Parent/Student Handbook

Academic Policies:

Homework Policy

Michigan Islamic Academy is a college preparatory school. As such, students are expected to spend an adequate amount of time on school-related work, including homework, at home. At the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten level, teachers may send home occasional projects or worksheets with students. First- to third-grade students are expected to spend up to 40 minutes a day on homework. Fourth and fifth grade students are expected to spend up to 1½ hours per day on homework. Students in grades 6-12 should expect homework every week night. It should take no more than the student’s grade +1 x 10 minutes. For example, a grade 6 student should have (6+1)10=70 minutes of homework. A grade 12 student would have (12+1)10=130 minutes or 2 hours and 10 minutes of homework. Students also need to rest, relax, spend time with family, and participate in Islamic activities; therefore, weekend homework is limited and the due date for projects is not to be a Monday. There should not be more than two tests given in one day. During Standardized Testing, Midterms, and Finals, there should be no homework given.

Grading Policy

The following is the grading system adopted by all teachers in the upper elementary, junior high, and high school. All scores are based on a 0 to 100 scale. The following is the correspondence between letter and numerical grades:

Score	Letter Grade
69 and below	F (Not passing)
70 – 72	C–
73 – 76	C
77 – 79	C+
80 – 82	B–
83 – 86	B
87 - 89	B+
90 – 92	A–
93 – 96	A
97 –100	A+

Teachers will hand out a syllabus to students, which will include the specific grading scale for different categories in the class.

Midterm and Final Exams

Starting with 6th grade, students in each grade are required to take a comprehensive exam covering all material taught during the semester. Mid-term and final exams make up 20% of the semester grade. All students, including seniors and early graduates, are required to take mid-terms and final exams. Students must take mid-term and final exams during the scheduled time. Under special circumstances students may be allowed to take early exams. In such a case, the student is responsible to study all material to be covered after he or she leaves, and a charge of $100.00 per subject will be assessed by the school. This will cover the cost of making up and grading a specially prepared exam.

Achieving Honors

The grading scale is figured on a 4.0 scale. Principal’s List is attained by students who have a 4.0 GPA and above. High Honor Roll is attained by students who have a 3.75-3.99 GPA. Honor Roll is attained by students who have a 3.5-3.74 GPA. In addition, in order for a student to be on the honor roll, he/she must exhibit exemplary behavior.

Promotion & Retention Policy:

Kindergarten through 8th grade teachers will recommend the promotion of all students with passing scores. Students who fail in two or more subjects may be retained in their grade. A committee made up of the principal, assistant principal, classroom teacher, and another veteran teacher will meet to decide if the student will be retained. The decision of the committee is final. Failing 8th grade students will not be allowed to participate in graduation exercises. They will, however, be allowed back into the school as 9th graders if they pass failed subjects during the summer in an approved program.

High school graduates must fulfill all graduation requirements by the deadline. If a student fails the senior project or any required courses, they will not graduate; students may also not be allowed to participate in graduation exercises. Students will be awarded their diplomas as soon as they finish graduation requirements, and will participate in the next available graduation exercises if they elect to do so.

Academic Acceleration Policy:

The school administration may accelerate a student in grades three through eight in a given year based upon an initiating request of the parents or the recommendation of the teacher. All of the following conditions must apply for a student to be accelerated:

1. 
   Straight A’s for the entire year
   
2. 
   Advanced scores on the Michigan Standardized Assessment
   
3. 
   The recommendation of the classroom teacher
   
4. 
   A score of 90% or higher on a placement exam for the grade the student is going to skip
   

Students in grades Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd may not be accelerated.

There are no exceptions to the above policy.

High School Graduation Requirements (Class of 2016 and beyond)

High school students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.5/4.0, earn a minimum of 26-28 credit hours (including one credit for Senior Project). THERE ARE ALSO REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE IN ORDER TO GRADUATE: EITHER 200 HOURS OF HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE, OR 65 HOURS COMMUNITY SERVICE PER YEAR OF ATTENDANCE AT MIA. Half of the community service hours must be conducted in a non-Muslim environment. The following is the breakdown of required credits:

Subject	# Of credits
English Language Arts	4.0 credits
Math	4.0 credits
Science	4.0 credits
Social Studies	3.0 credits
Arabic Language/Foreign language	4.0 credits
Islamic Studies (4 years)	2.0 credits
Quran (4 years)	2.0 credits
Art	1.0 credit
Physical Education/Health	1.0 credits
Senior Project w/ Online Experience	1.0 credit
Community Service – Muslim Hours	100 hours
Community Service – Non-Muslim Hours	100 hours
Total Required Credits	26 credits

Students may take high school courses in middle school. A student must earn at least a "B" in the course in order for it to count as a high school credit. These courses will enable the student to be in the advanced academic track. The maximum number of credits that can be earned by a student on school campus in any given year is eight credit hours.

Drop/Add Polices

MIA discourages students from dropping courses or transferring between classes and levels. However, the administration will approve the drop of courses or the transfer to other classes in some circumstances. The drop/add policy is not automatic. A student will be required to show reasons for the request. The administration's decision in these matters is final. The deadline for any changes in student schedule is the last day of the second week of the semester. After the deadline, students may not drop or add courses unless required by the administration due to inadequate performance in higher level courses.

Early Graduation Policies

Students who demonstrate superior academic achievement may elect to graduate early. The student must meet ALL the following conditions for early graduation:

1. 
   A cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5/4.0
   
2. 
   A score of 25 or higher on the ACT, or equivalent score on the SAT test. The scores for the February exams are the latest accepted scores for this purpose
   
3. 
   An Early Graduation Intent form no later than the end of the first semester of his/her sophomore year
   
4. 
   A maximum of two credit hours of transferred credit from an approved institution per year
   
5. 
   A minimum of two consecutive years in the school prior to graduation
   
6. 
   Fulfillment of all other graduation requirements
   

Academic Probation Policies

Middle and high school students who have failed any course will be placed on academic probation. While on probation, the students will be required to participate in our Academic Support Program, which includes counseling and tutoring. If a student does not raise his/her GPA the following quarter, he/she may be asked to leave the school, or may not be allowed to re-enroll in the following year.