PURPOSE:
- To provide the student with the opportunity to study areas not covered in courses now offered.
- To provide the student with an opportunity to pursue further or experiment in an area of interest to him/her.
- To broaden the student’s responsibility for his/her own education thus contributing to growth and maturity.
CREDIT:
According to the New York State Department of Education, credit for independent study may be awarded to a student once a plan has been approved by a school-based panel including the principal, teacher in the subject area for which independent study credit is sought and a School Counselor or Director.
A student may earn a maximum of 3 units of elective credit only. It may not be awarded for courses required for the Regents diploma. Grading will be on a pass/fail basis and not be part of the grade point average.
PRERQUISITES:
- Student must have demonstrated readiness in each subject in which they seek to undertake the independent study.
- Student has accumulated the expected number of credits for the student’s grade level.
- Student has passed the appropriate number of Regents exams required for graduation for the student’s grade level.
PROCEDURE:
The student will file an application for study with their counselor at least one month prior to the start of the semester (s) in which the work will be completed. The application must contain the following according to NYS Department of Education:
- Must show how the student will demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes.
- Must be academically rigorous and aligned to the NYS commencement level learning standards.
- Must be overseen by a teacher knowledgeable and experienced in the subject area of the independent study
- Must contain a syllabus with timelines, assignments, and/or projects
The application will be submitted to the panel for approval. Once approval has been granted the student’s school counselor will add that to the student’s schedule and notify the student of the status.