Textbooks & Technology

Field Trips

Homework

Homework reinforces concepts presented at school and is an integral component of each student’s educational experience. It allows students the opportunity to practice skills on their own and become confident in their skills.

Media Center

The media center at each campus is open daily and provides students with materials to help with classwork and projects and to encourage reading for enjoyment. Individuals, small groups, and classes may visit the media center. Students may borrow books to take home and read. Lost or damaged books from the media center must be paid for before the student will be allowed to check out any other books. If there is an outstanding media debt at the end of the school year, the school may file the debt with the small claims court.

Effingham College & Career Academy

The ECCA is an adjunct facility of the district’s two high schools. All district policies applying to high school students apply to students attending the Effingham College & Career Academy unless otherwise directed by the academy’s chief executive officer or principal.

ECCA STEM Program

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a national education movement designed to create critical thinking skills across disciplines, prepare students for Science and Math courses in college, and help communities stay competitive in a global economy. Evidence shows these schools and programs produce graduates with a deeper knowledge and a stronger passion for learning, particularly in Science and Mathematics. That knowledge and passion translate into much higher rates of college attendance and more students majoring in scientific and technical fields. The STEM Program at ECCA is designed to prepare students for success in post-secondary education, career, and citizenship. It is designed to appeal to students who seek a small-school approach to learning, where academic subjects are connected, and where students are
engaged in rigorous Science and Mathematics content integrated with a STEM-themed pathway.

Criteria For Admission

Only students who are enrolled in Effingham County School District will be eligible for the application process. Current eighth grade students who meet the established criteria can apply into a lottery drawing for enrollment into the STEM Program. There are two rounds of lottery drawings prior to the start of school in August each year.

Due to possible changes in assessment requirements each year, the criteria for eligible STEM Program students is reviewed yearly and will be posted on the ECCA website by January 15th for the following school year. Students who are enrolled in any alternative school for discipline during eighth grade are not eligible to apply to the STEM Program. Any student who fails a course their eighth grade year will lose eligibility and/or forfeit their spot to attend the STEM Program. Course grades will be reviewed once posted to their transcript. If a student with Chronic Absenteeism is selected in the lottery, then the STEM administrators will defer to the 8th grade Hardship Committee decisions in order to determine final acceptance.

First Lottery

• Students will be eligible for possible enrollment if they meet the criteria set for the given year by the Effingham County School District’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction. Eligible students who meet all areas of the eligibility requirements can apply for the first lottery.

Second Lottery

• Siblings: A student with a twin or sibling who has been accepted into the STEM Program in the same grade level who is eligible for the first lottery and does not get selected for the program is eligible to be entered into the second lottery. If the eligible twin/sibling does not get selected for the program in the second lottery, then the STEM Program Academic Review Team will review the student’s academic achievement and accept or deny the student into the program. A sibling of a current ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade STEM Program student that was eligible for the first lottery and was not selected for the program can go into the second lottery. If the eligible sibling does not get selected for the program in the second lottery, then the STEM Program Academic Review Team will review the student’s academic achievement and accept or deny the student into the program.
• Employee: A student of a full time Effingham County School District staff member who is eligible for the first lottery and did not get selected for the program can go into the second lottery. If the Effingham County School District staff member’s eligible student does not get selected for the program in the second lottery, then the STEM Program Academic Review Team can review the student’s academic achievement for acceptance/denial into the program.
• Transfer Student: Students who transfer into the Effingham County School District during their seventh or eighth grade year may become eligible for the second lottery based on assessment scores identified in the criteria that are obtained by the end of the school year. A transfer student who enrolls with the district as a rising ninth grade student after the second lottery without necessary, required, and completed assessment scores can have their academic history reviewed by the STEM Program Academic Review Team to determine eligibility for the program. The parent is responsible for initiating the review and supplying all of the score data. If a waitlist exists after the second lottery, the transfer student who is found to be eligible will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

ECCA STEM Program Enrollment Process

• Eligible students will receive a notification, by email, on or before mid-January of eligibility.
• Eligible students will receive an email and a letter will be sent home with the student at least one week prior to the STEM
  Program Information Night. The STEM Program Information Night will be held to share the expectations of the STEM Program including transportation, the application process, schedule, course sequence, expectations, etc.
• The first lottery will be held at ECCA with a live feed of the event for parents to view. A link to the event will be emailed to the parents. There will be no waitlist created.
• An email will be sent to parents to accept their student’s spot for the next school year.
• Spots must be accepted by the deadline.
• If a student’s lottery number is not selected in the first lottery, they will be automatically placed into the second lottery.
• Students who are eligible for the STEM Program, but do not complete their application by the deadline of the first lottery can apply for the second lottery by the second lottery deadline.
• Students who do not confirm their spot through the Second Lottery Acceptance form by the closing of the deadline will
  automatically go to the bottom of the waiting list.

Maintaining Enrollment at STEM

• Students who are sent to an alternative school for discipline while in the STEM Program may return to their base school at the completion of their time in the alternative school.
• Students may not apply to have their data reviewed for enrollment by the STEM Program Academic Review Team after the start of the school year UNLESS they are transferring from another STEM high school.
• After the first nine-weeks’ grading period, any student failing two or more classes will go before the STEM Program Academic Review Team to discuss the potential of returning to the base school.
• Students not on track to graduate (or with excessive course failures) will go before the STEM Program Academic Review Team to discuss potential of returning to the base school and/or be placed on probation for the program.
• Freshman students may choose to return to the base high school within the first ten days of the school year. Sophomores through Seniors may choose to return to the base high school within the first five days of the school year. Students returning to the base high school will be responsible for any assignments that were missed in his or her new classes.
• Students who unenroll from Effingham County School District for any reason will forfeit their spot and will not be able to re-enroll at the STEM Program.

Dual Enrollment

Courses For Areas Of Study

Courses for areas of study that shall earn unit credit are listed in Georgia Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.20 List of State-Funded K-8 Subjects and 9-12 Courses.

• 1 unit - Literature & Composition I (or equivalent)
• 1 unit - Literature & Composition II (or equivalent)
• 1 unit - Third English Language Arts core course option
• 1 unit - Fourth English Language Arts core course option

Mathematics: Four units of credit in Mathematics shall be required of all students. Three of the four units of credits must be in Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II or Advanced Algebra. Additional core courses needed to complete four credits in Mathematics must be chosen from the list of High School Fourth Course Options approved by the Georgia Department of Education.

High School Mathematics Decision Rubric for Eligible Students with Disabilities: The purpose of this High School Mathematics Decision Rubric is to assist Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams as they engage in the discussion around eligible students with disabilities completing an alternate course sequence, aligned with their transition plan for post-secondary options, to meet the Mathematics course requirements of State Board of Education (State Board) Rule 160-4-2-.48. This rubric has been revised to align with the new course expectations included within Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards that were adopted August 2021.

This rubric should only be used for students who:

1. have a disability documented prior to high school that has precluded the student from achieving grade-level proficiency in Mathematics; and
2. have earned credit in Algebra: Concepts and Connections AND Geometry: Concepts and Connections; and
3. the preponderance of data indicates the student would not be able to successfully progress in the Advanced Algebra: Concepts and Connections course. Once this rubric is initiated, it should be revisited and signed annually.

The IEP team’s decision should be based on the unique needs of the student, individual student data, and post-secondary goals. Local boards of education shall award units of math credit only for courses approved by the State Board that include concepts and skills based on the state-adopted curriculum for grades 9-12. Students with disabilities, who were identified prior to enrollment in high school and have a disability affecting Mathematics achievement, may follow an alternate course sequence to meet the Mathematics course requirements of the graduation rule (State Board Rule 160-4-2-.48). Alternate course sequences would allow a student with disabilities earning core credit in Algebra: Concepts and Connections AND Geometry: Concepts and Connections along with two other Mathematics courses to satisfy the minimum Mathematics requirements for high school graduation. Special Note: Parents/guardians and students must be informed that Advanced Algebra: Concepts and Connections is required for many post-secondary opportunities and students who do not complete Advanced Algebra: Concepts and Connections in high school will have limited college and career options after high school.

Science: Four units of credit in Science shall be required of all students including one unit of credit in Biology, one unit of credit in either Physical Science or Physics, one unit of credit in either Chemistry, Earth Systems, Environmental Science, or an AP/IB course, and one additional Science unit of credit. Any AP/IB Science course may be substituted for the appropriate courses above.

Social Studies: Three units of credit shall be required in Social Studies including one unit of credit in United States History, one
unit of credit in World History, one-half unit of credit in Personal Finance and Economics and one-half unit of credit in American
Government/Civics.

CTAE, Modern Foreign Languages, or Fine Arts: A total of three units of credit shall be required from one of the following focused areas: CTAE, Modern Foreign Language, or Fine Arts.

Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Pathways: Students must earn three units of credit in a coherent
sequence of CTAE courses through a self-selected pathway leading to college readiness and a career readiness certificate
endorsed by related industries.

Modern Foreign Language: Students who select this pathway must earn three units of the same modern language. Students planning to enter or transfer into a University System of Georgia institution or other post-secondary institution must take two units of the same modern language.

Fine Arts: Students who select this pathway must earn three units from one of the following Fine Arts areas: Band, Chorus, Visual Arts, or Theater Arts.

Health and Personal Fitness: One unit of credit in Health and Personal Fitness is required. Students shall combine one-half credit of Health (17.011) and Personal Fitness (36.051) to satisfy this requirement. Three units of JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) may be used to satisfy this requirement when the courses include Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Rule requirements in Georgia Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.12.

Embedded Courses

The State Board of Education recognizes that the course standards in the CTAE course, Essentials of Healthcare, has embedded core academic standards for Human Anatomy and Physiology. Students who earn one unit of credit for Essentials of Healthcare will also receive one unit of credit for Human Anatomy and Physiology.

This Essentials of Healthcare course satisfies the fourth Science requirement for high school graduation and meets the fourth
Science requirement for admission to the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. The Essentials of Healthcare course will be counted as the CTAE course for the Health Science pathways and Human Anatomy and Physiology course will be counted as a Science course. The final course grade assigned to the Essentials of Healthcare will be assigned to the Human Anatomy and Physiology course.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, students enrolled in Dramatic Writing may earn one unit of core English Language Arts credit toward high school graduation. In addition, students may also earn one unit of embedded Fine Arts credit for Theatre Arts and Literature I.

If a parent wants to deny an embedded credit, the student and parent must meet with the high school counselor to sign the Option to Decline Credit Form to deny the credit. This form must be signed and completed within five days after the last day of the school year for which the credit was earned. If the student and parent elects to have this credit removed from his/her high school transcript, they must understand that the student will not have the opportunity to have the credit reinstated after the credit has been removed from the official transcript. If the embedded course credit is denied, the student may take the course to receive course credit.

Under NCAA requirements, units of credit earned through embedded credits will not count as a core course credit for athletic aid for any student seeking NCAA Division I or II athletic scholarships.

Course Credit

Please see Effingham County Board of Education Policy JBC(4), (Awarding Units of Credit and Acceptance of Transfer Credit and/or Grades), which can be accessed via the link provided in the Appendix.

Unit credit shall be awarded only for courses that include concepts and skills based on the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE), Georgia K-12 ELA Standards, or Georgia K-12 Mathematics Standards for grades 9-12 or those approved by the State Board of Education. High school unit credits may be awarded in middle school for courses in which instruction is based on the GPS, GSE, Georgia K-12 ELA Standards, or Georgia K-12 Mathematics Standards for grades 9-12.

High School Credits in the Middle School

Only eighth grade students enrolled in Effingham County Schools have the opportunity to earn credits in Honors Physical Science, Enhanced Algebra, Basic Agricultural Science, and/or Spanish I. These credits count toward high school graduation. Credits for each completed high school course are posted on the high school transcript. Students may earn four high school credits while in middle school. Units of credit awarded at the middle school level are included in the high school grade point average (GPA). Five honors points will be added to the student’s grade for Honors Physical Science and Enhanced Algebra. Basic Agricultural Science and Spanish will not earn additional points.

Students wishing to enroll in Honors Physical Science, Enhanced Algebra, and Spanish I must meet the eligibility requirements
established by the Effingham County School District Office of Curriculum and Instruction. Due to possible changes in assessment requirements each year, the criteria for eligible enrollment in these courses is reviewed yearly and will be posted on the middle school websites April 15th for enrollment for the following school year.

Parents may decline high school course credits taken during middle school. To decline a credit, the student and parent must meet with the high school counselor to sign the Option to Decline Credit Form. The form must be signed and completed within five days after the last day of the school year for which the credit was earned. If the student and parent elect to have this credit removed from his/her high school transcript, they must understand that the student will not have the opportunity to have the credit reinstated after the credit has been removed from the official transcript. The student may retake the course at high school to receive credit.

High school credits earned in middle school will satisfy graduation requirements, but the credits do not count towards HOPE GPA.

Progress Reports

In order for parents to monitor their child’s progress, a progress report for grades 1-12 will be published to Infinite Campus Portal in the middle of each nine-weeks’ grading period.

Parents desiring to check on a student’s progress at other times may utilize Infinite Campus Portal or contact the student’s teacher or the counselor’s office.

Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTC)

Parents are encouraged to contact the school any time a conference is desired about a student’s schoolwork. In order to keep the campus secure and safe for all children, and to limit interruptions in instruction, parents must call in advance to plan a conference. In most cases, conferences are scheduled before or after school, or during a teacher’s planning period. Conferences are planned to ensure that student information may be kept confidential, and to provide parents with all the necessary information relating to the child’s progress. Parents may request a virtual PTC.

Two formal parent-teacher conference dates are planned each year, one in the fall and one in the winter. Pre-K guidelines require that teachers meet with parents at the end of each semester to review their child’s progress and portfolio. Schools notify parents of these conferences.

Report Cards

Students and parents of students in grades K-12 should request a login from the school data clerk to the district’s web-based student information system via Infinite Campus Portal. Portal accounts allow parents and students the ability to track assignments, grades, and attendance on an on-going basis throughout the school year.

Portal accounts are automatically generated for students and can be accessed using the student’s ID number. At the time of registration, parents of new students will be given an account authorization code and directions for generating a Parent Portal account. Parents of currently enrolled students who have not already obtained a Portal account and wish to do so must present themselves with a picture ID at an Effingham County school attended by one of their children. Once identity is verified by a staff member, Portal access will be given to all students for whom the parent is a guardian beneath a single login. Concerns regarding information displayed on Infinite Campus Portal should be first addressed with the teacher and referred to a school level administrator if a resolution cannot be reached.

Effingham County Schools no longer mass print student report cards and progress reports. PDF versions of report cards for students in grades K-12 will be available to parents and students within Infinite Campus Portal. Parents who do not have internet access may request a printed copy be provided by the school.

Final Report Card

The last report card will be released on Infinite Campus Portal for students in grades K-12. Parents of students in grades K-12 may pick up final report cards from the school within five days of the last day of school or submit a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope and request the report card be mailed to the student’s home address. If the parent did not make arrangements to access their child’s final report card by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the school or by downloading it from Parent Portal, the parent may pick up the child’s final report card when schools reopen in July, two weeks before the first day of school. Please note that report cards will not be available at the Board of Education.

Kindergarten students receive a standards-based report card, where students are assessed as Mastered or Not Yet Mastered for their academic performance levels towards standards mastery. In grades 1-5, students will receive an assessment of Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory in Music, Art, Technology, STEM/AG, P.E. and Penmanship. All other elementary content will receive numerical grades. Students in grades 6-12 receive numerical grades. There are no grades issued for Pre-K students; assessments are shared with parents throughout the year.

Administrative Procedures For Promotion & Retention

The district recognizes that each student is an individual with unique needs and seeks to provide an education program, which
matches the level and pace of instruction to the ability, readiness, and motivation of each individual student. Promotion and grade-level advancement are based on mastering the state-mandated standards and district proficiency requirements for Kindergarten through eighth grade.

Students may satisfy the district’s promotion policy and the student is recommended for the next grade level; however, parents or guardians with students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade have the flexibility to retain their student in the current grade level for the upcoming school year. The opportunity to retain the student allows parents or guardians to address the individual needs of their student. Parents or guardians are required to meet with the curriculum office staff for a meeting to review the student’s data, such as course grades, assessment scores, etc. The meeting must occur within 10 days after the last day of school. The request to retain a student that has met the promotion requirements is only applicable for students who have completed the academic year with the district. If the student is in middle school, the parents or guardian shall consult with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) eligibility rules.

Kindergarten Proficiency Requirements

Promotion from Kindergarten is dependent upon meeting the Effingham County Attendance Policy and mastering the state
mandated standards, as indicated on the Kindergarten report card.

If the proficiency requirements are not satisfied, the Placement Committee or IEP Committee will convene to review the student
achievement data and to determine placement. A Student Success Learning Plan (SSLP) will be developed for each student that requires an additional year of Kindergarten. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are not required to have an SSLP.

Retention decisions may be appealed to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, whose decision shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

Grades One Through Five Proficiency Requirements

Promotion from grades one through five is dependent upon meeting the Effingham County Attendance Policy and mastering the state mandated standards. These standards are incorporated into the curriculum for the subjects listed on the report card. Mastery of these standards is indicated by a yearly average of 70 or above. Students must pass both English/Language Arts AND Mathematics to be promoted to the next higher grade. If a student fails English/Language Arts OR Mathematics, the student will be retained.

In addition, no fifth grade student shall be promoted to the sixth grade if the student does not achieve grade level expectations for Mathematics on the Georgia Milestones Assessment.

If the proficiency requirements are not satisfied, the Placement Committee or IEP Committee will convene to review student
achievement data and to determine placement. A Student Success Learning Plan (SSLP) will be developed for each student that did not meet proficiency requirements. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are not required to have an SSLP.

Retention decisions may be appealed to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, whose decision shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

Grades Six Through Eight Proficiency Requirements

Promotion from grades six through eight is dependent upon meeting the Effingham County Attendance Policy and mastering the state mandated standards. These standards are incorporated into the curriculum for the subjects listed on the report card. Mastery of these standards is indicated by a yearly average of 70 or above. To be promoted, the student must pass a minimum of three of the four academic classes (Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies). In addition to passing three of the four academic classes, the student shall not fail two or more Connections classes.

In addition, no eighth grade student shall be promoted to the ninth grade if the student does not achieve grade level expectations for Mathematics on the Georgia Milestones Assessment. If the proficiency requirements are not satisfied, the Placement Committee or IEP Committee will convene to review student achievement data and to determine placement. A Student Success Learning Plan will be developed for each student that did not meet proficiency requirements.

Retention decisions may be appealed to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, whose decision shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

General Promotion Guidelines for Grades Three, Five, and Eight - Georgia Milestones Assessment

When a student does not achieve grade level expectations in grades three, five, or eight on the Georgia Milestones Assessment, a school administrator shall notify the parent of possible retention and retest opportunities. A student who is absent or otherwise unable to take the Georgia Milestones in Mathematics on the first administration shall take the Georgia Milestones in Mathematics on the second administration day(s). Placement or promotion of these students shall follow the same procedures as students who do not achieve grade level on the first administration of the assessment.

A student’s failure to take the Georgia Milestones in grades three, five, or eight in Mathematics on any of the designated testing date(s) shall result in the student being retained. Prior to the student’s retention, the student’s parents must be notified and given the opportunity to attend a Placement Committee meeting to discuss student placement.

Promotion (High School)

ECHS & SEHS students must earn the following units to be promoted to the next grade level:

 Effingham STEM students must earn the following credits to be promoted to the next grade level:

Students With Disabilities

Promotion standards for students with disabilities will be established by the student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) with
consideration given to student performance on Georgia Milestones or the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) and as determined by the student’s IEP committee. The student’s IEP committee shall act as the student’s placement committee.