NOLS High School Credit Information v.18nov2014

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1 NOLS High School Credit Information v.18nov2014 NOLS students can earn high school credit for expedition courses through Blueprint Education. This credit aligns with U.S. national standards for leadership and physical education courses. Blueprint Education is accredited by AdvancED, the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation & School Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Please verify with your high school counselor that these credits can be used toward your high school diploma. NOLS and Blueprint have no control over the transfer of credits. Grading of leadership and PE courses Your high school credit leadership grade is entirely based on your NOLS expedition leadership grade, with no extra paperwork. The PE credit is based on maintaining a physical activity log (60 hours of activity for each.5 Carnegie Units (CUs)), setting goals for improved performance, and successfully completing a self-evaluation form that reflects on what you learned. Your NOLS instructors will grade these forms. Your PE grade is based on how smartly you set and work towards goals, not on how strong you are. Dual Credit Some high school students may qualify for dual credit, earning both high school and college credit. See the NOLS website to see if you also qualify for college credit. Registration and payment are required 10 days before your NOLS course begins. In order to receive high school credit for your NOLS course, registration and payment for credit are due before your course begins. Credit cannot be awarded retroactively because high school credit uses special forms the student and their NOLS instructors use for the student to set and attain goals. This can t possibly be done afterward. Transcripts Blueprint Education will mail one official transcript to the address you print on the high school credit enrollment form. If you need more official transcripts, Blueprint can help you with that. Transcripts are not available until after the close of the term into which your course falls. Requests for early report of grades will be accommodated if they are made in advance of your course start date. Please contact the NOLS registrar with any requests or questions. Eligibility Any NOLS student can enroll in the high school credit program. It is your responsibility to talk to a guidance counselor at your home high school to see if these credits can be used toward your high school diploma. Refunds If you withdraw from high school credit registration prior to the start of your NOLS course, the registration fee will be refunded to you minus a $25 processing fee. Students who separate from their NOLS course while in progress may be awarded high school credit based on the duration and quality of their participation. Credit for separated students is awarded at the discretion of the NOLS branch staff and instructors. The expense for any high school credit not awarded to a separated student will be refunded, minus a $25 processing fee. First and Last day of course All activity logs and evaluations for course type must be completed by the last day of the course and returned to your instructor. It is the responsibility of the student to arrive at a NOLS branch with the Blueprint Education physical activity log, self-evaluation and return the materials to the instructor by last day of the course. Extensions may be granted based upon extenuating circumstances only. Extensions must be requested in writing, describing how individual circumstances hindered, or delayed completion of the logs and evaluations. There are no guaranteed extensions. If an extension is granted, a timeline will be arranged as to the specific due date of required course work. There is no refund if a request for an extension is denied. Blueprint Education Information Blueprint Education and the National Outdoor Leadership School are entirely separate entities and no agency or employee relationship exists between them. Blueprint s responsibility is to a prior review of course content and instructor qualification to ensure appropriate academic relevance and competence and exercises no responsibility or authority over the conduct of the instructors or other employees or agent of NOLS.

2 High School Credit amounts for NOLS expeditions This chart indicates the Blueprint Education course types and number of credits offered for each NOLS course. These credits are Carnegie Units (CUs). One CU is the equivalent of a class that meets daily for a full year. Most high school transcripts refer to one class on a transcript as a semester length class that earns.5 CUs. Two-week NOLS courses can earn.5 CU of PE credit. Three-week NOLS courses can earn.5 CU each of PE and leadership credit. Month-long NOLS courses can earn.5 PE credits and 1.0 leadership credits; this is the equivalent of three semester-long courses. A NOLS semester course may earn 1.0 PE credit and 1.0 leadership credit. For high schools that use direct credit, there is significantly more education in a NOLS semester than this, but these are the topics that align national standards with what is routinely taught on every NOLS semester, worldwide. Program audits show that these semesters would normally earn semester hours of university credit. NOLS Course PE credit Leadership credit Total Carnegie Cost Units Two-week NOLS courses days long, including: Adventure (14 day) Adirondack Backpacking, Idaho Backpacking, Pacific Northwest Backpacking Southwest Lightweight Backpacking Whitewater River Expedition Wilderness Horse Packing Winter Backcountry Skiing, Split boarding Three-week NOLS courses days long, including Rock Climbing (21 days) Month-long NOLS courses days long, including: Adventure (30 day) Salmon Backpacking & Rafting, Wyoming Backpacking Alaska Backpacking, Brooks Range Backpacking & River, Denali Mountaineering, Mountaineering, Sea Kayaking, Backpacking & Sea Kayaking, Pack Rafting Amazon River Basin Expedition Australia Backpacking, Backpacking & Sea Kayaking Baja Sea Kayaking, Coastal Sailing Himalayan Backpacking, Mountaineering New Zealand Backpacking Pacific Northwest Backpacking, N. Cascades Mountaineering, Sea Kayaking and Sailing, Waddington Patagonia Mountaineering Rocky Mountain Absaroka Backpacking, Gannett Mountaineering, Orvis Wilderness Fly Fishing, Rock Climbing (30 day), Rock & River, Wind River Mountaineering, Wind River Wilderness (30 day) Salmon Backpacking & Rafting Scandinavia Backpacking (30 day), Sea Kayaking and Backpacking (30 day) Yukon Backpacking, Backpacking & Canoeing All NOLS semesters, including Alaska, Amazon, Australia, Baja, East Africa, Borders, India, New Zealand, Outdoor Educator, Pacific Northwest, Patagonia, Rocky Mountain, Wilderness Medicine & Rescue, Southwest, and Yukon Year programs, including Patagonia Year and Sonoran Year, are treated as two semesters for enrollment in university or high school credit. Each semester earns credit $ $ $ $300 Blueprint Education PHYSICAL EDUCATION COURSE DESCRIPTION Through a NOLS course, students will complete an Activity Log documenting hours of various motor-skill and movement activities related to Physical Education standards. They will also complete a PE self-evaluation, in which they describe their learning, strategies, and goals. While each NOLS course is different, the motor skill and movement activities specific to a course may be found in the NOLS course catalog and in greater detail in the online course description and expected outcomes for each course type. The curriculum aligns to the NASPE National PE Standards. Students must log 60 hours for 0.5 credits. Blueprint Education LEADERSHIP COURSE DESCRIPTION The NOLS Course Student Evaluation includes a detailed criterion list and rubric designed around activities in Leadership, Expedition Behavior, Risk Assessment and Management, Outdoor Skills, Travel Skills, Environmental Science, and Technical Skills. The expected leadership outcomes for each specific NOLS course type can be found in the online course description. The curriculum aligns to the NASET Youth Development and Leadership Standards. Sixty hours content time aligned to the standards equates to 0.5 credits.

3 National Outdoor Leadership School High School Credit Evaluation Name: Course Code & Start Date: Checklist for HS Credit Instructor/ mentor:! self evaluation on back completed and coherent! activity/training log completed and signed by an instructor! attach extra copy of NOLS student evaluation instead of rewriting leadership evaluation! instructor completes this form, giving letter grades for leadership and PE Program Supervisor! scan these forms and send to staple this form, an extra copy of the NOLS student evaluation, and the activity log and send them to Lander with the course s student evaluations Grade Definitions Specific Performance Ratings A Excellent performance of expected outcomes + = Excellent B Good performance, is reliable and consistent + = Good C Satisfactory performance = Satisfactory D Inconsistent performance Δ = Needs Improvement E/F Unsatisfactory performance N/A = Not Applicable Each course is unique due to variables such as route, group dynamics and environmental conditions (please see attached course summary). Working with these educational variables, this student achieved the following outcomes. Instructors should edit these outcomes to best portray student and course accomplishments. LEADERSHIP evaluation: Please attach a copy of the completed NOLS student evaluation; this will be used to document achievement of leadership outcomes. You just need to copy the overall leadership grade on this form in the box at the top. Many NOLS evaluations have a separate grade for expedition behavior, which is part of leadership. Please average in the expedition behavior grade into the leadership grade. PHYSICAL EDUCATION SKILLS DEVELOPMENT! Participated regularly in physical activity (60+ hours per course).! Completed an activity log that documents activity type and duration (please attach to this evaluation).! Set goals for physical skill development and worked toward improvement (documented on the other side of this evaluation).! Demonstrated competency in motor skills and movement patterns.! Demonstrated understanding of physical developmental strategies (pushing hard, resting, hydration, nutrition).! Exhibited responsible personal and social behavior that respected self and others in physical activity settings.! Valued physical activity for life-long learning, as demonstrated by a reflective journal entry (on back). Instructor comments on how this student achieved the above expected outcomes for physical education Advisor s Printed Name & Signature:

4 Self- evaluation for high school credit in Physical Education My name: Course Code & Start Date: To earn PE credit, you need to maintain an activity log that shows that you did at least 60 hours of physical activities on your NOLS course. This is the amount of physical activity in a typical semester of PE class. You also need to complete this form that reflects on what you learned and how you developed physically on this NOLS expedition. One of your instructors (usually your advisor) needs to complete the other side of this form and give you letter grades. You don t need to do any special physical activities to earn this credit, but you need to complete this form satisfactorily to earn high school credit for the physical education on your NOLS course. 1) Please describe a physical skill development goal you set for yourself and tell us whether you attained that goal. 2) Please describe how you became more effective and efficient at this skill during your NOLS course. In other words, what were you doing differently that made you better at this skill later in the course, compared to when you first started? 3) Please describe some strategies you used to become smarter about how you used these skills you developed. Strategies look at the bigger picture and involve appropriate rest, nourishment, hydration, practicing to get better at skills, asking for coaching, backing off at times, and possibly pushing hard at key times. 4) Reflection activity: How do you think routine physical activity contributes to a healthy lifestyle and a clearer mind? Thank you! We hope you can use your strategies for physical development to have a healthy lifestyle, forever.

5 Physical Training Log for NOLS course code/date (print student name) (e.g. WRW 7/21/12) This log is an essential part of the high school PE credit system for a NOLS course. The student needs to record physical activities to document 60 or more hours of physical training they did at NOLS to earn credit. Semester students need to document 120 hours of physical training. Once you reach your quota, you don t need to document any more activities, but you may if you want to. The first line shows a simple example. The initials can be from any NOLS instructor who observed the activity as long as their printed name is at the bottom of the form. There is also a companion student evaluation. Date Description of activity Hrs. Init. Date Description of activity Hrs. Init. 6/1 Hiked with 45-pound pack 2.5 JG Printed names of instructors who initialed activities

6 High School Credit Enrollment Form Students can earn high school credit for NOLS expeditions. This credit aligns with U.S. national standards for leadership and physical education (PE) courses. Your high school credit leadership grade is entirely based on your NOLS expedition leadership grade. The PE credit is based on maintaining a physical activity log (60 hours of activity for each.5 CUs), setting goals for improved performance, and successfully completing a self- evaluation form that reflects on what you learned. Your NOLS instructors will grade these forms. Your PE grade is based on how smartly you set and work towards goals, not on how strong you are. Some high school students may qualify for dual credit, earning both high school and college credit. See the NOLS website to see if you also qualify for college credit. Please verify with your high school counselor that these credits will be used toward your high school diploma. NOLS and Blueprint have no control over the transfer of credits. Blueprint Education is accredited by AdvancED, the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation & School Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Send, scan and upload to your account dashboard, or scan and to registrar@nols.edu this form to NOLS before your course begins with payment to enroll in high school credit for your NOLS expedition. Credit cannot be awarded retroactively. Student name: Date of birth: Gender: Grade: Student address (Number, Street, Apt.): City, State, and Zip: Daytime Phone Number: Address: Please print name, title, and address of person or Institution to whom you wish transcript sent: NOLS course you are enrolled in, with starting date: High school credits in the USA use one Carnegie Unit (CU) for each class that meets every day for a year (two semesters). A class that uses.5 CU is the equivalent of one semester, meeting every day. High school credit options: Carnegie Units Cost Two- week NOLS course (13-19 days).5 PE $75 Three- week NOLS course (20-25 days).5 PE &.5 Leadership $150 Month- long NOLS course (26-59 days).5 PE & 1.0 Leadership $225 Semester at NOLS (60-93 days) 1.0 PE & 1.0 Leadership $300 Payment: please mail a check to NOLS (payable to NOLS) or call NOLS and speak to any Admission Officer available at (800) with your Visa or MasterCard credit card information. We will need the name of the cardholder, the type of card, the card number, the expiration date and the three- digit code on the back. For all types of payment be sure to note your name and ID number. Address: NOLS. 284 Lincoln Street. Lander, WY USA STUDENT S SIGNATURE (required) DATE