Administrative Details

How we Grade

In addition to written and oral feedback, Tutors provide regular feedback in keeping with our Latin grading system:

SCL – Summa Cum Laude (With Highest Praise)
MCL – Magna Cum Laude (With Great Praise)
CH – Cum Honore (With Honor)
S – Satis (Sufficient)
NS – Non Satis (Lacking Sufficiency)
CD – Cum Defectu (With Deficiency)

SCL Summa Cum Laude (With Highest Praise)
A rarity which might only be glimpsed a few times over the course of the school year. Work which warrants such a score is worthy of the world of scholars, demonstrates the mature thought of the workman, and might be mistaken for the work of an older person in another context.  

MCL Magna Cum Laude (With Great Praise)
Great work. This work is exceptional, memorable, and worth commenting on. Excellence of execution and profundity of opinion predominate. 

CH Cum Honore (With Honor)
Noble work. Clarity of thought and beauty of expression demonstrate some degree of academic maturity and ambition. The student struggled and succeeded in making his thoughts compelling. 

S  Satis (Sufficient)
Good, not great. Good enough. The student’s work is passable, and exhibits an acceptable knowledge and opinion on the subject. The student’s work is not lacking in any necessary way, but neither is there a brilliance to the work which warrants great praise. The work does not require modification. The work covered a predictable range of information and opinion, and the opinions were expressed reasonably enough. The work is neither excellent nor terrible, thus it does not warrant extensive comment from the teacher. If this work were the food at a restaurant, the patron would neither complain about the food, but neither would he be eager to return.

NS  Non Satis (Lacking Sufficiency)
An honest effort was made to meet the requirements of the assignment and the student enjoyed some success in this effort. The work is a partial success and exhibits some knowledge. However, there were significant aspects of the work which were deficient, lacking. Comment has been made on how this work can be improved. The student should note criticism and recall it when he sets to work next, striving to improve in the ways he was deficient. 

CD Cum Defectu (With Deficiency)
It does not appear that the student fully gave themselves over to the work assigned. This work is incomplete or nearly incomplete. Sloppy thought and execution predominate. While this work is not devoid of value, there is not much evidence that the student understood the assignment and made an honest, valiant effort to meet the requirements of the assignment. 

Homeschooling Documentation

In order to provide families with flexibility and independence, St. Francis Classical Academy operates, not as a private school, but as a homeschool cooperative. This allows us more freedom to make scheduling and curriculum choices that are in accord with our aims.

Because we provide instruction and support to like minded homeschool families and do not operate as a private school, parents are responsible for their own homeschool record keeping. 

Thankfully, Florida’s homeschooling requirements are simple.

Summary:
— Florida homeschooling parents must —
1. Notify their county superintendent with a simple homeschooling notice of intent
2. Maintain records of educational materials: log of activities, worksheets, writings 
3. File a copy of your child’s approved evaluation each year 
That’s all there is to it!

Additional Resources:
Full Florida homeschool requirements may be found here.

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A Note on Transcripts

We recognize the need to provide grades for homeschool students who will be using our courses as part of their prepared transcripts for college admission. While we don’t issue high school diplomas, we do offer assistance to homeschool families who would like help creating their homeschool transcripts.

St. Francis Classical Academy provides instruction, but we do not replace parents as the administrators of homeschools. Because of this, the ultimate authority on a student’s grade is his or her parent. If a parent feels the need to modify the teacher’s assessment in his or her own records, as the administrator, he or she should feel free to do so. However, only students who complete the required work for a given class at a level deemed satisfactory by the instructor will receive a certificate of completion from St. Francis Classical Academy.