Jackson County Comprehensive High School welcomes all students. In order to comply with Georgia Department of Education rules and the standards of the Georgia Accrediting Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Jackson County School District has established policies regarding the acceptance of transfer credit from previous settings. Please note the following:

Credit is automatically accepted from the student's previous setting in the following circumstances:

1. Students from another Georgia School:
   1. The previous school is accredited by the Georgia Accreditation Commission
   2. The previous school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
   3. The previous school is accredited by one of the agencies under the Georgia Private School Accreditation Council.
2. Students from a school outside of Georgia:
   1. The previous school is accredited by the state's accreditation organization.
   2. The previous school is accredited by one of the following regional agencies: New England Association of Colleges and Schools, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
   3. The previous school is accredited by one of the agencies under the Georgia Private School Accreditation Council.

Credit for courses taken by students coming form home schooling or other nonaccredited settings (as defined above) may be granted if the parent and student follow these procedures:

1. Before having credit granted from a home school setting the student must present the following, as required by state regulations:
   1. A declaration of who taught the student.
   2. If the teacher was a parent or guardian, supporting documentation establishing that the teacher has a high school diploma or a GED certificate.
   3. If the teacher was not a parent or guardian, evidence that the teacher had a baccalaureate college degree.
   4. Copies of (or access to) monthly attendance reports that have been submitted to the local superintendent of schools.
   5. Standardized tests that have been given to the student. A student must be tested if home schooled for over three years beginning in the third grade. (These tests are required to be retained under state law.)
   6. Copies of annual assesment reports for each subject area. (These reports are required to be retained for three years.)

2. For courses already completed during a normal school year, credit will be provided in the following manner:
   1. For academic courses, students must pass (70%) standardized and/or instructional tests for each course.
   2. For non-academic course credit, the student must pass a performance test, a portfolio review, and/or an interview by school district personnel.
   3. Elective courses which rely heavily on group participation, public performances, and social interaction are not eligible for credit from non-accredited settings.
   4. Grades from credit granted from non-accredited settings will be recorded at P (pass)/F(fail) and will not be included in calculations for GPA.

3. Parents and students should complete a form indicating which courses should be included in testing for granting credit. You may complete the form on line and print it. To view the form, you must have the Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer. Download the free Adobe Acrobat reader here.
4. A student enrolling in a Jackson County School from a non-accredited setting in the midst of a grading period, shall be responsible for all grade-bearing activities, both before and after enrollment, however, teachers shall not be responsible for re-teaching information to students on content that was presented prior to the time of enrollment in school.) School district personnel will assess with the student and parents school work done in the non-accredited situation prior to enrollment or re-enrollment in a Jackson County Public School.
   

Transfer Students
Accredited Situations

The Jackson County School System shall accept the verified credit toward high school graduation of any student who transfers into the Jackson County Schools from:

1. Other Georgia schools accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and/or one of the accrediting agencies that is a member of the Georgia Private School Accreditation council, and/or one of the following regional accrediting agencies:
2. Any school outside the state accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies (New England Association of Colleges and Schools, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), or
3. Any school outside the state which may be certified by the outside state’s State Department of Education as an accredited school.
4. Other schools and home study programs will be considered non-accredited for the purposes of this policy.

HOME STUDY PROGRAMS AND NON-ACCREDITED SITUATIONS

The Jackson County School System shall validate credits by examination and by trial performance of any student who transfers into the system from a non-accredited school or from a home study program.

Students entering school from home study programs should provide the school with a copy of the student’s birth certificate, an up-to-date immunization record, the results of any standardized tests administered while the student was in a home study program, and annual program assessment reports in each subject area as specified by the laws establishing the home study program.

Grades for courses applied to high school graduation which are awarded by a home study program or by a non-accredited school shall be recorded as Pass/Fail. Pass/Fail grades are not included in computing GPA’s.

Any student requesting admission into a high school program of the Jackson County School System from a non-accredited public school or private school will be accepted with grade placement based on the number of units earned in an accredited setting. Grade level will be adjusted as units are earned by examination. Credit will be determined in accordance with student performance and standardized or instructional placement testing as deemed necessary by school personnel.

Any student requesting admission into a high school in the Jackson County School System from a home study program must have his/her parent or guardian provide proof to the principal that all eight requirements for operating a home school as specified in Georgia Code 20-2-690 have been met. Subject and grade transfer must meet the system’s requirement for instructional contact hours for the regular academic year. After instructional hours are verified by the principal or principal’s designee, Jackson County School System personnel will test to determine credit transferred from the student’s home school or non-accredited situation. The student will be initially scheduled into classes, pending verification, as indicated by records furnished to the school by the parent or guardian.

The maximum number of units accepted from non-accredited institutions and home school is ten (10), two (2) per subject area tested. No more than six (6) units may be applied for or awarded from any non-accredited situation in any single academic year. Home study credit may not be applied for or awarded for summer school work. School district personnel will administer standardized and/or instructional placement tests in the areas of language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.

Non-academic course credit may be accepted from a non-accredited institution or home school, provided the student passes a performance test, a portfolio review, and/or interview by school district personnel. Elective courses which rely heavily on group participation, public performances, and social interaction are not eligible for home study credit or credit from a non-accredited situation. Testing for academic and non-academic course credit will be content specific and will include, but not be limited to, course objectives as defined by the state of Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum.

“The Jackson County School System will operate in compliance with the Georgia Accrediting Commission which states, “At least half of the Carnegie units required
for graduation must be earned in an accredited high school. The accredited school
is responsible for all the units required for graduation and the records must show
all of them, where and how obtained.” (Official Bulletin, GAC)

Students who have been enrolled in a home study program or other non-accredited situation must pass the Georgia Assessment Requirements and meet State of Georgia and Jackson County Schools graduation requirements before a diploma will be issued.

A student who has been enrolled in a home study program or in any other non-accredited situation shall be informed by the school counseling office at the time of application to the public school that his/her participation in class is on a credit basis. (A student enrolling in a Jackson County School from a non-accredited setting in the midst of a grading period, shall be responsible for all grade-bearing activities, both before and after enrollment, however, teachers shall not be responsible for re-teaching information to students on content that was presented prior to the time of enrollment in school.) School district personnel will assess with the student and parents school work done in the non-accredited situation prior to enrollment or re-enrollment in a Jackson County Public School.

If a parent or legal guardian disagrees with credit accepted or denied by the school for a student from a non-accredited situation or home school, an appeal may be made to the principal of the school and then, if still dissatisfied, later to the Superintendent of Schools. The appeal should contain all pertinent information, documentation, transcript, attendance record, and state reasons for the appeal. The decision of the Superintendent is final. The STATE regulations governing the operation of a home school are as follows:

1. Parent or guardian must annually submit to the Superintendent of the local school district in which the program is located a Declaration of Intent to utilize a Home Study Program by September 1 or thirty days after a program is established. The local school Superintendent will provide a form upon request for this purpose.

2. The declaration must include the names and ages of the students, the address where the program is located, and the dates of the school year.

3. The parent or guardian may teach his/her own children. The teaching parent or guardian must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent GED certificate. If a tutor is employed, the tutor must hold a baccalaureate college degree.

4. The home school must include instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

5. The school must include the equivalent of 180 days of at least 4 hours of instruction per day, unless the child is physically unable to comply with this requirement.

6. Monthly attendance reports must be sent to the local Superintendent at the end of each month. The local school Superintendent will, upon request, provide the reporting forms.

7. Students in the Home Study Program shall be subject to an appropriate nationally standardized testing program administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm-referenced tests. The student must be evaluated at least every three years beginning at the end of third grade. Records of such tests shall be retained.

8. The instructor shall write an annual assessment report in each required subject area for each student. These reports shall be retained for at least three years.

Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities

Eligibility and on-track requirements to participate in extracurricular activities, interscholastic athletics, or any activity covered by local and state policy IDE/IDE-R must be met by students entering or re-entering the Jackson County Public Schools from a home school or any other non-accredited situation or from any accredited situation. A student whose records are incomplete or whose official records do not show semester averages and end of the year grades is ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for a full semester plus any part thereof if entering the system during a semester or grading period. For high school students from a non-accredited setting on-track credits must be carefully documented and recorded by the principal or principal’s designee.

Counseling Department
East Jackson Comprehensive High School
1435 Hoods Mill Road
Commerce, Georgia 30529
Phone Number: 706-336-8900
Fax Number: 706-335-2928

Counseling Department
Jackson County Comprehensive High School
1668 Winder Highway
Jefferson, Georgia 30549
Phone: 706-367-5003
Fax: 706-367-7275