Program Guidelines
School Counts! is a voluntary program for high school students which can be initiated through the school principal or the guidance department. A student can apply for a School Counts! certificate when he or she begins a job search, and should approach the designated school official to request a transcript review, using the School Counts! Student Commitment Cards to begin the process. (The cards are included in the School Counts! School Kits.)
Once a transcript review has determined that a student is eligible for a School Counts! Certificate, the name of the student and the signature of the principal or designated school official should be entered on the appropriate lines on the certificate. The School Counts! embosser should be used in the white circular area of the certificate to signify academic year. The original document is given to the student to show to potential employers, who may elect to keep a photocopy in the student's employment record.
There are four certificates available and each is valid only for the student's current academic year: Green School Counts! Certificates are for seniors; red certificates for juniors; brown certificates for sophomores and blue certificates for freshmen. Undergraduate students will need a new certificate each year if they change employers or when their current employers ask to see the certificate on an annual basis. Certificates are issued annually and are based on current year performance, regardless of previous School Counts! Student status. A gold certificate can be awarded to students who earn a School Counts! certificate in each of the four years of high school.
Determination of Eligibility
To receive a School Counts! Certificate, a student must meet all listed criteria: Students must have an end of year letter grade of 'C' or better in every subject.
Attendance and punctuality rates are determined in aggregate, that is, a student may have nine absences and tardies COMBINED and still be eligible for a certificate. The absentee rate is calculated on a 180-day school year, therefore, students who miss more than nine days of school (or 5% of 180 days) for any reason during a single academic year, are not eligible for a School Counts! certificate. The total number of absences should include any time that the student is physically not in the building (with the exception of authorized school trips), which includes excused and unexcused absences, or any other release time. Any out-of-schoo suspensions or suspensions reported on the Electronic Violence and Vandalism System automatically exclude students from the School Counts! program. Exceptions to this rule can be made for situations that are clearly not part of a pattern of behavior, like days missed due to the death of a close family member, etc. Exceptions to this rule should be approved by the principal and director of guidance, or preferably by a larger school-based committee.
Punctuality rates would follow the same general calculation, using the district’s definition of ‘tardy’ for determining eligibility. More than nine ‘tardies’ accumulated in a single school year makes a student ineligible for the School Counts! certificate. Since attendance and punctuality rates are determined in aggregate, if a student has both absent days and tardies, the numbers should be added to determine eligibility. For example, five days absent and four times late during any one school year is within the guidelines.
Any student who is 'on time and on target to graduate' meets this criteria. Most students are expected to complete high school in eight consecutive semesters with no dropping out. However, a special needs student whose IEP demands more than four years of high school also meets this criteria. Any student who has repeated a grade level in high school is ineligible for the School Counts! program.
Most school districts require students to accumulate a significantly higher number of course
credits than the state's minimum of 110. To meet this criteria, a student must exceed, or be scheduling enough courses to exceed the state minimum by at least one credit. Note: Summer school can provide students with the opportunity to make up credits, but not absences or grades.
Helpful Tips for Implementing School Counts! in Your School
