Academics

Academic Probation

A student is placed on “academic probation” when the student’s Quarter Report Card overall core academic average falls below 60% or if a student has two or more failing marks.
Once placed on “academic probation”, the student may not participate in school extra-curricular activities (including parties, clubs and athletics).
A student on “academic probation” may NOT represent the school in any activity as a member of a team, a performance group, or in a leadership position within the school.
A student who remains on “academic probation” at the end of a school year (an overall average of less than 60%) will be required to take make-up exams that will determine promotion to the next grade level.
A student with less than a 55% overall average will be retained in grade level without benefit of makeup exams and will not be eligible for reenrollment at UCA for the next school year. This guideline is established in the interest of the student who may benefit from being in another academic setting.

Academic Assistance

  • Do not stop monitoring your child’s work because they become teenagers. Frankly, this is when they need you the most. They will try to convince you that they can manage without your assistance, but do not buy this idea.  Stay on top of what they are doing.
  • Establish a home-culture of learning as fun and meaningful.
  • Set high standards and expectations for your child.
  • Show a genuine interest in the student’s school and home practice activities throughout your child’s education.
  • Provide suitable study conditions for home practice.
  • Make a STUDY SCHEDULE and stick to it daily.
  • The time allocated for study should be the same each day, regardless of the “home practice” that is assigned.
  • When “home practice tasks” are completed, students should use the remaining time in their study schedule to review previously completed material and practice skill based tasks, such as handwriting, extra math problems, etc.
  • Emphasis should be placed upon “study for learning” rather than “study for finishing”.
  • Long-term memory is only established through repetition and daily practice.
  • Stay involved! Talk things over with the student and help the student be an independent and confident learner, rather than the parent or tutor doing the work.
  • Stay in touch with your child’s teachers through periodic conferences, whether you think they are needed or not. In specific instances, when it seems necessary for a parent to provide direct help with home practice in skill subjects, the parents should know the method used in the classroom and the extent that help is to be provided.
  • Encourage the student to work hard and complete each home practice assignment.
  • Attend parent/teacher conferences.
  • Attend school meetings and teacher conferences.
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Tutoring Policy

A teacher may not tutor a student who is currently enrolled in his or her classThe classroom teacher should notify the parent when a student falls behind the expected standard. It will be the responsibility of parents to provide assistance at home if it is needed.

The tutor must be in contact with the student’s classroom teacher to gather needed information to help the student.

The fee agreement is between the tutor and the parents. UCA will not be involved in financial negotiations or agreements in any way.

Tutors can be recommended by the school, who will keep the names of qualified individuals for reference. The school assumes no liability for any payments, arrangements, or difficulties.

As a general rule, you get what you pay for, so take care not to waste resources where your child will not benefit from a “qualified tutor”.

Home Practice

Home practice assignments are some of the activities designed to meet long and short-term course objectives and individual student needs.  The amount of time spent on home practice is directly related to academic success. The time needed by each student will be different. The following times are general guidelines.

Early grades (KG-GR1-GR2) will have small amounts of assigned practice in the form of practice sheets and an occasional project.

In Grades 3-6, students should be working from one to two hours each night in the completion of assignments and review of the material.

Grades 7-12 should be engaged in study and review from two to three hours each night depending on the difficulty of the assignment, the student’s “time to learn” factor, and the needed preparation.

STUDY NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

  • Practice and drill to reinforce course-related skills;
  • Review and preparation for daily class, quizzes, and tests;
  • Background reading and re-reading;
  • Research utilizing related resources;
  • Laboratory, art, and other project preparation;
  • Writing of assigned papers, journals, and laboratory and technology reports;
  • Individual enrichment;
  • Media-related viewing and listening.

REVIEW & PRACTICE are critical to the development of long-term memory and retention of information and processes!

Students should include significant nightly review of past assignments, notes and tests so that information will be brought forward. This is critical for success on end of year exams including the BREVET and Lebanese Baccalaureate.

Students who study nightly have a better chance of success than students who wait until the last minute to prepare. Home assignments are an essential ingredient of success. Attempting to “cram” information into the memory at the last minute will never produce the desired results. This kind of study results in information being placed in “short-term” memory where it is lost almost immediately after study. Thus, the importance of “distributed practice” daily and significant review over a long period of time can’t be overstated.

PRACTICE—PRACTICE—PRACTICE!
REVIEW—REVIEW—REVIEW!