Academic Affairs

Serious preparation for successful college work requires that the student develop habits of organization, inquiry, perseverance, goal setting, self-activity, and a host of other skills. A serious student will learn how to succeed and how to profit from failures as well as to minimize them.

Interest and seriousness of purpose are essential for any degree of success in a demanding and difficult college preparatory program. Such traits will make it much easier for the Prep student to devote the three hours of study-time required on regular school nights. All homework assignments are geared toward the student’s academic growth and are integral to the curriculum. Parents would do well to make periodic checks on these especially on the quality of written assignments.

Attendance is absolutely essential to the accomplishment of the mission of the school. Absenteeism is closely monitored; parents are contacted and interviews are conducted if the student has a high rate of absenteeism.

Report cards are distributed four times each year. These reports will include numerical averages for each course in each quarter. The year-to-date average will be calculated at the end of each semester. A cumulative grade point average to date will be issued at the end of the second semester. After each quarter, report cards will be available to view on each student’s mySPS page. They are issued approximately one week after each quarter ends. At the end of the year, report cards will be mailed home.

Parents are reminded that their children are part of an academically gifted and competitive community. Grades are meant to report relative progress and to encourage greater achievement. Therefore, some students will have lower grades than they have experienced in the past even though they are expending greater effort.

Prep grades on a 100-point scale, with 70 serving as the minimum passing grade. The table below provides qualitative descriptions and rough equivalencies to other grading systems.

A student is awarded First Honors for a semester if the student has earned a grade average of 90 or above for every course in that semester. A student is awarded Second Honors for a semester if the student has earned a grade average of 85 or above for every course in that semester.

Students at Scranton Prep receive both a year-to-date and a cumulative grade point average (GPA) for each year completed at Scranton Prep. Year-to-date GPA is calculated at the end of each semester, while cumulative GPA is calculated only at the end of the school year. Only courses that have numerical grades are calculated into the GPA; courses that are satisfactory/unsatisfactory have no bearing on GPA. Calculations are made using the sum of report card grades (factored by the credit attempted with each grade) and divided by the sum of total credits for that marking period. AP courses are additionally weighted by a factor of 1.04.

Both unweighted and weighted GPA will appear on report cards and transcripts. Only grades from courses taken at Scranton Prep are used in the calculation of GPA; grades from courses at other schools, colleges, and online programs will not be used (the exception to this being AVLI courses which appear on a student’s report card and transcript).

Mid-quarter reports are issued in the middle of each of the four quarters, or marking periods, to keep parents apprised of their child’s academic performance. Parent Teacher conferences are held two times a year: once in-person in the first semester and once via Zoom appointment in the second semester.

The final grade in all subjects must be 70 or above to allow promotion to the next year. Students who fail more than two subjects for the academic year will be asked to withdraw. Students whose final grade is below 70 in one (or two) subject(s) must remediate the course in Prep’s Summer Remediation Program. Students who fail two subjects for the academic year more than one time during their time at Prep will be asked to withdraw. Seniors who fail more than two subjects for the year, or who fail a subject in summer school, must repeat their senior year in another secondary school. Required service hours must be completed prior to the promotion of a student to the next year.

Students receiving two or more failing grades on a mid-quarter report or report card will be put on an academic improvement plan. Students will be required to follow the individual plan created for them until their achievement and progress in the classroom and with their study habits have shown significant improvement. Student plans may include but are not limited to: mandatory attendance at office hours, attendance at after school study halls, regular peer tutoring, regular appointments with the school’s learning specialist, and/or temporary disqualification from participation in extra-curricular activities.

Course Scheduling Prep schedules courses on the basis of a seven-day cycle. Most courses meet five days in the cycle; other courses may meet less frequently. Every effort is made to allow students to take the courses of their choice. However, due to the complexity and permutations of scheduling, all courses may not be available to every student at all times. If approval is granted by the administration, a senior may take a course through the Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute (AVLI). Students are not allowed to take courses through the AVLI if those courses are offered in-house. Student may elect to drop a course and add another course in its place during the first seven-day cycle at the beginning of the year. After that time, course changes will not be possible.

Scranton Prep’s website contains a detailed description of curricular and extracurricular offerings. Requirements for graduation also include the successful completion of service hours and the completion of three lab sciences.
Classes from Outside Institutions – Scranton Preparatory School is committed to faculty and student engagement. In order to support this commitment, students are not permitted to take a course for credit from an outside institution. Because Scranton Prep’s curriculum is designed to meet Prep’s specific graduation requirements, exceptions to this policy can only occur with the preapproval of the student’s academic dean. Classes from approved outside institutions do not appear on a student transcript, with the exception of classes taken through our partnership with the Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute. Classes that are offered by Scranton Prep are not eligible to be taken outside of Prep for any reason.

All courses offered at Scranton Prep are college preparatory in nature and attempt to challenge students to grow in academic competence and confidence. It should be understood that all courses at Prep are taught to the highest academic standards. For a select group of students, courses of an advanced, accelerated, and honors nature are offered to encourage those few students to meet even greater challenges. The departments, in collaboration with the administration, select students for these courses, based on objective data, student profiles, and the best interest of the student. Students enrolled in AP courses at Prep must register for and take the AP exam for that course.

All students must complete the required course of studies and must accumulate a total of twenty-seven and two thirds credits, as well as service requirements, in order to graduate from Scranton Prep. Beginning from freshman year, this course of studies includes, but is not limited to: 4 years of English, 4 years of Mathematics, 4 years of Theology, 4 years of Physical Education, 3 years of Science with lab (taken in-school), 2 years of Social Studies, 2 years of Latin, and 2 years of World Language. At the discretion of the Principal, in the case of special and unusual circumstances, certain credits may be waived as part of the graduation requirement.

Transcripts submitted by Scranton Prep to colleges contain only the final grades for courses. After first semester of senior year, a midyear transcript is submitted to the colleges with the average for the first two quarters and the midyear exams. Report of grades to colleges anytime during an academic year requires that tuition payments be up to date. Transcripts (unofficial or official) are not sent to institutions of higher education when an unpaid balance exists unless prior payment arrangements have been made.

Official transcripts do not include any ranking of students. Scranton Prep does not believe that minute fractional differences in averages properly distinguish student performance. Because rank cannot accurately reflect the selective nature of Prep’s student body, the
rigorous college preparatory curriculum and individual achievement, it could be a misleading indicator of a student’s true academic ability.

Diplomas are granted to those students who have successfully passed all subjects for all four years. A student’s diploma may be withheld for any unpaid balance with the school, unpaid tuition, not returning school uniforms, and not returning textbooks provided by Scranton Preparatory School.

Department Scranton Preparatory School offers a comprehensive college counseling and postsecondary planning program to all students. We believe in a student-focused decision-making process that incorporates the Ignatian practices of reflection and discernment. We aim to help students discover who they are and articulate what they are hoping to achieve from their college experience. Prep’s College Counselors help students identify their strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Our office provides practical and timely information about college planning and applications, as well as the scholarship and financial aid process.
Prep’s College Counseling Department offers student and parent programming beginning in freshman year that continues throughout their high school experience. In the second semester of junior year, students begin a college counseling course and are assigned a College Counselor to continue their discernment about what next steps after Prep are best for them. Students can meet with university representatives who visit Prep beginning in junior year, and all students and families are invited to attend our annual spring college fair. Our approach to the college process is personalized and thoughtful with the goal of helping students to find the college or postsecondary plan that is the right fit for them.

Scranton Preparatory School is committed to academic excellence. The curriculum is challenging and rigorous. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with identified learning disabilities without compromising our competitive program or fundamentally altering our curriculum.
Scranton Prep is cognizant of the fact that students with diagnosed learning differences have additional academic needs that require reasonable classroom accommodations.
Scranton Prep is committed to supporting student academic achievement. Prep’s Learning Support Specialist teaches strategies to support those with learning differences while aiding in the process of implementing school-based accommodations.
While supporting the implementation of academic supports, a strong focus is placed on building Executive Functioning Skills and enhancing student’s self-advocacy skills students in finding their own voice
Prep’s Learning Support Specialist collaborates with all stakeholders to ensure that successful, appropriate, streamlined educational supports are in place.
Learning Support at Prep requires meaningful facilitation. The Learning Support Specialist facilitates meetings with teachers & counselors to discuss at promise students while exposing and connecting students to the various available supports. Support in communication between students and teachers is also facilitated through our Learning Support Specialist.
Learning Support at Prep is committed to advocacy for student needs while teaching and fostering the importance of students own self-advocacy.
Students must submit proper documentation before services and academic accommodations can be provided. Such documentation must be current, state the specific disability as diagnosed, and provided complete educational, developmental, and relevant medical history, as well as recommended accommodations to be used in the school setting.
Acceptable documentation should not be more than three years old and must be one of the following:
An active I.E.P. provided by the home school district
Documentation from a licensed professional psychologist, educational psychologist or other qualified professional
Scranton Prep maintains that qualified students may be allowed:
Extended time (up to 150%) on in-class, mid-term, and final examinations
Use of audio versions of textbooks at home
Preferential seating
Enlarged fonts for assessments
Alternatives to the use of a Scantron/ “bubble” sheet
Assistance from the Student Support Specialist in the areas of self-monitoring of work and behavior habits, organizational skills, motivation to work at a high level, self-advocacy, and overall general support.
Failure to disclose information regarding your son’s or daughter’s needs hinders the School’s ability to give proper support. We do not modify our curriculum, co-curricular requirements, or behavioral expectations in any way. We do not evaluate students for possible learning disabilities but will provide information on testing resources.

Scranton Prep’s School Counseling Department provides services that focus on the Jesuit principle of cura personalis, which is a Latin phrase meaning “care for the individual person.” This Jesuit ideal is fundamental to our tradition and to Ignatian values. The counselor assigned at the beginning of freshman year remains a student’s counselor for all four years.
High school presents unique challenges to young people at various times and in various circumstances throughout their adolescence. Whether these challenges are academic, personal, or social, counselors are trained to work with students at every step of the way. With a particular focus on the overall mental health and social-emotional well-being of each student, counselors provide support and whatever assistance might be needed to help ensure a healthy and successful school year. Counselors also facilitate family consultation and crisis intervention as needs arise. Prep’s counselors take all matters of mental health very seriously and will make outside referrals when and if a higher level of care is deemed necessary.
While students may meet with their counselor at any time, regular presence in class is of the utmost importance. Counselors are available throughout the school day as well as before and after school. While counselors will normally schedule appointments, students are encouraged to initiate appointments through the Prep Portal, by emailing their counselor, or by visiting their counselor’s office.
Through these and other efforts, counselors strive to build and strengthen supportive relationships among students and their parents, teachers, coaches, and school administrators in the formation of a “well rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God” (Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, cited in Go Forth and Teach: The Characteristics of Jesuit Education, 1986).

The Office of the Director of Mission & Identity at Scranton Prep is designed to accompany our Prep students and adult community along their spiritual journey of faith. The office is a safe place for students to find community, conversation, friendship, warmth, humor and God. Located on the first floor, contiguous with the school Chapel, it is a gathering space where ‘Ministry of Presence’ takes precedence as students stop in before school, during lunch periods or for a break from their challenging academic schedule.
The Office of the Director of Mission is responsible for planning and implementing Roman Catholic Liturgies, Sacramental opportunities and Religious services throughout the
academic school year. It is also involved in class, athletic and extracurricular Masses and Retreats, as well as the Freshmen Service Program, the Great Ignatian Challenge, the Ad Maiorem Freshmen Seminar, the second-and-third-year Companions Program, monthly Parent Masses, the Chaplain’s Advisory Team, and Grad-at-Grad student reflections.