A student or a teacher may initiate class changes. Student-initiated changes are not automatically granted. A student who attended Seoul Foreign High School during the previous year was given a month to decide his/her courses in consultation with his/her counselor and has a parent signature approving the courses chosen. If the student received all of the requested courses, he or she will not be allowed to change classes unless through special circumstances which would have to be approved through the high school principal. Since the entire master schedule is built around student requests, it is critical that students and parents put a great deal of thought into the courses requested in the previous spring and thus be prepared to take those classes in the following year. Adding a Course: Course additions to a student’s schedule must be made in the first ten school days of the semester. Dropping a Course: Courses may be dropped without a grade being recorded on the student’s transcript in the first month of school. After that point, only teacher-initiated drops will be considered. Students enrolled in year long courses may drop that course only during first quarter or at the end of first semester. If a course is dropped during the first quarter, this will be recorded on the official transcript as a withdrawal (“W”), followed by the grade earned to date; however, no value will be computed into the student’s GPA. All courses dropped must be accompanied by written authorization of teacher, parent, counselor, and administration. No courses may be dropped after the last day of first or third quarter without specific approval of the principal after consultation with the teacher and the counselor. If a course is dropped with the above approval, this will be recorded on the transcript as a withdrawal (“W”) followed by the grade earned to date. Changing the Level of a Course: If a student is placed into the wrong level of a course, a teacher may recommend a change. Generally this is done no later than a month into the course, but occasionally may be made after a quarter or at the end of the semester of a year long course. This option is not meant for students to avoid receiving low grades because they have not been working up to their potential and, thus, only the teacher can recommend such a change. If parents desire a different course than the school recommends, the parents are expected to sign the “Against SFS Recommendation” form.
The principal, in consultation with the academic counselor and course teacher, may grant approval for a student to audit a course, generally at the beginning of the semester. Approved students must complete all assignments, attend class regularly and take all examinations. No credit and no grade will be received for the course although it will appear on the student’s school records. Any student who drops an audited course or fails to complete assignments will receive a withdrawal fail grade “WF”, which will be recorded on the permanent transcript. Generally, the only reason for authorizing an audit is in the case where the student will repeat the course in a subsequent term for a recorded grade. For example, a student who joins SFS late in a semester may need to audit his/her courses until the start of the next semester. An audit will not be authorized so that a student may avoid receiving a low grade. course_audit_approval_form.docx
Class Ranking
Seoul Foreign School does not rank students before the end of junior year. At that time, students are grouped into deciles to indicate a student’s general position in class such as top 5%, top 10%, top 20%, etc. Exact numerical ranking of students ended in 1997.
Middle School Credit
High school credit for high school level courses taken in Middle School will not be granted. Students who successfully complete such courses will, however, be eligible to proceed to the next level course in that subject.
Exams/Assessments
Semester exams are a regular part of the academic program at SFS and are considered necessary preparation for further schooling. Every effort should be made to ensure that you are here in school on exam days and you should encourage your family to make travel plans accordingly. Early Exams: Since teachers must write, administer, and correct a completely different final exam for each student who wants finals at a different time from regularly scheduled Finals Week, a ₩50, 000 fee is charged for each final exam taken early. If you must take an early semester exam, be sure to notify the Principal in writing at least two weeks prior to the proposed exam day. He or she will give you more details; however, note that no final may be taken more than 15 calendar days prior to the end of the semester. Final exams determine between 10 and 20 percent of the course’s second semester grade.
Test in ONE Day
Three tests on any given day is considered a normal maximum testing load. No student will be required to take more than three tests on any one day. If a student has 4 tests scheduled on the same day (through no fault of their own) the teacher of that student who was last to assign the test should postpone their test. Students who have 4 tests in any one day are required to notify the last teacher who assigned the test by no later than 3 p.m. on the day before the test. Should a student find that they have 4 tests in one day, without alerting the teacher who was last to assign the test, they should contact the Assistant Principal - Programs/Instruction for guidance. In cases where the last teacher to assign the test is unclear, the Assistant Principal - Programs and Instruction will make the final decision.
Independent Study
While an independent study is rare, it may be set up between a student and a supervising teacher in consultation with the student’s guidance counselor, if circumstances permit. Such requests include the complete development of an independent study syllabus that includes objectives, course content overview, proposal summary, assessment details and student requirements. All independent study proposals must receive the final approval of the principal.
Teacher Aide
Serving as a teacher aide provides a special learning experience for students who desire practical experience in working in a classroom or laboratory. The student is assigned to a specific teacher to work on a daily basis as a student assistant. A wide variety of tasks are available for the student such as: tutoring, helping with bulletin boards and assisting with in-class projects. The supervising teacher evaluates the work of the teacher aide and a ‘pass/fail’ grade will be assigned. Grades of ‘pass’ are assigned one-quarter credit. Students may make arrangements with individual teachers, or may apply through the regular scheduling procedure for any teacher aide position available. However, all teacher aide positions must be approved and scheduled through the Counseling Office.
Honor Roll
The honor rolls are calculated, published, and posted at the end of each quarter and semester. A high honor roll certificate is awarded to students who achieve high honor roll for all three of the first three quarters of the year. An honor roll certificate is given to a student who achieves a combination of honor roll and/or high honor roll for the first three quarters of the school year. Only semester honor roll will be noted on the student’s transcript. Requirements to obtain Honors/High Honors: To earn a place on the High Honor Roll, a student must have a weighted G.P.A. of 3.65 or higher. To earn a place on the Honor Roll, a student must have a weighted G.P.A. of 3.25 up to 3.64. A student cannot have any grade of 75% or lower (even if the G.P.A. requirement above is still met). A student earning an “Incomplete” in a course will not be eligible for Honor Roll recognition until the “Incomplete” has been completed and thus turned into a numeric grade. Privilege for being on Honors/High Honors: If you are on the Honor Roll you may, with written permission of your parent or guardian, leave school if you have Study Hall for 5th period. You MUST sign out in the HS office each time you leave early. Honors/High Honors students may NOT go off campus for lunch.
Transcripts
Your high school transcript is your permanent academic record that follows you if you leave SFS either because you transfer to another high school or because you are heading off to university. What Information Does It Contains: Your transcript includes all of your grades, credits, attendance, discovery week activity and grade point average. Copies of standardized test scores are only sent if a student transfers from SFS or upon special request. SFS does not include extra-curricular participation on the transcript. How To Obtain An Official/Unofficial Transcript: If you need an official transcript, you can obtain as many copies as you need from the High School Registrar, Ms. Kwon, who is located in the Counseling Office. Please do so by picking up a transcript request form from her and allow two weeks complete your request. It is also possible to obtain unofficial transcripts from her as well.
Grade Change Request
If it is necessary to make a change in a student’s grade, the student should talk with the teacher first. If the teacher agrees, then it is the responsibility of the teacher to turn in a grade change form to the High School Registrar after getting approval from the principal. Once this has been done, the student will receive a new copy of his or her report card. If a student does not receive a new copy within a few days, he or she should see either the High School Registrar and/or Counselor.