Academics

Academic School Year
The school year at Montverde is comprised of two semester terms. Each semester is divided into two grading periods (roughly nine weeks each) and a final exam week. The average from each grading period constitutes 40% of the semester average together with the final exam grade which is the remaining 20% of the final semester grade.

Report Cards
Reports of the student's academic progress are accessible online to the parents in NetClassroom at the end of each nine-week grading period. The report card consists of a cumulative report of grades as well as the grade point average which is used by the school to determine Honor Roll status or Academic Probation.

Credits
Credits are awarded to students in Grades 9-12 who have successfully completed a course with a passing grade. Three types of credits are generally awarded as follows:

1/3 credit is given for successful completion of the SAT Prep or TOEFL Prep courses.

1/2 credit is given for successful completion of a one semester course or team sport.

1 credit is given for successful completion of a year-long course which is determined by a passing average of both semester final grades.

Honor Roll

SUMMA CUM LAUDE: Student must achieve a grade point average of 4.0 or higher.
MAGNA CUM LAUDE: Student must achieve a grade point average from 3.5 to 3.99.
CUM LAUDE: Student must achieve a grade point average from 3.0 to 3.49.

To be eligible for making the Honor Roll, a student must be taking a minimum of five academic courses and all courses must have a grade of B- or higher.

Grade Point Weighting
Montverde awards the following weights to a student's grade point average:

.4 is awarded to the grade point of a student enrolled in an Honors Level course, and
.8 is awarded to a student taking an Advanced Placement course.

NetClassroom
At the start of the school year parents receive an access code from our director of technology that enables them to access their child's grades from the electronic gradebook (FAWeb) system that Montverde faculty members use in compiling a student's grades in their course. The grades are posted on NetClassroom, an online service where grades can be viewed at any time during the day or night.

Academic Probation
Students who achieve a Grade Point Average of 1.8 or lower at the end of a grading period are placed on Academic Probation by the Dean of the Upper School. The terms of probation are that a student must attend extra-help sessions during the office hours of the teacher(s) in whose class(es) the student has a low grade of below a C-, attend all school-day study halls and the student cannot miss a class to attend any school events such as field trips or athletics. Students who remain on Academic Probation for two or more grading periods are subject to the possibility of not being invited to re-enroll in the school for the next school year.

NATIONAL TESTING

PLAN
All students in grades 9-10 take the PLAN test in November which is the preparation test for the ACT.  This test is administered on the Montverde Academy Campus

PSAT
All students in Grades 9-11 take the PSAT test in October of every school year. The PSAT is the preparation test for the SAT. This test is administered on the Montverde Academy campus and juniors who attain high scores have an opportunity to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship.

ACT
All 11th grade students (except those in Levels I and II of Progressive English) take the ACT twice: once in December and then again in April. Montverde Academy students are transported to the campus of a nearby high school to take this test. 12th grade students who have not taken the ACT twice or those who want to improve their scores will take the ACT during their senior year as needed.

SAT I
All 11th grade students (except those in Levels I and II of Progressive English) take the SAT I test twice: once in December and once in May. This test is administered on the Montverde Academy campus and 12th grade students who have not taken the SAT I test twice or those who want to improve their scores will take the SAT I during their senior year as needed.

SAT II
11th and 12th students who want to demonstrate their competency and ability level to colleges for placement or qualify for exemption from college requirements in specific subject areas are encouraged to take the SAT II subject tests which are administered on the Montverde Academy campus.

TOEFL
International Students in Grade 11 whose first language is not English take the TOEFL test twice during the school year. This is an on-line internet based test that is taken on the MVA campus. 12th grade international students who have not taken the TOEFL twice or those who want to improve their scores will take the TOEFL during their senior year as needed.

AP
Montverde Academy offers 23 Advanced Placement courses which prepares students for taking the AP exams in May of every year. These college-level courses follow a recommended regimen by the College Board and students are thoroughly prepared by understanding the AP test format and taking simulated AP exams. These tests are administered on the Montverde Academy campus and students who attain high scores may have an opportunity to earn college credit(s).

SPECIAL OFFERINGS

SAT Prep
11th grade students (except those who are in Levels I and II of Progressive English) are required to take the SAT Prep course during their junior year. The course is taught by instructors from Sylvan Learning and sample questions, strategies for answering and the testing format are introduced.

TOEFL Prep
11th grade international students (except those in Level I of Progressive English) whose first language is not English are required to take the TOEFL Prep course during their junior year. The course is taught by an instructor from Sylvan Learning and sample questions, strategies for answering and the testing format are introduced.

Summer School
Montverde offers a four-week Summer Session in which most core subjects are offered and boarding is also available. Students can earn up to 1½ academic credits and weekend activities are available as in the regular school year.

MASLI
The Montverde Academy Summer Language Institute is a four week non-credited English Language program for international students who want to improve their proficiency and placement in English. Students receive individualized attention in reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and their progress in monitored through their performance on the SLATE test that is administered in the Chen Language Laboratory.

Educational Tour
Each year Montverde Academy offers educational tours to different areas of the United States or foreign countries. These tours require a minimum of persons to be offered and the itinerary varies between 7-14 days. Complete details are announced in the fall of each school year and trips planned for this coming year are being offered to Washington, DC, Italy and the Caribbean.

Tutoring
Two forms of tutoring are available on the Montverde Academy campus. The Director of Counseling and Academic Advising coordinates a local staff of tutors from the community (at an additional cost) and peer tutors who are student volunteers from the National Honor Society or students from the Tutoring Club.