Secondary Grades Transfer Credit

Transfer Credits for Courses Taken Prior to Enrollment

Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) allows the transfer of high school course credits for full-time students, provided an official transcript is submitted from the accredited school where the credit was earned. GCA will determine which credits are recognized and in which subject credit is awarded. Students transferring to GCA from other schools are subject to the diploma requirements found in this handbook.

Official transcripts are analyzed by GCA School Counselors and GCA Registrar. Students will receive notification of transfer credit decisions and posting of credits when the analysis is completed. Official transcripts from other institutions that have been presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student’s academic file and are not returned or copied for distribution.

GCA Procedures for Awarding Homeschool and Non-Accredited School Course Credit

Georgia Cyber Academy does not automatically accept course credits earned in homeschool or through a non-accredited school. GCA has three categories of courses from non-accredited sources to determine credit:

1. course with a corresponding EOC
2. course that satisfies an elective credit for graduation
3. and a course that satisfies an academic course requirement for graduation.

The GCA Homeschool Transcript Form must be submitted as an application for credit and should explain in detail what the course curriculum covered. The High School Placement Counselor will evaluate the GCA HomeSchool Transcript Form to compare the course description provided on the form to the Georgia course description and determine if 1) the course lines up with state standards and if course credit can be awarded, 2) further assessment is needed, or 3) whether the student needs to take the EOC or not for course credit. GCA at its sole discretion may require an exam be taken to assess the validity of a student’s mastery of the standards for a given homeschool or non-accredited school course prior to awarding transcript academic course credit.

Students transferring from a homeschool or non-accredited school are placed on a probationary period of one semester in the grade that coincides with the number of credits submitted on the GCA Homeschool Transcript (with a maximum of seven per year) or Non-accredited School transcript. If the student has not taken OR passed the appropriate corresponding assessments at the end of one semester, the student’s credit standing will be re-evaluated and they may be required to complete additional diagnostic tests to determine their exact level of proficiency and mastery of standards in any given subject and may not be awarded the respective transferring graduation credits, depending on the results of the diagnostics taken. After the student’s first semester at GCA they will either continue in the grade that they were originally placed in based on transferring transcripts or they will be moved into the grade level based on the final number of credits awarded and the results of the diagnostic assessments taken.

All homeschool and non-accredited school courses accepted for credit will be excluded from GPA calculations. The accepted homeschool and non-accredited school credits will be reflected on the transcript. For courses that do not require an End of Course (EOC) exam, the homeschool and non-accredited school grades will be reflected on the transcript. For EOC courses, the homeschool and non-accredited school grades will be reflected on the transcript ONLY if the student scores a 70 or above on the EOC. If the student scores below a 70 on the EOC, an NG (no grade) will be reflected on the transcript and the student will have to retake the course. The Home School Transcript Form and/or Non-accredited School Transcript information will be an extension of the GCA transcript for informational purposes.

Awarding Credit for Courses with a Corresponding EOC

• Credit will be awarded for homeschool and non-accredited school courses with the receipt of a passing EOC score of 70 or greater. The grade provided on the homeschool or non-accredited school transcript will be reflected on the GCA transcript.
• If a student takes the EOC and does not score a 70 or better, “NG” for No Grade will be reflected as the grade on the GCA transcript. The NG does not affect credit total or the student’s GPA in any way. The student will be required to take the EOC course again through GCA to satisfy their graduation requirements.

Awarding Credit for Courses Satisfying an Elective Credit for Graduation

If a thorough course description is submitted on the GCA Homeschool Transcript Form or Non-accredited School Transcript, elective credit will be awarded. The Homeschool or Non-accredited school grade will be excluded from GPA calculations.

Awarding Credit for Courses Satisfying an Academic Course for Graduation

Counselors will use their expertise along with the assistance of content area experts to determine if the student has mastered the curriculum. After comparing the submitted course description to the Georgia course description, the counselor may request further assessment from the respective subject area Lead Teacher to ensure content was covered and mastered. A formal assessment may be required to receive academic course transcript credit.

If the counselor and/or grade band Assistant Principal determine Georgia standards HAVE been met and mastered, academic course credit will be awarded. However, the Homeschool or Non- accredited School grade will be excluded from the GPA calculations.

If the counselor and/or grade band Assistant Principal determine that Georgia standards HAVE NOT been met and mastered, elective credit will be awarded for the Homeschool or Non- accredited School course. However, the Homeschool or Non-accredited School grade will be excluded from the GPA calculations. The student will be required to take the academic course again through GCA for academic course credit to satisfy their graduation requirements.

Transfer Credits for Outside Courses Taken While Enrolled

Any credits taken outside of GCA must be pre-approved by administration and/or school counselors to be considered as potential transfer credit and must be taken through an accredited institution.

Transferring GCA Credits to Another School

Course credits earned at Georgia Cyber Academy are transferable at the discretion of the receiving school, which has the right to award or deny credit transfers based on their policies.