Academic+Credit

=Academic Credit= The Washington School of World Studies welcomes delegates of People to People Ambassador Programs. Our high school and service-learning courses are developed to build upon the group and individual experience, and to reinforce the People to People mission of peace through understanding.
 * Please note: Any inquiries about high school credit for students traveling in 2003 and prior should be referred to EWU. At that time __all__ credit was administered through them.**
 * 1-800-541-2125**
 * [|www.ewu.edu/ec] **
 * Washington School of World Studies Info**
 * Who is the Washington School of World Studies (WSWS)?**

In addition to following standardized educational objectives, our courses encourage independent thought and problem-solving. Through course requirements, we seek to promote an interest in life-long learning about history, culture, art, geography, economics, international affairs and many other aspects of world studies.

As an accredited educational institution, we are pleased to offer transferable high school and service-learning credits to students in grades 9-12. Our growing staff has worked extensively in youth education, conferences and educational travel.

WSWS is accredited by The Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). NAAS is one of the six federally recognized accrediting institutions in the United States. The association has reciprocity agreements in place with the other five accrediting institutions.
 * Who is the Washington School of World Studies accredited by?**

For additional information on NAAS, please visit their website at http://www.boisestate.edu/naas/. The other recognized associations are: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. **Grade School/Middle School Delegation Academic Credit** Student Ambassadors in grades 5-8 are not eligible to receive high school credit. Students in grades 5-8 who complete the course requirements receive a “Certificate of Completion”. This certificate may be presented to classroom teachers for possible “extra credit” or as documentation of work to meet state and local school district “Certificate of Academic Achievement” (CAA) requirements in reading, writing, social studies, and/or service learning. Schools will often place these certificates in a student’s work portfolio as demonstration of subject specific work samples and experiences beyond the regular classroom requirements. (Students in grades 7-8 are still eligible to complete university credits through EWU-see below). **For students in grades 5-8 who traveled prior to 2008, academic credit was granted. See questions in red below.**
 * Who are the other five accrediting institutions?**
 * Can students in grades 5-8 earn high school credit?**

The Washington School of World Studies recently gained full accreditation through the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). The accreditation process through NAAS included an extensive review of all school policies and materials. Following the formal accreditation review process, it was a directive from NAAS that the WSWS only provide high school credit to high school students in grades 9-12. Yes, students who have completed the 8th grade are eligible to earn credit. If they are traveling with a high school delegation, they are automatically enrolled for high school credit with the rest of the delegation.
 * In the past students in grades 5-8 were eligible to earn high school credit. Why has this changed?**
 * Are students who have completed 8th grade and going into 9th grade eligible to earn credit?**

Students who have completed 8th grade and are traveling with a junior high delegation are eligible to earn credit but are not automatically enrolled. Leaders of junior high delegations should communicate this opportunity to their 8th grade students at their first orientation meeting when they are discussing academic credit. A student needs to express to their leader that they want to enroll for the high school credit. Once the leader has verified the student has completed the 8th grade, the leader should send an e-mail with the student’s full name and delegate ID number to mail@schoolofworldstudies.org  stating the student would like to enroll for credit. The leader will receive a confirmation via e-mail that the message was received and the student will be enrolled to receive credit.  Yes. People to People Ambassador Programs are all educationally driven programs. There is a continuous learning process for each delegate that begins during pre-travel exercises and continues during travel. All students are expected to participate fully in the educational aspect of the program. Students in grades 5-8 will still receive the certificate of completion verifying they have completed the program. This certificate may be used as a standalone piece to highlight their travel experience or to obtain additional extra credit from their school.   Student Ambassadors in grades 9-12 are eligible to earn high school credit. High school delegates are automatically enrolled in a high school academic credit course titled “Ambassadorial Studies”. Students in grades 9-12 who successfully complete the course requirements will earn one semester elective social studies credit equivalent to 120 instructional contact hours. In addition students enrolled on a Student Ambassador Program will receive 10 service-learning hours for the successful completion of a community service project during orientation meetings and/or while traveling on the program.
 * How do students who have completed 8th grade and are traveling with a junior high delegation enroll for high school credit?**
 * Are the curriculum requirements for students in grades 5-8 still the same even though they are not earning credit?**
 * High School Delegation Academic Credit***
 * All questions in this section apply only to students in grades 9-12.**
 * Who is eligible to earn high school credit from WSWS?**

**For Students Who Traveled Prior to 2008:** All students who enrolled in a Student Ambassador Program were automatically enrolled in a high school academic credit course offered by the Washington School of World Studies. All students who successfully complete the course requirements earned the specified high school credit for that course. Yes, students currently going into the 9th grade are eligible for credit. If they are enrolled with a high school delegation, they will be automatically enrolled for the credit. If they are in a jr. high delegation, they need to speak to their leader about how to get enrolled. No, students do not need to apply. Students in grades 9-12 are automatically enrolled in the credit at the time they enroll into the program. It is the delegation leader’s responsibility to evaluate the student pre-travel and during travel and send a credit completion form for each student into the Washington School of World Studies for review. (No credit completion forms are required for students in grades 5-8.) **For Students Who Traveled Prior to 2008:** No, students did not need to apply. All students were automatically enrolled in the credit at the time they enrolled into the program. It is the delegation leader’s responsibility to evaluate the student pre-travel and during travel and send credit completion form for each student into the Washington School of World Studies for review.
 * Can a student who is going into the 9th grade but traveling with a jr. high delegation earn credit?**
 * Do students need to apply to earn high school credit?**

To successfully receive credit for their course, the student must exhibit a comprehensive range of social and academic skills. Examples of these skills include how to properly conduct oneself during a cross-cultural experience, understanding the special responsibilities of a People to People Ambassador, good time management, record keeping, and consideration for others. The course allows the participant to work closely with the delegation leaders to achieve academic excellence. All Washington School of World Studies courses provide a unique personal growth experience seldom available through a traditional educational setting.
 * What do students need to do to earn high school credit?**

 People to People Ambassador Program leaders will evaluate each delegate throughout the pre-travel and travel portion of program. The leaders will provide individual feedback to delegates on their progress and areas the leader has identified as improvement. At the conclusion of the program, students will receive a copy of the credit evaluation form, which will indicate whether or not they have passed the course. Delegates with passing scores will receive a transcript from the Washington School of World Studies highlighting their educational experience. Students who do not receive a passing grade on their credit completion report will be allowed to improve their work and resubmit it to their delegation leader for consideration. On the credit completion report there is a section that should be filled out by the leader detailing what a student needs to submit to receive a passing grade. Students who are removed from the program and/or students with severe discipline problems will not pass the course and will not have an opportunity to resubmit their work. High school transcripts will be mailed to the student’s home address unless otherwise requested by the student and parents. Students should take their transcript to their school counselor when they register for high school. The student’s school counselor will help them fit the credit into their overall graduation plan.  Delegates who complete course requirements will be sent an official transcript from the Washington School of World Studies. This transcript will become a part of the student’s academic dossier and will reflect positively on the student when applying to a college or university. Student Ambassador Alumni and their admissions counselors have told us that the additional work displayed on this transcript sets the student apart from other college applicants.
 * What if a student’s course work is not satisfactory?**
 * Where are transcripts sent?**
 * What should a student do with the transcript?**

 Delegation leaders will have this information and will discuss this in depth with students at orientation meetings. Students will receive information on high school credit in the mail with their acceptance materials with details including a course description and grading criteria. The basic requirements are full participation in every aspect of the program, from the first orientation meeting to the return flight home. Successful students will embrace the cultural learning opportunities the program presents; adhere to the code of conduct outlined in the Standards of Success; and keep an academic record of the experience in their travel journal.

 Individual school districts set their own guidelines when accepting credit hours from other schools. In our experience, the high school credit earned by delegates on People to People Ambassador Programs will not be accepted as replacement credit for a required high school course. Many school districts will include the credit hours issued by the Washington School of World Studies as elective credits earned by the student.

 First, they should meet with their academic advisor to discuss their policy for accepting transfer credits from another accredited institution in the United States. Most high schools in the United States are accredited through one of the six regional accrediting institutions. Being accredited implies that the school subscribes to a process of voluntary self-regulation that is a constructive experience designed to improve the quality of the member school. These accrediting institutions ensure that the courses provided by the school adhere to high standards and are designed to ease the transfer of credits between accredited institutions. NAAS employs a reciprocity agreement with the five other accrediting institutions across the nation which mandates that the credits be accepted as elective courses. If the school the student attends is accredited, it should accept the credit at least as an elective course.

If the student’s school is still unwilling to accept the credit, the Washington School of World Studies transcript can be used as a stand alone piece to highlight their international travel experience as they seek admission into college. Many university admissions counselors have indicated that submitting two transcripts with a college application, one that solely includes the international credit, can actually allow a students international experience to stand out. 
 * University Credit**

 Yes, students who are in grades 7-12 may earn university level credit, through [|Eastern Washington University]. **What do students need to do to earn university level credit?** Students should contact Eastern Washington University directly to enroll for university credit. They are not automatically enrolled in this and there is an additional cost that should be paid directly to EWU. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif"><span class="style1" style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif">**What course work is required?** Depending on the course and number of credits being earned, course requirements can include keeping a journal, writing research paper(s) and/or completing a variety of projects before, during and/or after completion of the program <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif"><span class="style1" style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif">**For more information, families can contact EWU directly at:** Eisenhower Center 300 Senior Hall Cheney, WA 99004-2442 Phone: 800.541.2125 E-mail: <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif">Eisenhower.Center@mail.ewu.edu Website: <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,sans-serif">[|www.ewu.edu/x6309.xml]