Academic & Grading Policies

Academic Integrity: Our Commitment

At Snake River Opportunities High School (SROHS), academic integrity is central to who we are and how we learn. We value authentic, personalized learning rooted in curiosity, honesty, and accountability. Integrity is not just about following rules — it’s about growing into thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers who act with respect for themselves and their community.

What Is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity means:

• Being honest about which work is yours and which comes from others.

• Taking ownership of your learning — including your mistakes.

• Using resources responsibly, whether that’s an internet search, AI tools, textbooks, or help from classmates.

• Giving credit when you use someone else’s ideas, images, or words.
  
  

Since students demonstrate mastery by showing what they know and understand, it’s essential that their work reflects their own effort. Misrepresenting material as your own undermines learning and goes against our community values.

What Violates Academic Integrity?

Some examples of academic dishonesty include:

• Plagiarism: Copying from sources (including AI tools) without credit.

• Fabrication: Making up data, citations, or project elements.

• Cheating: Using unapproved help or submitting someone else’s work.

• Facilitating dishonesty: Helping someone else cheat or misrepresent work.
  
  

Using AI Tools Responsibly

We recognize that AI tools (like ChatGPT) can enhance learning when used thoughtfully.
✅ Allowed (with citation):

• Brainstorming ideas

• Outlining or organizing thoughts

• Learning or clarifying concepts
  
  

🚫 Not allowed:

• Submitting AI-generated text, images, code, or designs as your final product without meaningful contribution or understanding.
  
  

When in doubt, always ask yourself:

• Is this truly my work and thinking?

• Can I explain how I created it?

• Am I proud of how I got here?
  
  

If you’re unsure, ask your mentor or content teacher before submitting.

Support and Consequences

We handle integrity concerns as opportunities for growth and learning. If an issue arises:

• You’ll reflect on what happened with your mentor or teacher.

• You may need to revise and resubmit your work.

• Continued violations may result in a learning contract, administrative follow-up, or funding consequences if there’s general disregard for community agreements.
  
  

We believe every misstep is a chance to improve and uphold our shared values.

For a deeper look at our philosophy and examples, review the Academic Integrity Guide.

hIGH sCHOOL fOUNDATIONS AND dIGITAL LITERACY Course

Once a student completes the enrollment process, they will be signed up for a "Foundations" class. This class provides an orientation to SROHS and sets them up for success in our school. The course includes synchronous meetings and asynchrounous work orienting students to how SROHS works, digital citizenship, and foundations for completing mathmatics at SROHS. Once completed, the student will earn one elective credit.

Revised Transcript Policy:

Once issued, transcripts cannot be revised unless evidence is provided to indicate that the transcript is materially inaccurate. A student with such evidence can petition for a transcript revision. The teacher of the course and school secretary will then review the transcript to determine its accuracy, consulting with the school principal where necessary. The secretary will be responsible for issuing a revised transcript where it is deemed appropriate.

Advanced Opportunities: 

The Fast Forward or Advanced Opportunities program provides every student attending an Idaho  public school an allocation of $4,600 to use toward Advanced Opportunities in grades 7-12. The funds can be used for a variety of offerings: 

• Overload Courses: An overload course is a high school level course that is taken in excess of the student’s regular school day or during the summer. In the event that a student incurs a cost for such courses, the Advanced Opportunities program can pay up to $225 for the cost of the course. Overload courses must be above and beyond the full course load offered by the student’s local school (four classes per day  is a full course load for SROHS students). 

• Exams: Students can utilize Fast Forward funds to pay for a variety of college-credit bearing or career-technical exams. These include Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or Career & Technical Education (CTE) exams. 

• Workforce Training: Students can utilize Advanced Opportunities funds to pay for regionally approved workforce training courses at colleges in their area. 

• The Fast Forward program can pay for up to $75 per college credit. Dual Credit courses can be taken online, by virtual conferencing, or in some cases, students can go directly to the college/university campus. 

Students must maintain “Active” status in all courses while enrolled in the Advanced Opportunities Program and be diploma seeking. To be considered "Active" students must be moving forward in the course and staying on track for completion. To enroll in the Advanced Opportunities Program, students will work with mentors to develop a learning plan. Students and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must sign and return the Advanced Opportunities participation form annually to complete enrollment in the program. All courses paid for by the Advanced  Opportunities Program must be transcribed on the student’s public high school transcript. If a  student fails to earn credit for a course paid for by Advanced Opportunities, the student must subsequently pay for a “like” course on his/her own before he/she is eligible for further Fast  Forward funding. To take advantage of Advanced Opportunities funding through Snake River Opportunities High School, students must be enrolled in at least one course per term with those credits originating from our school. 

Completion of 8th Grade: 

Students must have completed 8th grade in a public or private school setting OR demonstrate proficiency of 8th grade content through state standardized testing and/or portfolio of completed work. Families of entering freshmen must provide any and all documentation necessary to establish successful fulfillment of this requirement. Acceptable documentation includes a transcript or complete homeschool portfolio. Families of students who are unable to submit an official transcript or portfolio of work as evidence of 8th grade  completion are encouraged to investigate local testing centers in order to take a standardized test that will satisfy the minimum grade level requirement. A student should have met the grade eight (8) mathematics standards before the student will be permitted to enter grade nine (9). If a student has not met the 8th grade math standards before entering 9th grade, remediation may be required. A student will have met the high school content and credit requirement for any required high school course if the course is taught by a properly certified teacher and reaches a set mastery standard for that course. 

Concerns and Suggestions: 

If a student or parent has suggestions that could improve SROHS, he/she should feel free to offer them. Written suggestions may be presented directly to the  teacher or to the school administrator. Additionally SROHS commits to providing open focus groups at least once a quarter.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use:

All AI technologies implemented in the educational process must enhance learning outcomes, ensure the safety and privacy of students, promote equitable access, and be used responsibility under the guidance of trained educators. Regular evaluations will ensure these tools align with educational goals and ethical standards.

🎓 Grading at SROHS

💡 How Grades Work

At Snake River Opportunities High School (SROHS), we use a mastery-based grading system that reflects what students truly understand and can do, not how quickly they finish.

Each course includes 4 essential Topics.
To earn credit, students must achieve:

• ✅ Mastery (M) or

• 🌟 Mastery Plus (M⁺)
  on all 4 Topics.
  
  

🛑 Partial credit is not awarded — all 4 Topics must meet mastery expectations to earn credit.

📊 Grading Levels

• SL – Surface Learning:
  Exploring the Topic or showing only surface-level understanding. May also apply if suspected misuse (e.g., uncredited AI work).
  ❌ Does not earn credit.
  
  

• IP – In Progress:
  Work has been started but needs significant revision.
  ❌ Does not earn credit.
  
  

• M – Mastery:
  Clear and complete understanding of the Topic.
  ✅ Earns credit.
  
  

• M⁺ – Mastery Plus:
  Goes beyond expectations by applying learning in creative or advanced ways.
  ✅ Earns credit, and shows distinction.
  
  

🔄 Need More Time?

Learning takes time — and that’s okay!
If a student doesn’t finish all 4 Topics by the end of the year:

➡ They can keep working during summer.

➡ Or resume the course in the next school year.

🛠️ Feedback & Support

• Teachers provide clear feedback within 1–2 business days (Monday–Thursday).

• Students are encouraged to revise and resubmit work to reach mastery.

• If you haven’t received feedback within the expected time, contact your teacher directly.
  
  

🎯 Note: Work that violates academic integrity (e.g., plagiarism, uncredited AI use) may be marked as Surface Learning (SL) and must be revised before credit can be earned.

For more information and FAQs about grading, please check out Grading Policy (Traditional Year, Alt Courses, and Summer School) document.