ACADEMIC LETTER "GUIDELINES”
The following are criteria for awarding academic letters and pins:
1) All academic achievement points must be accumulated by full-time students from the Mount Vernon City Schools and/or transfer students from another public or chartered private school. Transfer students must provide a transcript adjusted to a 4.0 grading scale. In addition, transfer students from another public or chartered private school are responsible for providing past nine week grade cards to the Guidance Office by April 1. Per Board Policy 9270, students entering from a non-chartered school, home school or foreign school shall have no established grade point average (GPA) or class rank upon arrival to MVHS. Their GPA will begin after they have completed two (2) semesters at MVHS. Beginning with the class of 2023, a student’s GPA will begin after a student has completed two (2) semesters of high school coursework earned through MVMS and/or MVHS.
2) A student must accumulate twenty (20) points to be awarded an academic letter. This letter will be based upon points earned by the end of the third nine weeks grading period and will be presented at the Academic Awards Ceremony in May. If a senior earns a first or second award letter during his/her fourth nine weeks, the award can be requested at the end of the 4th nine weeks through the Guidance Office.
3) A student will receive a secondary award for each twenty (20) points accumulated beyond the original twenty points. These awards will also be based upon points earned by the end of the third nine weeks grading period and presented at the Academic Awards Ceremony in May.
4) An academic letter will be awarded to foreign exchange students who accumulate thirteen (13) points while a Mount Vernon High School student.
5) The points may be accumulated from the following areas:
A. Academic Achievement –
Students will be awarded points from their grade point average per nine weeks. Full-time College Plus students who earn only semester grades will have their points doubled at the semester.
(1) 3.75-4.00+ = 4 points
(2) 3.50-3.74 = 3 points
(3) 3.25-3.49 = 2 points
(4) 3.00-3.24 = 1 point
B. Academic Activities –
(1) Long Term Academic Activities (such as, In The Know, Vedette, and FFA)
With each complete year of participation at a level beyond membership and recommendation of the advisor, up to one (1) point will be awarded.
b) Responsibility lies with the advisor to give information to the principal’s secretary prior to April 1.
(2) Short Term Academic Activities (such as scoring a predetermined score on the National Math Test, Ohio Math League Test, National French Test, National Spanish Exam, National Latin Exam, etc.)
and attainment of honors in school/state/national adjudicated events (such as Debate, Fine Arts, Science Fair, FFA, FCCLA, and History Day).
One-half (1/2 point) point to one (1) point may be awarded based on advisor’s discretion.
Responsibility for reporting the qualified students and points lies with the sponsor of that activity to give the information to the principal’s secretary.
C. Academic Honors –
(1) Upon induction into the National Honor Society, the student will receive two (2) points.
(2) High ACT scores will be awarded one time during the senior year based on the best score.
a) A composite score of twenty-three (23) to twenty-six (26) will award one (1) point.
b) A composite score of twenty-seven (27) to thirty-two (32) will award two (2) point.
c) A composite score of thirty-three (33) or above will award three (3) point.
High SAT scores will be awarded one time during the senior year based on the best score.
A composite score of 1130-1270 will be awarded one (1) point.
A composite score of 1280-1440 will be awarded two (2) points.
A composite score of 1450 and over will be awarded three (3) points
National Merit Scholarship Honors
a) A commendation will be awarded three (3) points. An achievement scholarship recipient will be awarded three (3) points. A semi-finalist will be awarded four (4) points. A finalist will be awarded five (5) points.
Students achieving a "B" average or better in an honors class will be awarded one half (½) point per semester.
Students receiving a score of three (3) on an Advanced Placement test will be awarded one half (½) point and those receiving a score of four (4) or five (5) will be awarded one (1) point.
The above (Section C) responsibility lies with the counselor to give the information to the principal’s secretary during the student’s senior year prior to April 1.
End of Course Exams-
Students will be awarded one (1) point after the required eighteen (18) points for graduation is met. The tested courses are English 9, English 10, Algebra 1, Geometry, US History, and Biology. Responsibility lies with the guidance counselors to give this information to the principal’s secretary.