Academic Requirements
Shattuck-St. Mary’s diploma requirements
All transfer students will submit their transcript of previous work to the office of the Registrar where an analysis will be performed to determine the number of credits the student can apply toward SSM graduation requirements. One-term courses receive 1 credit and year-long courses receive 3 credits. Final course grades below D- will earn no credit in either one-term or year-long courses. In addition, if a course is a year-long course, and a student either fails to complete the course, drops the course, is suspended from the course, or in any other manner fails to complete all coursework required to receive a passing grade for the entire year, the student will receive no credit for the course.
Students are required to take a minimum of 61 credits during the regular academic program. The 61 credits must also satisfy the specific departmental requirements described below:
- English: Twelve credits; students must be enrolled in English each term
- Performing and Visual Arts: Four credits; Students must take a minimum of one credit during each year of attendance
- History: Nine credits of history, including three credits of United States History
- Science: Nine credits, including three credits in Biology and either three credits in Chemistry or three credits in Physics
- Religious Studies: One credit to be fulfilled by taking World Religions, Introduction to the Bible, or Ethics; most students will fulfill this requirement during their junior year
- World Language: Nine credits in the same language for three consecutive years taken during grades 9-12.
- Mathematics: Nine credits, including a minimum of three credits each in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry or courses advanced beyond these levels; students must be enrolled in Mathematics each term
- Eight additional elective credits
- Elective credits may come from any department
SSM offers a total of 17 Advanced Placement (AP) courses across all of the academic disciplines. For students seeking to further delve into specific subject areas, the AP approach offers rigorous options.
The Health and Wellness program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School has been developed to be a comprehensive curriculum.
Sixth through 8th-grade students receive instruction during their community period, with 6th and 7th grades completing this during winter term and the 8th grade completing it during fall term. All 9th-grade students are required to take a one term Health and Wellness course that is a required credit for graduation.
The 10th through 12th graders receive specialized, grade-level instruction during a one hour community period that takes place on Wednesdays throughout the School year. Instruction is delivered by qualified faculty members and guest speakers that include the school counselors, school nurses, and consulting physicians. The curriculum is augmented by additional activities such as the bi-annual Health Fair and Health/Wellness modules.
Diploma Requirements for International Students
The diploma requirements listed previously apply to international students with the following provisions. An international student whose first language is not English may qualify for a Shattuck-St. Mary’s diploma by passing ESL or English during each year of attendance and exiting ESL prior to senior year. All international students are expected to complete at least one year of mainstream English instruction, and exit from ESL is a prerequisite for these courses.
Initial ESL placement is determined by a series of assessments, including incoming TOEFL scores, on campus testing and an interview, during orientation; placement for subsequent years is evaluated each spring. ESL exit is determined by the student’s ability to speak, write, read, and listen to English. These skills will be evaluated by the ESL Department through an examination of grades, written work, and standardized tests.
The Director of Studies and the Director of ESL will review the academic performance of students who are not making sufficient progress in their ESL program and will make a recommendation to the Associate Head of School regarding the student’s potential to satisfy graduation requirements. Depending on the severity of the situation, recommendations may include mandatory additional Shattuck-St. Mary’s ESL instruction during the school year and/or summer, repeating a grade year, or dismissal.
A student in the ESL program’s native language will be exempted from the Shattuck-St. Mary’s World Language requirement; however, further language study is recommended for students who exit ESL.