Academic Expectations for HCS Scholars Academy Students

By enrolling in HCS Scholars Academy, students understand that they join a family of learners committed to academic excellence, a cooperative learning environment, and personal integrity.  Students are expected to contribute to the Scholars Academy’s culture of excellence and caring. Failure to meet these guidelines could result in a student's return to their HCS attendance area high school.  

The following details provide expectations for students’ academic performance:

AP Courses

Students who enter HCS Scholars Academy are to complete a minimum of seven (7) Advanced Placement (AP)courses.

The following 4 AP courses are REQUIRED of ALL HCS Scholars Academy students:

     English Language

     English Literature

     US Government & Politics

     US History

Students are required to take at least one (1) AP course with a Scholars Academy teacher EACH school year.

Students must choose a minimum of one Scholars Academy AP course from Science: (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental or Physics) and Mathematics (Calculus AB, Calculus BC, or Statistics).  The other required AP courses may be in any discipline.

Students must take AP Exams and have scores reported for every AP course in which they are enrolled, including online courses.  National AP examinations will be administered in May of each school year for such courses.  AP exam scores may not be cancelled.

SA Online Coursework

Since online coursework places a greater responsibility on the part of the student, those who request such courses should be self-motivated, disciplined, and have strong reading, writing, and technology skills.  An online AP course typically requires 10 to 15 hours of class time and study per week.  Those HCS Scholars Academy students who request to take an AP online course MUST meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Prior course grades of A and/or B

• Minimum score of 4 on at least one (1) AP exam; and
• Recommendation from a teacher of the requested course’s discipline who is familiar with the student’s work.

All online coursework must be completed in proportion to the amount of class time completed, e.g., in a year-long class, students must have completed 25% of the classwork by the end of the first quarter.  In addition, all AP coursework must be completed by the last school day in April.

End-of-Course Exams

End-of-course (EOC) exams will count 20% of a student’s final grade and will be administered for English 2, US History, and Biology.  Each EOC exam will be given at the end of the semester in which the student is scheduled to complete the course(s).

Course-Taking Patterns

HCS Scholars Academy students are expected to be enrolled in core courses (for all four core areas) each school year. Exceptions require administrative approval and must be documented in the student’s IGP.  Once students move onto CCU college courses in a core area, course-taking expectations will follow that of a typical CCU college student.  Students are expected to be enrolled in a minimum of five courses and a maximum of six courses each school semester for a total of eight semesters.

Course Withdrawal

Students who withdraw from a course within three days on a 45-day course, five days on a 90-day course, or ten days on a 180-day course will do so without penalty under the Uniform Grading Policy.  Students who withdraw from a course AFTER the specified time of three days on a 45-day course, five days on a 90-day course, or ten days on a 180-day course shall be assigned a WF, and the F (51) will be calculated in the student’s overall grade point average.  This pertains to both SA Scholars Academy courses and CCU college courses taken for dual credit. No student may drop a course without permission from the Scholars Academy administration.

Community Service

All students enrolled at HCS Scholars Academy must complete 15 hours of community service each school year (earning up to 8 hours during the summer).  All services must be non-profit in nature.  Hours completed are due on the last school day of each month.  All community service volunteer hours for the current school year must be submitted on the Google Form by the last school day in April. Hours completed during May, June, and July can be submitted to count towards the next school year. 

Community  Service Guidelines are as follows:

• At least half of the hours should be completed in the Horry County area.

• A maximum of 8 hours can be completed during the summer for the following school year.

• Students are encouraged to target areas of interest to use for college resumes.