Upper School Course Guide
Course Selection Resources
Upper School Academic Policies
Externally Obtained Credits
Crescent School has a long-established reputation as a first-rate university feeder school. History has shown that Crescent students are extremely well prepared for their post-secondary education. The vast majority of our graduates earn acceptance into the university of their choice, and moreover, they thrive once admitted.
Some students choose to take additional courses outside of Crescent School. These include summer school courses as well as evening and distance learning courses taken during the regular school year. Crescent has monitored the experience of students taking such courses for a number of years. It has become clear to us that there is an increasingly wide variety of service providers and, more importantly, an increasingly wide range in the quality and rigour of these programs. For these reasons, we discourage students from completing credits in English, mathematics and science outside of Crescent School. These courses are the cornerstones of success in university and our students are most reliably prepared for university in these critical academic disciplines through our own program.
Students are required to complete an Externally Obtained Credit form if they are considering taking credit courses outside of Crescent. This form will be reviewed by their guidance and university counsellor and by the Assistant Head of Upper School, Academics, and should be completed prior to course registration to ensure the course is suitable. This is particularly important when a course taken outside of Crescent School is used as a prerequisite for a subsequent course taken at Crescent. This form is available in the Guidance and University Counselling Group page in the Green Room.
Upon final registration of a course outside of the school, please advise the Guidance and University Counselling Department as soon as possible so that a record of the course can be maintained. Upon completion of an outside credit course, the student must ensure that the results are sent to Crescent where the information is entered into the student’s record. Students are responsible for ensuring that Crescent is aware when they have completed a course outside of the school.
We are unable to accommodate writing AP exams for students who are not enrolled in the AP courses at Crescent School. AP exams are typically for senior level students who are enrolled in AP courses at the school. Any student who wishes to write an AP exam who does not fall into this category should speak to their counsellor about writing the exam externally. We strongly recommend that students who are interested in writing AP exams, enroll in the correlating course at Crescent School.
Some students choose to take additional courses outside of Crescent School. These include summer school courses as well as evening and distance learning courses taken during the regular school year. Crescent has monitored the experience of students taking such courses for a number of years. It has become clear to us that there is an increasingly wide variety of service providers and, more importantly, an increasingly wide range in the quality and rigour of these programs. For these reasons, we discourage students from completing credits in English, mathematics and science outside of Crescent School. These courses are the cornerstones of success in university and our students are most reliably prepared for university in these critical academic disciplines through our own program.
Students are required to complete an Externally Obtained Credit form if they are considering taking credit courses outside of Crescent. This form will be reviewed by their guidance and university counsellor and by the Assistant Head of Upper School, Academics, and should be completed prior to course registration to ensure the course is suitable. This is particularly important when a course taken outside of Crescent School is used as a prerequisite for a subsequent course taken at Crescent. This form is available in the Guidance and University Counselling Group page in the Green Room.
Upon final registration of a course outside of the school, please advise the Guidance and University Counselling Department as soon as possible so that a record of the course can be maintained. Upon completion of an outside credit course, the student must ensure that the results are sent to Crescent where the information is entered into the student’s record. Students are responsible for ensuring that Crescent is aware when they have completed a course outside of the school.
We are unable to accommodate writing AP exams for students who are not enrolled in the AP courses at Crescent School. AP exams are typically for senior level students who are enrolled in AP courses at the school. Any student who wishes to write an AP exam who does not fall into this category should speak to their counsellor about writing the exam externally. We strongly recommend that students who are interested in writing AP exams, enroll in the correlating course at Crescent School.
Number of Courses Required
Crescent students in Grades 9 and 10 must take eight courses per year. Students in Grade 11 are able to take seven courses and a study period if they have accumulated 17 credits, i.e. they have taken one summer course. Students in Grade 12 are strongly encouraged to take six courses.
Course Change Deadline
As much as possible, careful planning of course selection is critical prior to the deadline. Course changes are permitted if made in discussion with your guidance and university counsellor by a specified date as determined by the Assistant Head of Upper School, Academics.
Students should be aware of the last date for making course changes – specifically for dropping a course and adding another. After the set deadline, students will be restricted from adding a new Crescent School course to their timetable.
Students should be aware of the last date for making course changes – specifically for dropping a course and adding another. After the set deadline, students will be restricted from adding a new Crescent School course to their timetable.
