Academic Policies

This article outlines the academic policies at Kolbe Academy.

Academic Preparation and Prerequisites

Kolbe Academy allows parents in grades K-8 to register for course plans two years above or below their enrolled grade level. Please contact your family advisor if you would like to select a course outside of the range offered on the course registration form.

High school students may choose from the courses offered in all four years of high school on the course registration form. In junior high and high school, some of the math, science, and language courses have pre-requisites or co-requisites for enrollment. Please see the course descriptions for details.

You may choose to have your child take Kolbe’s informal grade level or subject assessment tests to help determine the best placement for your student. To find these informal assessments please visit www.kolbe.org and click “Help Center”. Students new to live online courses are required to complete formal placement testing. Standardized testing is also available through Kolbe. For more information, please see our website, www.kolbe.org, under the Testing tab or email the Testing Team at testing@kolbe.org.

K-8 Grade Scale

High School Grade Scale and GPA Calculation

The Kolbe Academy GPA (Grade Point Average) is calculated using the semester grades from academic coursework only. An academic course comes from an academic subject area such as theology, literature, history, math, etc. Academic courses such as these receive 1 credit per year, or .5 credits per semester. The grades from each semester are given a grade point value on the 4.0 scale as outlined in the table above. The cumulative weighted and unweighted GPAs are indicated on the transcript.

Non-academic courses are not calculated into the student’s GPA. Non-academic courses typically include physical education, music, art, computer applications, etc.

Kolbe Academy provides courses which suit many student abilities and areas of interest. A grade in a more challenging course is not considered equivalent to the same grade earned in a less challenging course with the same course title. All Kolbe Academy Honors and AP courses, as well as all college courses, are weighted with an additional 1.0 points per letter grade as outlined in the table above (under the “Weighted GPA” column). Students are encouraged to match their abilities with the challenges of a course in a realistic manner. Serious consideration should be given to selecting student coursework since the grade of a course is the basis for computing the student’s GPA.

Incomplete and Withdrawn Designations

If your child receives an Incomplete (I), the instructor has indicated that he or she is waiting on additional work before assigning a final grade to the student. The grade of “Incomplete” is only available in extenuating circumstances. If a teacher gives an “Incomplete” grade to a student, the student must complete the work in a timely fashion as determined by the teacher in consultation with Kolbe Administration, or the final grade will be marked as the grade earned without the incomplete work.

If your child’s grade is marked Withdrawn (W), this means you have withdrawn the student from a live online class after the last day to withdraw from a class for the semester (see calendar for dates), and your student is currently receiving a passing grade. If the student completes the course at another time in the same enrollment year, the reported grade will replace the “W” grade. Otherwise, the “W” will remain on the transcript.

If your child’s grade is marked Withdrawn/Failed (WF), this means you have withdrawn the student from this online class after the last day to withdraw from a class for the semester (see calendar for dates), and your student is currently receiving a failing grade. A “WF” is the equivalent of an “F” and the grade will not be replaced, even if the student participates in credit recovery.

Official Course of Study

The Course of Study is a list of approved courses from the student’s course registration. It is comprised of the Kolbe Academy courses as well as approved custom and transfer courses. When an alternate curriculum is used for course credit while enrolled with Kolbe Academy, it is deemed a custom course. For more information on the criteria for custom courses, see below. Reporting custom and transfer courses is a benefit of full-time enrollment.

In high school, students are permitted to report a maximum of 8 academic courses per school year. In elementary and junior high school, students are permitted to report a maximum of 12 academic courses per school year.

High School Credits

Criteria for High School Level Courses

High school courses earn 1 credit for a full year or .5 credits per semester. In order for a course to be eligible for high school credit, the following criteria must be met:

• The course texts and materials must be high school level and match the subject area.

• The course must include high school level written assignments.

• The course must include written evaluations (quizzes, tests, etc.).

• The student must be “in class” for a minimum of 60 hours for one semester of credit or 120 hours for one year of credit.

  • For students studying independently, “class” time represents the time that they are engaged with the course texts and completing “in class” assignments. Time spent on larger written assignments or projects should be considered homework rather than classwork.

Catholic Theology Requirement

Kolbe Academy is committed to providing a faithful Catholic education rooted in a classical worldview, which permeates every aspect of our curriculum. While we welcome students of all faiths, all students, including non-Catholics, are required to take Catholic theology courses. This reflects our belief in the fullness of Truth found in Catholic theology and its central role in our mission.

We honor the principle of subsidiarity, allowing families to adapt our curriculum as needed. However, Catholic theology is foundational to our identity, our role in assisting parents to lead their children to full communion with Christ, and our success as a Catholic institution. For this reason, all students are required to take Catholic theology courses to satisfy high school and 8^th grade diploma requirements.

Through this requirement, we invite every student to engage with the richness of the Catholic faith, ensuring they receive the integral formation that defines a Kolbe education.

To receive Theology credit for a non-Kolbe course, the course must meet one of the following criteria:

Catholic Theology Course
The course must be a Catholic Theology course offered by a Catholic curriculum provider, course provider, or school.

Alternative Course Requirements
If the course does not meet Criterion 1, it must fulfill one of the following:

• Textbook Requirement: The primary textbook must have an imprimatur.

• Primary and Secondary Source Requirement: The Bible must have an imprimatur. If using primary or secondary sources (e.g., the Church Fathers, lives of the saints or other books), non- Catholic authors must be pre-approved.

Courses from non-Catholic providers cannot be approved for Theology credit, as they must align with Catholic teachings. However, such courses may be considered for academic elective credit if they meet Kolbe Academy’s academic standards for custom courses.

Final approval for Theology credit rests solely at the discretion of Kolbe Academy.

Grade Criteria for Earning High School Credit

To receive high school credit, the student must receive a “D” or above at the end of the semester. Semester grades, not overall grades, are calculated into the GPA.

Grade Recovery (Grades 6-8)

A student may retake a previously failed middle school course. If the new course is completed and reported within the same enrollment year, the new grade will replace the failed course on a student’s academic record.

Credit & Grade Recovery (Grades 9-12)

Academic courses may not be repeated for additional credit. If a student wishes to retake a course to improve their GPA, they may do so, but only the course with the higher grade will receive credit for graduation requirements. All previous grades for that course will remain on the transcript, but do not count toward GPA or receive credit. Students who receive a failing grade and need to retake the course to graduate with a Kolbe diploma may do so. Tuition and fees will apply. Please talk to your family advisor if you need credit recovery options.

High School Credit in 8^th Grade

Students in 8th grade may earn high school credit in the subject areas of math if the course level is Algebra 1 or higher, science if it is Introduction to Physics and Chemistry (IPC), Biology, or higher, or foreign language if it is a high school year 1 course or higher. Custom Courses can receive credit as long as they meet the requirements for a custom high school course in the areas of math, science, or foreign language. See more information here.

High school credits earned in 8th grade will appear on the high school transcript, but the grades earned in the course(s) will not be factored into the overall high school GPA on the transcript. Be aware that some colleges will not accept high school credits earned in 8th grade toward their entrance requirements.

High School Course Designations and Sample Requirements

Kolbe Academy’s transcripts include course designations for high school level Homeschool and Digital Homeschool, Asynchronous, and Live Online courses taken with our curriculum to reflect both the program format, the academic depth of the coursework, and alignment with Kolbe’s standards.