Assessment & Statement of Policies

Academic Assessment
A. Grading
Major courses and the health seminar are graded on a 4.0 scale in which the grades A+ through D- are passing and F is failing. An “incomplete” may be given at any marking period if a medically documented illness prevents a student from completing the work of a course. All incompletes must be made up by the dates specified on the school calendar. Grades for cocurricular courses, work jobs, physical education, athletics, and apprenticeships are:

O Outstanding
VG Very Good
S Satisfactory
NI Needs Improvement
U Unsatisfactory (failing)

Effort grades, which always accompany academic, PE/A, work, and cocurricular course grades, and reflect the student’s preparation for and involvement in class are:

1 Outstanding
2 Very Good
3 Satisfactory
4 Needs Improvement
5 Unsatisfactory

B. Grades
Grades and comments for all credit-bearing courses are available online for students and parents at midsemester and at the end of each semester. Grades for cocurricular courses, the ninth-grade health seminar, sports, and PE classes are available online at the end of each term.

C. Academic Honors
Published at the end of each semester, the Honor Roll lists those students who have achieved honors and high honors as determined by their grades that semester. Specific grade criteria for honors and high honors are listed in the NMH handbook.

At the end of each year, students who have earned high honors in both semesters will be named to the Head’s List. Students who have earned honors or a combination of honors and high honors in both semesters will be named to the Dean’s List.

Academic High Honors: No grade less than A-

Academic Honors: Average of B+ with no grade less than B

D. Effort Honors
In recognition of the value of hard, consistent work, we publish an effort honor roll that lists students whose effort grades are consistently commendable in all academic, physical education, minor courses, and work assignments. Specific grade criteria for commendable and highly commendable effort honors grades are listed in the NMH handbook.

At the end of each year, students who have earned commendable effort honors in both semesters will be named to the Moody Effort Award list.

E. Cum Laude Society
Seniors may be elected to the Northfield Mount Hermon chapter of the Cum Laude Society on the basis of the academic record of their junior and senior years. Postgraduate students are not eligible for election but may be chosen by the society for special recognition.

Statement of Policies
A. Course Placement
Course placement depends upon prerequisites, grade level, achievement in previous course work, scheduling and staffing limitations, and in most cases, a screening process that may include placement exams within the discipline. For these reasons, a student must register for two alternatives in elective courses. When selecting courses, a student should give serious consideration to second choices. Neither during the admission process nor at any time thereafter can the school guarantee that a student will be placed in a specific course, including an advanced placement (AP) course or an elective. Occasionally, a course may be canceled because of insufficient enrollment or lack of an available teacher.

Advanced placement courses are an important component of the Northfield Mount Hermon curriculum and are available to qualified students in many disciplines. Enrollment is limited and highly competitive, and students must apply for places. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of previous academic performance, teacher recommendations, the student’s transcript, and, where appropriate, per­formance on SATs. Some courses may require additional assessments when teacher recommendation is impossible.

B. Course Loads and Time Commitments
Each full credit course meets from 5.5–7.0 hours per week. Half-credit courses meet for half that time. Homework expectations will vary depending on course and level placement. While a student’s preparation, ability, and motivation level will impact the amount of time he or she may spend doing work outside of class, the following are NMH’s general homework guidelines:

• 45 minutes of homework per class for all 100-level courses
• 60–75 minutes of homework per class for all 200-, 300- and 400-level courses
• 75 minutes of homework per class for all honors courses
• 90 minutes of homework per class for advanced placement, 500- and 600-level courses

C. Repetition of Courses
A student may, with approval, repeat a course that has already been passed. The student must fulfill all of the course requirements. The course is recorded on the transcript as a “repeat” and a grade is given, but no additional credit is allowed. A student who, by virtue of placement, repeats a graduation requirement that has been completed elsewhere (e.g., Algebra II, second year of a foreign language) forfeits previously earned credit and must complete the graduation requirement at NMH.

D. Auditing a Class:
A student may, with approval from the director of studies, audit a full or half credit course during the semester. While auditing a course provides an opportunity to pursue additional coursework without the pressure of a grade, auditing a class represents a significant increase in workload for a student. In addition to their other three credits of coursework, students who audit a class are responsible for attending all the classes and for doing all the work of the class they audit. Students who audit a class will not receive a grade or credit for the class, but will receive a written comment from the teacher describing their performance in the course at mid semester and at the end of the semester.

E. Independent Study
Northfield Mount Hermon does not routinely offer an option of independent study. There are, however, several circumstances when independent study projects will be considered for approval. In the event that an advanced-level course is under enrolled, a department chair may propose that an independent study course be developed and taught to those students who qualify for such a course. Approval will be determined by the dean of the faculty and the academic dean. In rare circumstances, students may also propose an independent study on a topic of interest not covered within the scope of our curriculum. Proposals must be developed with a faculty project advisor. The proposal must have the written approval of the student’s DL, college counselor, and of the appropriate department chair. Final approval is determined by the academic dean. Applications for an independent study are available in the academic office in Holbrook Hall. The proposal must be submitted by May 1 for fall semester and Nov 1 for spring semester. Finally, independent study is also available in physical education and athletics. The protocol for this can be found   in the PE&A section of the Curriculum Guide. 

F. Credit by Examination
Under certain circumstances, students may obtain credit in mathematics or a language by successfully passing a special exam. A grade is not given, although credit is shown on the transcript. This policy is designed primarily to enable students to advance outside the limits and demands of formal classes. On occasion, an exam may also be taken to make up a previous failure. In these cases, the original grade for the course remains on the transcript, but credit by examination is also shown.

G. Summer Study
Students may earn an unlimited number of credits toward graduation through summer study, but no more than one credit may be applied to meet the graduation requirement in any one subject area. No more than one credit can be applied for study in any one summer. Courses to be taken during the summer for NMH credit must be approved in advance. Application forms are available from DLs or the Office of Student Services.

H. Waiver Procedures

1. Waiver of graduation requirement: In rare instances, a student who is unable to fulfill a Northfield Mount Hermon graduation requirement may be granted a waiver from the requirement in a specific discipline. Such cases generally involve students with professionally certified learning disabilities in either second language or mathematics. A student is never granted a waiver in more than one discipline. It is essential that students and parents realize the possible consequences of a waiver for a student’s college and career options. In this connection, Northfield Mount Hermon requires letters from the student and parents expressing their complete understanding of the possible ramifications of a waiver for the student’s future.
2. Waiver of minimum credits: Under exceptional circumstances, a student may petition for a waiver to carry fewer than the required three credits during a semester as long as the student can still meet all subject requirements and earn the total credits required for graduation.