Academic Information

The Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), a division of AdvancED

Oregon Department of Education, Oregon School Activities Association, International Baccalaureate World School, AVID, Association for Career and Technical Education

Mountainside High School is on a semester system, with two 18 week grading periods.  The school day runs from 7:45 AM until 2:30 PM.  On Wednesdays, there is an early release for staff development  at 1:00 PM. Students attend four approximately 90 minute classes each day.  On Odd days students attend their odd period classes: periods 1,3,5 and 7. On Even days students attend their even period classes: periods 2,4 and 6 as well as an Advisory/Extended period.  Each class, periods 1-7, earns .5 credit each semester toward the 24 credits required for graduation.  Classes meet either for one semester or a full year.  For information regarding the freshman Wheel classes, please see the Career Pathway section in this guide.
 

Regular grade point average (GPA) is computed on a 4-point scale with the following point values awarded per grade: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, and F = 0.  In addition, a second “weighted” GPA will also be calculated for students. “Weighting” a grade adds to the grade point value earned in certain courses. In the Beaverton system, grades of A, B, and C earned in AP,  IB and Dual Credit classes earn an extra grade point. Therefore, an “A” in a weighted class yields 5 grade points (4 points for the “A” and 1 more point as a weighted “bonus”), a “B” yields 4 grade points, and a “C” yields 3 grade points.

A student must meet the OSAA and District standards for eligibility. See the athletic section our website for more athletic/activity eligibility information. 

The District requires an $85 participation fee for any class with outside school performances/activities.  These include: Band, Drama, Cheerleading, Flag Team/Color Guard, Forensics, Choir, Dance Team, etc.  Athletic fees are $225 per sport.  All fees are due no later than the second week of the semester.
 

Regular attendance and punctuality are critical lifelong skills which are emphasized at Mountainside.  Because participation in class through collaborative activities is an essential element of student learning and assessment, and because students must be present to achieve these outcomes, student absences must be minimized. 

Mountainside students may receive college credit for one or more of our courses through either PCC or PSU.  The Courses offering this credit will be determined based on acceptance of our applications to these institutions.  More information to follow.

Seniors who meet the requirements listed below are able to take a 1 period Early Release or Late Arrival each semester in order to take care of personal business.  Only seniors who are on track to graduate on time are eligible for this privilege.  This includes having passed their SBAC testing requirements in Reading, Writing and Math. Students who opt for an open period, either Early Release or Late Arrival are not eligible for the Maverick Scholars Recognition, Salutatorian or Valedictorian. Seniors must fill out an application and attach it to their forecast sheet. 
Requirements:

• Students may apply for 1 period of release each semester.
• Student must have no major or excessive violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
• Student must have no excessive tardiness and must maintain 90% attendance rate in all classes.
• Student must have a signed late arrival/early release form on file in the Attendance Office.
• Student must have accumulated a minimum of 20 credits, have a minimum 2.0 GPA, and be on track to graduate on time.
• Student must have passed their SBAC in Reading, Writing and Math.
• Must provide their own transportation to and from school.
• Student must be off campus during their release period except for during extended.  During extended, they will go to the Lecture Hall for quiet study.  Attendance will be taken.
   

At the high school level, once a student turns 18, all the rights that once belonged to the parents transfer to the student. However, a secondary school may still provide an eligible student’s parents with access to education records, without the student’s consent, if the student is claimed as a dependent for IRS tax purposes. Other exceptions to FERPA’s general consent rule may also apply, such as disclosures to parents or emergency responders in a health or safety emergency. Another exception is the disclosure of “directory information”. FERPA defines “directory information” as information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Typically, directory information includes information such as name, address, telephone number, date of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and dates of  attendance. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the school to include this type of information in certain school publications.  Examples include: 

• A program, showing a student’s role in a drama production;
• The yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs; and
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent.  The annual enrollment verification sheet we send home each August allows parents to decline to provide student names and addresses to military and/or college recruiters. If you do not want Mountainside High School to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must annually notify the school in writing within the first two weeks of school. 

Standard Based Grading: grading involves an evaluation of student achievement, and is guided by requirements for reporting on student academic achievement. The intent is to measure where a student currently stands in mastering a long-term target. Our classes use the district’s standards-based grading process. Through a standards-based grading process, various types of information and measures of students' performance based on a 1-8 continuum. The numbers reflect how a student is performing on particular learning targets within a given subject. The number 8 is considered “highly proficient” and 1 is “developing.” The scores are averaged to determine an overall grade for the course. However, individual teachers determine how students will demonstrate their learning and how their progress will determine the letter grade.

Ninth and tenth graders may earn Honors (designated by an H on the transcript) in their Language Arts, Social Studies and Science Courses.  The requirements for the honors designation are to be determined by the Subject Area Department.

The NCAA Eligibility Center is an organization that clears student athletes for initial eligibility in NCAA division I and II athletic programs. If you are a student athlete with aspirations for college athletics, it is important to note that your athletic eligibility in college will be tied to your performance and completion of required classes in high school, as well as to your graduation from high school. For specific information and requirements, log onto the NCAA eligibility site. Note also that it is the student’s and/or parent’s responsibility to determine college athletic and eligibility requirements, and not the responsibility of the Mountainside staff, coaches, or athletic department. Generally, any online courses do not count.

Students who wish to take courses outside of Mountainside to be applied to their transcript must meet with their counselor and have the course pre-approved. The district allows a maximum of six credits to be transferred onto the transcript. These courses must meet district standards to be accepted.
 

Grades in IB Courses at the 11th and 12th grade may be weighted.  This means that if a student earns an A, the number that goes into their Weighted GPA average is a 5 instead of a 4, a B is a 4 instead of a 3 and a C is a 3 instead of a 2.  D’s are not weighted.  Dual Credit Courses designated “Weighted” by the Beaverton School District may also receive a weighted grade average.  In this guide all courses that will receive a weighted grade point are designated with at “W”.
 

Students are expected to complete any course, required or elective, in which they are enrolled. Schedule changes will only be made during the first six days at the start of each semester when students are given their schedules. Schedule changes will only be made for students who are missing a class, for students who are placed in the wrong level of class, or for those who need a class to graduate (provided there is space available in the newly requested class). Schedules will not be changed for teacher or lunch preference. Any course dropped after the first six weeks of any semester is recorded on a student’s transcript as “W” (Withdrawal).  
 

Students planning to transfer to another school must present a written notice from a parent/guardian to the counseling secretary/registrar in the Counseling office.  The counseling secretary/registrar will issue a withdrawal slip for the student to present to teachers on the last day of attendance in order to receive grades and return textbooks. Transcripts will be sent to the student’s new school at the school’s request. Withdrawing from school for any reason other than transferring to another school requires working with a counselor and/or administrator.  State law prohibits students from leaving school before age 16. The Beaverton School District has several option programs available to students who would prefer to work toward a high school diploma in a setting other than in a comprehensive high school.

 

English Language Arts • 4 Credits

Mathematics (AGS1 level or above) • 3 Credits

Science (1.0 each of Physics, Chemistry, Biology) • 3 Credits

Social Studies • 3 Credits

Physical Education I / Physical Education II • .5/.5 Credits

Health • 1 Credit

World Language, The Arts, Career & Technical Education • 3 Credits
(2 of the 3 credits should be earned in World Language - some exceptions apply)

Electives • 5.5 Credits

Career Development • .5 Credits
(Earned in Advisory over 4 years)

Students who wish to demonstrate a higher level of concentration in one of the Career Pathways may choose to pursue the Advanced Career Pathway Recognition.  Please note: not all Pathways have the Advanced Career Pathway Recognition available.  See each individual Pathway description for details on how to earn the Advanced Career Pathway Recognition.  The general qualifying criteria for this recognition are:

• Successful completion of all Graduation Requirements.
• Successful completion of 3.0 credits in a Career Pathway (instead of the required 2.0 credits).
• Senior Project may be completed in the culminating, senior-year Career Pathway (Capstone) course.  Requirements for the project will be detailed by the teacher and will be tailored to that specific course.
• Successful completion of any other subject-area specific requirements.
• Student may not have any academic integrity infractions.
• Recognition cord at graduation
   

As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, Mountainside offers students the opportunity to earn the full IB Diploma.  The criteria for earning the IB Diploma are established and maintained by the IB World organization and are listed below for your convenience.

• Successful completion of all Graduation Requirements for a Standard Diploma.
• Successful completion of CAS project. 
• Successful completion of TOK course and TOK essay.
• Successful completion of HL and SL course requirements in the six IB groups.
• Successful completion of the Extended Essay.
• Successful completion of required IB exams and meet necessary point total.
• Senior Project is completed through the TOK or CAS project in senior-year.
• Student may not have any academic integrity infractions.
• Recognition: academic hood worn at graduation
   

At Mountainside, we encourage students to CONNECT, EXPLORE and PURSUE.  The Maverick Scholars Recognition is designed to recognize those students who demonstrate excellence in all three of those areas.  The qualifying criteria for this recognition are:

• Successful completion of all Graduation Requirements for a Standard Diploma.
• 3.5 unweighted GPA at the end of 1st semester, grade 12.
• Successful completion of 60 hours of Community Service for the classes of 2023 and 2024.  The Community Service hour requirement will return to 80 hours for the class of 2025 and beyond.
• Successful completion of 2.0 credits in co-curricular courses (Band, Choir, Leadership, Theater) or participation in 2 school-based clubs or sports (2 different clubs/sports for 1 year or 2 years of the same club/sport). 
• Successful completion of the Full MYP Graduate, beginning with the class of 2024. 
• Successful completion of at least 8.0 credits of advanced courses in 9th- 12th grade. Advanced courses include:  Advanced Health Careers, Biology II, Physics II, Pre-Calculus, Dual Credit, Honors, IB Diploma Program (DP) or STEM designated courses, or the highest level course of a subject area if not already designated a dual credit or IB DP course. 
• Successful completion of at least 3.0 credits of Language Acquisition courses.  All credits must be earned during high school and must be in the same world language.
• Student may not have any academic integrity infractions.
• Students must complete 26 credits by the time they graduate.  This means that students may have up to (but not exceeding) 2.0 credits of non-graded courses (such as TA, supervised study, late arrival/early release) in their schedule during the 4-years of high school. 
• Recognition: stole at graduation.
   

In most years, Mountainside High School will name 1 Valedictorian for each graduating class as detailed by School Board policy.  Beaverton schools have the flexibility to tailor eligibility and criteria to the site, but criteria will include at minimum: GPA, academic integrity, and rigorous course-taking. 

Accordingly, Mountainside’s criteria states that the named Valedictorian: 

1. Will hold the highest weighted cumulative GPA in the graduating class.  This will be based on the student’s weighted cumulative GPA after the 7th semester senior grades have been transcripted.  (Subject to review in cases of identical or nearly identical weighted cumulative GPAs.)

2. Will have a 4.0 unweighted cumulative GPA.

3. Cannot have any academic integrity infractions.
4. Must have attended Mountainside for their entire 11th and 12th grade years.
5. Will complete all components of the Maverick Scholars Recognition.
6. Will be a full IB diploma candidate.

A committee of staff members (as determined by the principal) will review the potential Valedictorian candidates during the 1st semester of each year.  The committee will review candidates based on the criteria listed above and may also consider additional criteria, such as school involvement and the Mav Learner Profile characteristics, when making the final decision.  Additionally, Quarter 3 senior  grades may be reviewed before a final decision is made.  The Valedictorian will be officially named during the 2nd semester each year.

Please note: the Valedictorian honor is not noted on the official transcript or diploma but is recognized at graduation.
 

Mountainside High School will recognize Salutatorians.  Any student with a weighted or unweighted cumulative GPA of 4.0 or above will be recognized as a Salutatorian.  As with the Valedictorian, this will be based on the student’s cumulative GPA after 7th semester senior grades have been transcripted.  The Salutatorians will receive an honor cord to be worn at graduation.

• 2  Outstanding Students per grade level (9-12) as named by staff from each subject area. (for example: Outstanding Math Students)
  • Due to the range of courses taught within the Arts and Design subject areas, they may name more than 2 students.
  • In the recognition, subject areas would need to identify which Maverick Learner Profile characteristics the students embody (at least 2 characteristics per student).
  • They should also be able to describe the students’ enthusiasm for, and/or skill within the subject area.
• 2 Top Athletes per grade level (9-12) as named by the coaching staff and athletics department.
• 5 Top Attendance students per grade level (9-12) as determined by attendance records.
• All awards are gender non-specific.  Subject areas should not select the “best female” or “best male” student for any category.

• Citizenship Award: recognition of students who demonstrate a superior level of involvement in the Mountainside community.  This could include participation in sports, clubs and activities; it could also include their representation of the Mav Values of CONNECT, EXPLORE and PURSUE.  Students will be nominated by staff members.
• Community Service Progress Award: recognition of students who completed more than 10 hours of community service work during 9th grade.
• Awards will be given in a grade-level, daytime assembly that occurs in June each year.
   

• Full MYP Graduate Award (starting with the class of 2022): recognition of students who earned a 3 or above on their MYP Personal Project and passed all of their MYP courses.
• Community Service Progress Award: recognition of students who completed more than 20 hours of community service work in 9th-10th grade.
• Awards will be given in a grade-level, daytime assembly that occurs in June each year
   

• Full MYP Graduate Award (starting with the class of 2022): recognition of students who earned a 3 or above on their MYP Personal Project and passed all of their MYP courses.
• Community Service Progress Award: recognition of students who completed more than 20 hours of community service work in 9th-10th grade.
• Awards will be given in a grade-level, daytime assembly that occurs in June eacCommunity Service Progress Award: recognition of students who completed more than 30 hours of community service work during 9th- 11th grade.
• Juniors will be given their “senior shirt” and will be seated in special seats to symbolize their transition to senior status.
• Awards will be given in a grade-level, daytime assembly that occurs in June each year.
•  year
   

• Seniors will have a specific awards event prior to graduation (near their final day of classes) that will include subject area, athletic and attendance awards.
• The awards event may be an “all school” assembly (TBD at a future date).
• Additional specific 12th grade awards that could be recognized at this event could include:
  • Advanced Career Pathway recipients
  • IB Diploma Candidates
  • Maverick Scholars Recognition recipients
  • All Honor Cords
  • 200 Hour Community Service Award
  • Named scholarships (specific criteria TBD)