Academic Policies
New Student Records & Transfer Documents
K–8: Previous academic records or transcripts are requested but not required for enrollment or grade placement.
Grades 9–12: Records or transcripts documenting all previously completed high school coursework and grades are required for transfer credit review and transcript creation. Enrollment fees include standard transfer credit review for incoming high school students.
Grading
There are various options for grading parent developed courses, particularly at the high school level. A decision on how to do this should be included in the course syllabus and plan before the class starts. For SSA courses, final letter grades are determined at the end of the course with grades reported each semester. This link has some excellent information on how to grade your student. You may also want to use rubrics in your grading. Your grading may be different based on the type of assignment for the course. SSA offers optional services related to course planning, syllabus development, and grading schemes if needed.
Grading Scale
SSA assigns Satisfactory (S), Needs Work (NW), or Unsatisfactory (U) when report cards, progress checks, or transcripts are requested for grades K-2. For grades 3rd-12th, SSA uses a standard 10-point scale. DE indicates Dual Enrollment and AP indicates Advanced Placement courses. SSA does not use a +/- grading system.
Semester Reporting and Course-Title Guidelines
Parents or guardians using parent-selected curriculum must submit one semester reporting form for each student each semester. Students completing courses through SSA’s online curriculum do not need to submit this form unless instructed by SSA.
Information submitted through the semester reporting form becomes part of the student’s academic record and may appear on report cards, unofficial transcripts, official transcripts, and graduation records. Parents are responsible for reviewing all information carefully before submitting it.
Course Titles
Use the standard academic course title. Do not enter the name of a curriculum, textbook, workbook, website, or program as the course name. Curriculum and resource information should be reported on the Course Plan Form, not in the course-name field on the semester reporting form.
Examples:
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Use Language Arts, not “Grammar and Literature,” “8th Grade English Skills,” or the name of a curriculum.
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Use Mathematics, Pre-Algebra, or Algebra 1, not the name of a math program.
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Use Science, Life Science, Earth Science, or Biology 1, not the curriculum title.
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Use Social Studies, U.S. History, World History, or Civics, not the name of a textbook or program.
Course titles should be capitalized correctly, such as:
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Language Arts
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Mathematics
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Earth Science
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U.S. History
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Physical Education
K–8 Language Arts: For grades K–8, reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and literature are generally reported together as Language Arts. Do not report these as separate courses unless the student is completing separate courses and SSA has approved them to be recorded separately.
High School Courses and Credits
High school courses must be reported using the correct high school course title, such as:
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English 1
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English 2
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English 3
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English 4
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Algebra 1
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Geometry
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Biology 1
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World History
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U.S. History
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United States Government
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Economics with Financial Literacy
Electives: Do not include the label "elective" on the course title when submitting the grade report.
A middle school student completing a course for high school credit must report it as a high school course. The correct course title, course level, final grade, and credit earned must be included. High-school-credit courses are placed on the student’s high school transcript and are not included as regular courses on the K–8 transcript.
Course Length
K-8: Parents must identify each course as "Semester" or "Full Year." A full-year course may have separate fall and spring grades even though it is reported each semester.
9-12: Generally, a one-semester class is 0.5 credits. A full-year or two-semester class is 1.0 credits.
Grading Scale
Grades K–2 Use:
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S — Satisfactory
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NW — Needs Work
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U — Unsatisfactory
Grades 3–12 Use the following 10-point grading scale:
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A — 90–100
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B — 80–89
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C — 70–79
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D — 60–69
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F — 0–59
SSA does not use plus or minus grades.
A grade of P — Pass may be used only when approved through an IEP, SEP, modified grading plan, or other documented accommodation.
Accuracy and Corrections
Parents are responsible for submitting complete and accurate information, including:
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Student name
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Date of birth
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School year
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Grade level
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Reporting period
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Course titles
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Course length
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Final grades
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Course level and credit earned for high school courses
Course submission errors or requests requiring SSA to manually research, add, remove, rename, reclassify, or correct previously submitted academic information may be subject to a $30 academic record correction fee. Supporting documentation may be required before academic records are changed.
Course Requirements
Courses must use verifiable curriculum. This includes: (1) online programs that track grades, (2) published curricula with grading guidance or services, (3) co-op or teacher-led classes where grades are assigned, or (4) tutor-led courses with a final grade and brief documentation. Parents may also design their own course with SSA approval. This requires a syllabus, grading plan, materials list, and schedule. SSA can provide a sample. Parents must keep clear records of all graded work to verify the final grade.
Course Completion & High School Credits
For students in grades K–8, SSA records course completion based on successful mastery of grade-level objectives and/or completion of the selected course plan established for the course. Instructional time may be used as a general pacing guide, but there is no statutory hourly requirement for K–8 coursework.
Students may begin taking high school level courses and earn transcripted high school credit when they demonstrate academic readiness during middle school. High school level coursework completed in grades 6–8 is recorded on the student’s high school transcript and may be applied toward diploma requirements.
For students completing high school level courses, credit is based on course type and not necessarily on how long it takes to finish. For example, completing a one-semester (0.5 credit) course in one month still earns 0.5 credit. Students are not penalized for working at an accelerated pace. If a high school-level course is not finished, partial credit may be awarded based on work completed (e.g., 0.5 or 0.25 credit) with the appropriate grade.
Florida guidelines define one high school credit as approximately 120 instructional hours (or 135 hours for Honors/AP) and one-half credit as approximately 60 hours (or 67.5 hours for Honors/AP). These hour guidelines apply to all courses transcripted for high school credit, regardless of the grade level in which they are taken.
High school credit may also be earned through demonstrated mastery, completion of learning objectives, or compliance with applicable state law. For parent-designed high school courses, instructional hours and expectations must be outlined in the course syllabus and plan. To receive transcripted high school credit, SSA students must be enrolled for at least 60 instructional days per course within the academic year. Exceptions (such as dual enrollment or transfer credits) require administrative approval and supporting documentation.
Credits, Transfer Coursework, and Graduation Policy
SSA maintains the official academic transcript for all enrolled students and reserves the right to approve, modify, verify, or decline reported coursework, course titles, grades, and credits based on academic standards and supporting documentation. SSA may request transcripts, work samples, portfolios, assessments, or other records at any time to verify academic progress or reported coursework.
Students enrolling mid-year may transfer previously completed attendance from another school or homeschool program with appropriate documentation.
For students in grades K–8, grade placement may be based on available academic records and, when needed, academic assessment. For students transferring in grades 9–11, verifiable documentation for transfer credits must be submitted within 30 days of enrollment. Transfer seniors must submit all documentation within 15 days due to graduation processing timelines. Documentation submitted after these deadlines may not be accepted.
Students seeking diploma issuance based primarily on coursework completed through outside programs may be eligible for SSA’s transfer senior credentialing service, which includes transcript evaluation and graduation review. Additional fees apply, and SSA may require testing, portfolio review, supplemental coursework, or additional documentation to verify academic readiness and graduation eligibility as well as compliance with applicable state laws.
Early graduation may be available for students who complete all graduation requirements through SSA’s approved curriculum and meet applicable eligibility requirements. Final approval remains at SSA’s discretion.
Grade Forgiveness
Grade Forgiveness of High School Credit by Middle School Students
High school courses taken in middle school may count toward graduation and Bright Futures. If a student earns a C, D, or F, they may retake the same or comparable course for forgiveness. The new grade must be a C or higher. Grades of A or B cannot be forgiven and will remain on the transcript and count toward GPA and Bright Futures.
Grade Forgiveness for High School Students
SSA requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA to graduate. Students may replace a D or F in a required course by earning a C or higher in the same or comparable course. For electives, a D or F may be replaced with a C or higher in another elective. These rules do not apply to middle school students taking high school courses.
All courses and grades, including the original grades, must remain on the transcript. SSA does not calculate GPA based on the best 24 credits only; all courses count toward the cumulative GPA.
The forgiveness policy helps students meet graduation GPA requirements but does not allow records to be purged or altered, unless there's a verified error or rights violation. If an F is earned in a required course, students are strongly encouraged to retake it quickly. Courses already passed with a C or higher cannot be retaken for a better grade. Credit cannot be awarded twice for repeated courses.
Honors High School Diploma
SSA assigns an honors designation upon graduates in the following categories:
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Honors/cum laude: 3.60 or higher GPA with at least 3 credits in honors or advanced placement (AP) courses during the high school years. At least one honors/AP credit must be earned during the senior year.
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High Honors/magna cum laude: 3.75 or higher GPA, with at least 6 credits in honors/AP courses during the high school years. At least one honors/AP credit must be earned during the senior year.
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Highest Honors/summa cum laude: 3.90 or higher GPA with at least 10 credits in honors/AP courses during the high school years. At least 2 honors/AP credits must be earned during the senior year.
All honors and AP courses must be completed using SSA’s online curriculum.
Request to Graduate
SSA processes graduation requests once per academic year. Seniors must inform SSA of their intent to graduate by May 1, and all coursework must be completed with final grades submitted by May 31 of that year. If a student does not finish by the due date, they may continue working into the next academic year by paying the re-enrollment fee. Diplomas and transcripts will be issued once all graduation requirements are met.
To be eligible for graduation, a student must have been enrolled with SSA for at least 60 days, completed all required courses, had all transfer credits approved, and completed the high school course review. When a student is ready to graduate, the parent should notify SSA by email. SSA will then review all coursework, grades, credits, attendance, and documentation to confirm eligibility.
SSA may require additional documentation, verification, or academic assessment (assessment fee will be applied) before approving courses, credits, grades, transcripts, or graduation. This may be required when coursework is missing, incomplete, unclear, reported late, submitted after the course was completed, lacks appropriate documentation, includes unverifiable curriculum or grades, or does not provide enough information for SSA to confirm that the student completed the required work. Assessments may also be required when credits are transferred in, when grades appear inconsistent with the documentation provided, or when a graduation request is submitted without a clear academic record. Final approval of credits, grades, transcripts, and graduation eligibility rests with SSA.