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Transfer Credit

Transfer Credit from Accredited Institutions
In accordance with State Board Rule R277-705-3-2a, Jordan School District secondary schools will accept credit and grades awarded to students from schools or providers accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission, a division of Advance Education Inc. Grades will be posted on Jordan District transcripts without alteration. 

  1. When a student transfers to a Jordan School District secondary school from an accredited school, all grades must be placed on the student transcript with accompanying credit posting/value.
  2. Credits awarded for courses taken to fulfill graduation requirements may be completed at an accredited public or private secondary schools. These credits may be transferred to a Jordan School District secondary school transcript.
  3. When a student is registered in a Jordan School District secondary school and completes a course of study in another accredited public or private educational program, the student and/or parent is responsible for the official transfer of documentation for a listing of those courses on the school transcript. A school’s accreditation status may be viewed at http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/search.  Questions regarding the accreditation of specific schools/programs which are not accredited by AdvancEd should be directed to the Jordan School District Secondary Counselor Specialist.
  4. Grades, credit, and course titles submitted on a transcript from an accredited source will be transcribed to the high school transcript without alteration, as per State Board Rule R277-705-3-2a. Parents and students should consult with a school counselor prior to taking a course, to ensure that the course will count toward the desired graduation credit requirement. 
  5. When a student transfers from an accredited institution that only awards credit at the semester or at the end of the year, the transfer grades or transcripts which they bring from that institution will not post any credit if the student transfers before the end of the semester or at the end of the year.  In situations like this, the course grades from the student’s previous school will be averaged with the course grades earned at a Jordan District school for the remainder of the grading period. 
    1. If the transfer occurs toward the end of 1st or  2nd Quarter, the averaged grades will be posted at the end of 2nd Quarter and .50 credit will be awarded. Then, grades will be posted each quarter for the remainder of the year.
    2. If the transfer occurs during 3rd or 4th Quarter where the student was previously on a semester grading system, the averaged grades will be posted at the end of 4th Quarter and .50 credit will be awarded.
    3. If the transfer occurs during 3rd or 4th Quarter where the student was previously on a year-long grading system, the averaged grades will be posted at the end of 4th Quarter and 1.00 credit will be awarded.
  6. When a student attends an accredited institution that reports credit in the form of hours instead of numerical credits, the hours reported will be converted to numerical credits according to the Carnegie Unit (120 hours = 1 credit). Proportional credit shall be converted at a rate of .25 credit for every 30 hours reported. If a grade is reported in conjunction with hours, that grade will be posted with the credit without alteration. If only hours are reported with no indicated grade, a “P” will be posted in conjunction with the credit. 

Transfer Credit from Non-Accredited Institutions/Programs
Jordan School District does not accept transfer credit from non-accredited schools.

A homeschool student, as well as a student transferring from a non-accredited private school, who enters the District between the ninth and twelfth grades may be eligible for a local high school diploma if he/she can obtain all required Jordan School District credits from accredited sources by the time his/her class graduates. The student must also meet the District residency requirement. See Section I, Residency Requirement. 

A source of approved credit for a homeschool student, as well as a student transferring from a non-accredited school, is through USBE Competency Assessments and District competency testing. To obtain testing credit, the student must present satisfactory evidence of coursework and demonstrate proficiency on the appropriate state or District test. For more information about the USBE Competency assessments see JSD Credit Guidelines section VI. Demonstrated Competency Assessments. 

A principal may submit a formal, written request for credit exceptions in a high school principals’ level meeting for discussion and final denial or approval of credit requests. 

Foreign Exchange Study
A student studying abroad may have his/her credits accepted toward high school graduation under the following conditions:

The student and parent must have an individual Plan for College and Career Readiness with a high school counselor prior to the year abroad and have in writing all conditions, with administrative approval, for credit transfer. Written documentation should include: 

  1. Credits/courses the student needs for graduation.  
  2. A signed statement by a parent acknowledging that some foreign study credit may only count for elective credit if a course does not match state core guidelines.

Upon returning from foreign study, before grades and credit will be posted, the student must provide the school with an official transcript from the foreign educational institution that includes the following:

  1. Courses completed.
  2. Grades for all courses completed. 
  3. The amount of credit earned.
  4. A description of the grading system used. 
  5. The high school from which the credit is transferred must be accredited by a recognized accreditation organization for that country. 

International Students
For international institutions not accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission, a division of Advance Education Inc., student transcripts will be vetted through the Secondary Counselor Specialist and approved by the Jordan District Secondary Administrators of Schools.

An international student may receive transfer credit for Language Arts for credit received in Language Arts/Literacy courses in the student's native language.