KEC Career and Technical Education programs provide students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in a future career. Please refer to the Course Descriptions for 2023-24.
Course Catalog
- Course Selection
- Fees
- Graduation Requirements
- College Admissions Requirements and Recommendations
- NCAA Division I or II Eligibility
- Course Load
- Schedule Changes
- Dropping and Adding Courses
- Ability Grouping
- Promotion
- Grading Scale
- GPA and Class Rank
- Auditing a Course
- Senior Lounge
- Flex Schedule
- Syllabi
Course Selection
Course selection for students will be held during spring semester of each year. The school counseling office will hold group meetings for all grade levels in January for the purpose of presenting curriculum offerings and to explain the registration procedure. Following the presentation, students will have time to conference with their families, counselors, and teachers and complete their actual pre-selection.
Fees
Graduation Requirements
Class of 2023 (Subject to change)
Total credits: 20
Eight semesters of high school work including the following:
- 13 major academic credits including:
- English – 4 credits .5 credit is met with required Public Speaking and Communication class)
- Mathematics – 3 credits
- Science – 2 credits
- Social Studies – 2.5 credits (1 credit in World Cultures; 1 credit in Am History, .5 credit in Government)
- Consumer Economics – .5 credit
- World language, art, music or vocational – 1 credit
- 4 credits in Physical Education including .5 credit in health and .25 credit in Driver Education
- 3 credits in elective courses
College Admissions Requirements and Recommendations
NCAA Division I or II Eligibility
Please check with the NCAA Clearinghouse for specific requirements related to each subject. Student athletes should apply to the NCAA Clearinghouse in their junior year.
Course Load
- Students are required to be enrolled in at least five classes per semester to be considered a full time student. Student must be passing 5 classes to be eligible for sports, activities, or clubs.
- Students are expected to complete a course once they have registered for it because they have made a commitment to themselves and to the school. See withdraw and drop policies if you need to withdraw or drop a course.
- Extra-curricular activities (athletics, clubs, etc.) and the possibility of employment should be seriously considered when planning the course load.
- Junior and Senior students who elect to start late or end early will not be allowed to remain on campus during ‘flex’ time.
Schedule Changes
Student programs will be changed after the final registration is completed only if extreme emergency circumstances exist. If such circumstances should arise, changes will be made only if they meet the following criteria. Some will require written parental approval.
- Errors such as enrolling in a course previously taken or resulting from data processing.
- Failure or near failure in a pre-requisite course and/or in a semester or year course.
- Successful completion of summer school courses.
- Scheduling conflicts.
- Teacher/counselor/administrator initiated.
Dropping and Adding Courses
“Dropping” is a student’s withdrawal from a course at Sycamore High School. If a class is dropped within the first ten days of school, the course will not appear on the student’s transcript. If a student drops a course after ten days of school but before the fifth Friday of the semester, they will receive a “W” (withdrawal) for that course on their final transcript. If a course is dropped after the fifth Friday of the semester, the student will receive an “F” as a semester grade in that course and the grade will be recorded on the student’s permanent record.
In order to drop a class, students should meet with their counselor and complete the drop/add form with the signature of the teacher and a parent. These forms are available in the School Counseling Office. The last day for a student to drop a course and be added into a new class (besides study hall) is ten days into the semester.
Schedules may be changed upon availability during the first ten days of each semester. A schedule change request form should be submitted to the Counseling Office once schedules have been released. Second semester course changes are encouraged to be made prior to winter break.
Ability Grouping
In order that students with special needs might benefit from developmental programs and in order to provide for individual differences, the school provides advanced and regular sections in some subject matter areas. Several criteria, including test scores, past performance in the subject field and teacher recommendations are used to guide students in placement.
We are aware that misplacements can occur. The student can review his/her placement with the teacher and the counselor during the year and make changes in their course level based on the recommendation of the teacher. If a parent/student disagrees with a teacher’s final recommendation, they must fill out a teacher recommendation form in the Counseling Office in order to sign up for a different class.
Promotion
Students’ class standings are classified as follow:
Freshmen | Completion of eighth grade |
Sophomores | Five credits and completion of at least one year of high school |
Juniors | Ten credits and completion of at least two years of high school |
Seniors | Fifteen credits and completion of at least three years of high school |
Grading Scale
GPA and Class Rank
Unweighted Grade Point Average
Sycamore High School uses a 4.0 grade point system. This means that grades in classes are given “grade points” as follows: A = 4.0; B = 3.0; C = 2.0; D = 1.0; F = 0
Weighted Grade Point Average
Sycamore High School also utilizes a “weighted grade point average” for the purpose of recognizing student effort in particularly challenging classes.
0.5 Weighted Classes
Students will receive an additional 0.5 weighting per year for each grade in these courses as follows: A = 4.5; B = 3.5; C = 2.5; D = 1.5; F = 0.0. Weighted classes are as follows:
- English: Honors English 9, Honors English 10
- Mathematics: Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra II, Honors Pre-Calculus
- Science: Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Watershed
- Social Studies: Honors World Cultures, Honors Economics
- Art: Honors 2D Art
- Music: Honors Choir, Honors Band, Honors Orchestra
- Any Dual Credit course taken at a college or university that is categorized as a “100 level” course
- Any Dual Credit course taken at a college or university that is categorized as a “200 level” course or above
- If a Dual Credit course is not taught on sight or by our staff, a “Dual Credit Form” must be signed and kept on file. A dual credit agreement cannot be changed once it is signed unless the course is dropped by the student for issues out of his/her control (ex: medical issue).
1.0 Weighted Courses
Students will receive an additional 1.0 per year weight each (regardless of it was a classroom or online course). Grade points in these classes will be awarded as follows: A = 5.0; B = 4.0; C = 3.0; D = 2.0; F = 0.0. Weighted Classes are as follows:
- English: AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition
- Social Studies: AP U.S. History, AP US Government, AP Comparative Government, AP World History
- World Language: AP Spanish
- Art: AP Studio Music: AP Music
- Mathematics: AP Calculus, AP Statistics
- EMSA taught at Kishwaukee College
- Science: AP Biology, AP Physics I
Valedictorian and salutatorian will be determined using the weighted GPA and will be computed at the conclusion of all eight semesters of high school. Also, initial eligibility for the National Honor Society will utilize the students’ weighted grade point average.
Auditing a Course
A student may audit a course with administrative approval under the following circumstance:
- The student did not receive the required grade for continual enrollment in a curriculum during the second semester of a year-long course and needs the first-semester curriculum in preparation for the second semester of the course.
Other situations may arise that would warrant a student auditing a course. These situations require administrative and parental approval.
Senior Lounge
Senior lounge is an off-campus study hall that is only available for senior students. The Flex and Senior Lounge Contract form is also the application and must be completed by any student who is requesting Senior Lounge in their schedule next year. Seniors may have two Senior Lounges under the following circumstances:
- The student is on track to graduate by taking only five classes that semester.
- The student does not have excessive tardies or absences.
- Parental approval is required.
Senior Lounge is a privilege not a right. Issues that may disqualify a student from the privilege of signing up or continuing to have a Senior Lounge are:
- Behavior referrals.
- Attendance concerns such as frequent tardiness, unexcused absences, or chronic absences from school.
- Failing grades.
Flex Schedule
Juniors and Seniors may apply for a “Flex Schedule” during the registration process. A Flex Schedule allows Juniors and Seniors to start each school later or finish earlier than the standard schedule. The Flex and Senior Lounge Contract form is also the application and must be completed by any student who is requesting a Flex Schedule in their schedule next year. Every effort to accommodate the student’s request will be attempted. Because of the complex nature of scheduling, it may not be possible to honor all requests.
A student may apply for a Flex Schedule under the following circumstances:
- They are on track to graduate.
- They have not had excessive tardies or discipline issues.
- Juniors must take 6 consecutive classes in a row with no study hall to have FLEX. Seniors may only have one FLEX, but may also have a senior lounge or study hall.
- Parental approval is required.
The flex times are as follows:
- Second hour through Tenth hour
- First hour through Ninth hour
- Zero hour through 8th hour
Juniors and Seniors requesting FLEX study halls should enter FLEX on line 1 (indicating 1st hour) or line 7 (indicating last hour) or 6 and 7 (indicating the last two periods of the day — you MUST be taking a Zero Hour class AND be enrolled in 6 courses to qualify for a double FLEX at the end of your day) Students should NOT be on campus during a FLEX hour. Juniors are only allowed 1 FLEX and must be taking 6 classes in order to ask for a FLEX. FLEX is a privilege and all students must fill out a form if they are requesting a FLEX in their day. All applications will be reviewed by SHS administration for approval and can be denied due to concerns listed below. Even if a student is initially granted permission to put these requests in their schedule, they can be removed if issues arise per the student handbook, “These incentives may be revoked when a student is not passing a class or has ANY disciplinary consequence, including tardies.” If a student is not granted permission or loses the privilege during a semester, a study hall will be put into their schedule instead.
Flex Schedule is a privilege, not a right. Issues that may disqualify a student from the privilege of signing up or continuing to have a Senior Lounge are:
- Behavior referrals.
- Attendance concerns such as frequent tardiness, unexcused absences, or chronic absences from school.
- Failing grades.
Syllabi
Sycamore High School syllabi for the 2023-24 school year can be found here.