Support Requirements

Course Requirements
The instructions sent for each course state the specific requirements expected by CLASS. For most courses, this entails either answering a pre-determined portion of the questions found in the text that we provide or writing short summaries of each chapter, and completing the assigned tests (if any). The requirements for some subjects, however, diverge from this format. Those that differ from the norm are described below.

The course instructions we send with your curriculum are the final word in requirements for the courses assigned. They supersede any instructions provided to other families, in your Handbook, and on this Web site. Only instructions provided on special Yellow R&I sheets (or updated instructions sent to you by CLASS) can override the course instructions sent with your books.

For details regarding test and daily work requirements, see Grading Policies.

If you are missing the instructions for any course, contact our Customer Service Department.

  Art, Music, and Physical Education
  These three subjects are assigned at each high school grade level enrolled in CLASS and must be completed to meet grade level requirements. However, CLASS does not provide materials for them—you must develop your own activities. You also provide the final grade for each course, which should be based on the assignments completed and the attitude of your student toward finishing them. At the end of your school year, use the Report and Identification Sheets (R&Is) provided by CLASS to submit the grades for these courses. Do not submit to CLASS any written work or projects you assign for these subjects.

Because CLASS does not determine the specific requirements for these subjects, we have no objective standard for what constitutes a final grade of “A,” “B,” “C,” etc. Therefore, CLASS awards no academic credit for them at the high school level. If your student completes a creditable, high school level course, we recommend you have the instructor send us an official transcript, which would be added to your student’s cumulative records file.

Here are some suggested ways to meet our requirements for these subjects.

  Art
  Students are urged to be creative. Art can include anything from sculpturing, drawing, and painting, to woodworking, flower arranging, and decorative needlework. Again, reports can be written or oral presentations about a type of art, a period in art history, or an artist. Art can and should be used for God’s glory.

For information on where to obtain art materials, check our Resource Library.

  Music
  Students are encouraged to sing in their church choir, take voice or instrument lessons, attend concerts, or spend time singing as a family. Students can also give reports or oral presentations to their families on a particular area they have studied. Such reports can include a type of music, a period in music history, a composer, or a hymn writer. Students may show how music can and should be used for the glory of God and how it has been distorted.

For information on where to obtain music materials, check our Resource Library.

  Physical Education
  Sporting activities, weight lifting, aerobics, calisthenics, biking, and swimming are obvious ways to fulfill this requirement. Once again, however, reports and oral presentations may be used. Students may enjoy studying the rules of a game or the techniques used when playing a sport. The whole family can benefit from the time a student spends studying one or more of these areas. We encourage parents to participate in their child’s athletic activities. Playing tennis as a family is one of many activities that can be incorporated into a home school physical education program.

You may also want to consider providing instruction in first aid, sex education, health and nutrition, or a study of the body’s muscles and how they work. Study in these areas can be very beneficial to students, and we encourage you to use part of your student’s physical education period for such instruction if you think it is appropriate (check your state laws to see if any are required). We do not, however, want a student’s entire physical education instruction to consist of study in these topics.

For information on where to obtain physical education and health materials, check our Resource Library.

  Book Reports
  Students in grades 7–12 are required to complete two book reports each year they are enrolled in CLASS. These books are provided by CLASS.

In the 7th and 8th grades, students may choose to replace one assigned book with a book from the supplied reading list. In grades 9–12, the two books are integrated with the literature course and cannot be replaced unless the book has already been used for a prior book report assignment (contact CLASS if this is the case).

Book reports must be completed in narrative form and be appropriate to the age of the student. They should also follow a standardized structure (see below). Other requirements for book reports include:

1.  
Report length must be 300 words for grades 7–8, and 600–800 words for grades 9–12.

2.  
Reports should be double-spaced with top and bottom margins of one inch and side margins of 1.5 inches.

3.  
Reports may be handwritten (neatly) in pen or typed. If typed, the font should be 11 or 12 point Times New Roman or Arial.

  Book Report Structure
  Each book report should follow the basic structure listed below (for a printable version of this structure, Click Here).

1.  
The Introduction

a)  
The title and the author of the book should appear as a heading at the top of the page.

b)  
The first sentence should include the title of the book, the author’s name, and the central idea.

  Example: I Was a Slave in Russia by John Noble is the personal account of an American who survived nine years of cruelty in the slave-labor camps in Russia.

c)  
Interest your readers by including a striking statement or a quotation from the book or one of the characters.

d)  
Include the time and the setting, if applicable.

e)  
Include a thesis sentence which indicates how you intend to organize your thoughts.

  Example: Mr. Noble tells of his surprising imprisonment, his long years of torture, and his eventual release.

2.  
The Body

a)  
For a biography, relate the chief incidents in the subject’s life and discuss their importance.

b)  
For a non-fiction book, discuss the importance of the subject treated in the book and a summary of the author’s presentation of the subject.

c)  
For a fiction book, introduce the reader to the chief characters in the book and write a summary of the plot.

d)  
Discuss each topic introduced in your thesis sentence in a separate paragraph.

3.  
The Conclusion

a)  
For a biography, include a statement about the significance of the person’s life.

b)  
For a non-fiction book, include a summary of the main points of the body.

c)  
For a fiction book, include a discussion of how the main conflicts in the plot were resolved.

4.  
The Evaluation

a)  
Discuss your personal thoughts about the book, whether favorable or unfavorable.

b)  
Discuss how the book influences your thinking or your goals in life, and use examples from the book to support your statements.

c)  
What was the author’s perspective, frame of reference, or presupposition? Did you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

  Sample Book Reports
  To view a sample book report, click any of the following links:

Junior high level book report (grades 7–8)

High school level book report (grades 9–12)

  Independent Bible
  CLASS assigns a required Bible/Theology course at each grade level. We understand, however, that Christians hold various theological views, so we allow families to construct their own independent Bible course if the one we assign does not meet their needs.

Students using our Independent Bible course must use the Holy Bible as their primary text, regardless of what other materials are used. Those assigned this course will receive course instructions stating what CLASS requires and what must be submitted in order for a final grade (determined by CLASS) to be awarded.

Because CLASS allows the family to construct its own course and supplies no required materials, CLASS does not issue academic credit for Independent Bible courses. Students who pursue this option at the high school level are still responsible for meeting the minimum credit requirements for graduation, which means a student may need to take additional electives for credit through CLASS.

  Standard Kindergarten/Advanced Kindergarten Courses
  Neither Standard Kindergarten nor Advanced Kindergarten has instructions for each course. The course instructions for these grade levels apply to the grade level as a whole. See Kindergarten Grade Level Requirements for more information.

Grade Level Requirements
As students progress from Kindergarten through elementary and junior high to high school, their grade level requirements change.

  Standard Kindergarten and Advanced Kindergarten
  All assigned courses must be completed per the kindergarten course instructions. As you finish each course (whether or not it has any written work), write its completion date on the Kindergarten R&I sheet.

Once all courses are completed, you must submit a sample of 15–20 percent of your student’s daily written work to CLASS. Each course in your student’s curriculum that requires written work should be represented in this sample. This work must be attached to the Kindergarten R&I sheet. Be sure your student’s ID is on the daily work. No course assignments, other than the materials specifically assigned by CLASS, are required for kindergarten students.

Both report cards and transcripts will show a single course assigned for kindergarten. This course will receive a final grade of either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, depending on the quality and completeness of the work submitted. Kindergarten students will receive a Certificate of Completion if the grade level is satisfactorily completed.

  First through Eighth Grade
  Each assigned course must be completed (both tests and daily work) according to its course instructions. If a course has tests, those tests should be submitted to CLASS on a regular basis (monthly recommended). Tests from multiple courses may be submitted together in one envelope.

Some courses only require you to submit an R&I sheet. For these subjects, mail the completed R&I to CLASS once each course has been finished. Other courses, however, require that actual daily assignments must be submitted to CLASS. Daily work for a course must be retained until the entire course has been completed. Then it should be mailed to CLASS in its entirety with the requisite R&I sheet attached.

Each grade level is considered complete once all courses assigned by CLASS have been issued a final grade. If any course does not have a final grade, or if a course is completed after the grade level end date, then that grade level is considered incomplete.

A student must successfully complete* the eighth grade in order to receive an eighth grade diploma. Grade levels prior to the eighth grade are not considered when determining whether a student should be awarded an eighth grade diploma. An eighth grade diploma is not required for admission into high school.


Successful completion requires a passing grade in each course. See Retaking a Course if a failing grade is received.

  High School
  The grade level requirements for first through eighth grade also apply to high school. However, the student must retake any required courses that are failed in order to meet graduation requirements.

Christian Liberty will automatically assign, at each grade level, those courses necessary to meet our graduation requirements (a minimum of four academic credits per year).

All required high school courses must be completed within the grade level assigned. CLASS will not move incomplete high school courses in subsequent grade levels. If a grade level expires with an incomplete or an unresolved failure in any course, the student may be required to repeat the grade level at the discretion of CLASS.

For additional information, see our high school graduation requirements.

Graduation Requirements
In addition to specific course and grade level requirements, there are also requirements for earning a diploma.

  Standard Kindergarten and Advanced Kindergarten
  To graduate from either Standard Kindergarten or Advanced Kindergarten and receive a Certificate of Completion, a student must successfully complete the requirements for that grade level only. Standard Kindergarten and Advanced Kindergarten are not consecutive grade levels. Advanced Kindergarten students are not required to have completed Standard Kindergarten, and Standard Kindergarten students need not also complete the Advanced Kindergarten for promotion into first grade. Both CLASS kindergarten programs will sufficiently prepare a student for first grade.

  Eighth Grade
  To receive an eighth grade diploma, a student must successfully complete all courses for our eighth grade program only. Students are not required to show completion of any previous grade levels.

If an eighth grade course is failed, the student must successfully complete a retake of that subject in order for a diploma to be awarded.

An eighth grade diploma is not required for admission into high school.

  High School
  In order to receive a high school diploma from CLASS, a student must at minimum enroll in and successfully complete our full-time twelfth grade program.

Additionally, a student must meet certain curriculum requirements. For students entering CLASS at the ninth grade, these requirements are listed below. Students entering CLASS above the ninth grade must first meet our transfer requirements. Once matriculation has been met, CLASS will then assign each year those courses necessary to graduate.

Students are not permitted to skip grade levels during high school.

  Requirements for a Ninth Grader Entering CLASS
  Students entering CLASS at the ninth grade level are required to successfully complete the following subjects in order to graduate:

1.  
Four credits of Bible

2.  
Four and one half credits of English (includes literature, grammar, and research papers)

3.  
Two credits of math (includes one credit of Algebra 1 or higher level algebra course)

4.  
Two credits of science (includes one credit of biology)

5.  
One and one half credits of economics

6.  
Two credits of government

7.  
Four credits of history

8.  
Four years of art, music, and physical education (academic credit not awarded)

These courses are normally distributed in the following progression (credit amounts for each subject are listed in brackets).

  Ninth Grade Tenth Grade Eleventh Grade Twelfth Grade
  Bible [1] Bible [1] Bible [1]
Bible [1]
  Literature [½] World Lit. [½] American Lit. [½] English Lit. [½]
  Grammar [½] Grammar & Research Paper [¾] Grammar [½] Grammar [½]
        Research Paper [¼]
  Algebra 1 [1] Business Math or Math Elective [1]    
  Science [1] Biology [1]    
  World History 1 [1] World History 2 [1] U.S. History 1 [1] U.S. History 2 [1]
  Economics [½]     Economics [1]
    Government [1] Government [1]  
  Art, Music, P.E. [0]

Art, Music, P.E. [0]

Art, Music, P.E. [0] Art, Music, P.E. [0]

  High School Math and Science
  We require all high school students to earn a minimum of two credits of math and two credits of science within the first two years of enrollment with CLASS. In the case of math, one of the credits earned must be Algebra 1 or a higher-level algebra course. We routinely assign a business math course to meet the remainder of the math requirement. Students may, however, choose an elective in place of the standard assignment to fulfill the second credit of math. See Electives for pricing information on these courses.

In the case of science, one of the credits earned must be in biology, which is usually assigned in the tenth grade. We routinely assign a general science course in the ninth grade to meet the remainder of the science requirement. Students may, however, choose an elective in place of the standard assignment to fulfill the second credit of science. For pricing information, see Electives.

If a student is transferring into the tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade and has already earned credit in math and/or science at a previous school, these credits will be applied toward fulfillment of the math and/or science requirements (pending appropriate achievement test scores). Students entering the ninth grade who have taken Algebra 1 (or higher math) and/or biology (or higher science) in a prior grade level must still earn two credits of math and two credits of science within the CLASS system between the ninth and twelfth grades. An incoming ninth grader in this category may choose an elective to fulfill one of the respective math or science requirements at no additional cost to the family.

Electives used to fulfill CLASS requirements must be selected from our electives list. However, students may take math or science electives beyond our minimum requirements outside of the CLASS system. You must provide CLASS with a transcript from the institution awarding credit for the elective in order for CLASS to recognize it. Courses taken outside the CLASS system will not appear on report cards or official CLASS transcripts. Instead, the transcript received will be placed in the student’s cumulative records file.

  Special Status Students
  Students who are considered special status will receive an eighth grade Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of all assigned eighth grade courses. Similarly, students who successfully complete grades nine through twelve will receive a high school Certificate of Completion. Total number of credits earned does not affect whether a special status student will receive a certificate.

See Special Status for more information on this subject.
 

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