If additional documents are requested, the student will be responsible for the cost of preparing and mailing the documents. The costs to be paid by the student include:
    • Payment to cover the cost of obtaining an Apostille from the West Virginia Secretary of State.
    • Payment to cover the cost of mailing the documents.
  1. Additional requirements made by the student will be charged accordingly.

16. Tutor Policy

Whitmore School provides a teacher in each course. The teacher is there to help you understand the lessons and guide you to mastery of the course content. Some families may choose to hire tutors not affiliated with Whitmore School. If you are working with a tutor on any of your Whitmore School courses, notify Administration through the link on your student desk. You are also required to inform your Whitmore School teacher and your guidance counselor that you are working with a tutor.

In order for the tutor to be approved by Whitmore School, the student, parent, and tutor must all sign the “Statement of Understanding for Tutors.” Print out the letter for your tutor and the “Statement of Understanding.” Return it with all 3 signatures to Whitmore School via mail, fax, or scan. Your tutor will not be approved until we receive this signed form. Failure to return the signed “Statement of Understanding” could result in being asked to take a proctored exam.

Here are some Do’s and Don’t’s of working with a Tutor:

  •     Do ask your tutor to help you reword more specific questions to your Whitmore School teacher.
  •     Do ask your tutor to give you additional examples.
  •     Do ask your tutor to explain concepts in different ways.
  •     Do ask your tutor to help you identify appropriate resources where you can find the information you need.
  •     Do NOT ask your tutor for any form of help on any of the Review Lessons.
  •     Do NOT ask your tutor to help you get the right answers in your assignments.

It is vitally important that your lesson assignments reflect your own independent work! Whitmore School is able to offer an accredited high school program, without exams, only if our students truly work through our unique mastery curriculum.  If the assignments you submit reflect your tutor’s skill and knowledge more than your own, then our mastery system will not work as it should.

If your tutor has any questions, he or she may contact the office and speak to Kathleen by calling 1-866-859-0777 between 9am to 2pm EST.

If the Whitmore School administration suspects that the work you submit while working with a tutor is not your own, you may be required to take a proctored exam.

Here are the links you need:

17. Adult Program

  1. CompuHigh / Whitmore School offers adults over the age of 18 the opportunity to enroll at the regular program tuition cost.
  2. Adult students can complete up to 5.0 elective credits of ‘Life Experience’ and/or ‘Career Experience.’ In order to complete Life Experience or Career Experience credits, adult students must complete the following:
  • Submit to the Life Experience or Career Experience teacher a proposal of the experience for which each credit is being requested.
  • Submit an essay for each credit being requested of no less than 700 words describing the experience and the skills learned from the experience.
  • Provide the date range and a contact person for each Life Experience or Career Experience activity.
  • Attest that at least 180 hours per credit was spent on the Life Experience or Career Experience activity. Be able to provide verification upon request by the Life Experience teacher.

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