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Option II Program Plan

Option II (Alternate Path)

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OPTION II State statute N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a)2, commonly referred to as “Option II,” permits district Boards of Education to determine, establish, and approve curricular activities or programs aimed at providing more personalized pathways to achieving the NJ Student Learning Standards. According to the NJDOE, “the purpose of Option II is to provide educational experiences that are meaningful and relevant, and that provide students with opportunities to explore and achieve at high levels.” These programs serve as an alternative to traditional high school courses and schedules, and involve in-depth structured learning experiences for acceleration, enhancement, or credit recovery. Examples are online programs, apprenticeships, capstone projects, study abroad, and accredited college courses. For independent activities, approval for Option II credit will be largely based on the development of a structured learning experience plan that includes documentation, verification, and assessments. to edit text
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Important Information for Students Seeking Option II for Advancement

  • Activities/courses submitted for pre-approval will be reviewed for appropriate content, rigor, and alignment with state standards.
  • Option II credit for advancement/enrichment may be earned for a maximum of two courses in one school year.
  • Students enrolled in an Academy program must take ALL Academy courses on campus.
  • Students may not take consecutive courses in a sequence and/or subject area, except PE, without approval from the committee.
  • Parents/Guardians are responsible for all expenses associated with Option II activities.
  • Option II experiences will be graded on a Pass/Fail scale.
  • As per Policy 5430 and 5460, credits earned will appear on a student’s transcript, but will not be used in GPA calculation and will not count in the calculation for class rank.
  • All Option II approvals are on a case by case basis with consideration to a student’s academic standing.
  • No courses taken by 8th graders over the summer following intermediate graduation will be considered Option II. Such courses will not appear on their high school transcript, but may be taken with pre-approval for advancement.
  • NCAA eligibility rules have changed with regards to software based credit recovery, virtual, online, independent study and correspondence courses. It is the student’s responsibility to review NCAA eligibility. More information can be found on their website.

Course Specific Information for Students Seeking Option II for Advancement

  1. Science courses must include a regularly scheduled laboratory component if HS equivalent has a lab.
  2. Language Arts courses must include a regularly scheduled writing component.
  3. World Language courses must include a regularly scheduled speaking component.
  4. Option II applications for courses in the content areas of English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, World Language, and Mathematics will only be accepted as part of a plan for course advancement. Option II courses in these content areas do not count as credits toward the NJDOE Graduation Requirements.
  5. If an eighth or ninth grade student takes a summer Geometry course for advancement in order to advance to Algebra 2 for the coming school year, they cannot take another mathematics course for Option 2 advancement.

Important Information for Students Seeking Option II for Credit Recovery

  • Activities/courses submitted for pre-approval will be reviewed for appropriate content, rigor, and alignment with state standards.
  • Students may not take consecutive courses in a sequence and/or subject area, except PE, without approval from the committee.
  • Parents/Guardians are responsible for all expenses associated with Option II activities.
  • Option II experiences will be graded on a Pass/Fail scale. As per Policy 5430 and 5460, credits earned will appear on a student’s transcript, but will not be used in GPA calculation and will not count in the calculation for class rank.
  • All Option II approvals are on a case by case basis with consideration to a student’s academic standing.
  • No courses taken by 8th graders over the summer following intermediate graduation will be considered Option II. Such courses will not appear on their high school transcript, but may be taken with pre-approval for advancement.
  • NCAA eligibility rules have changed with regards to software based credit recovery, virtual, online, independent study and correspondence courses. It is the student’s responsibility to review NCAA eligibility. More information can be found on their website. 

Course Specific Information for Students Seeking Option II for Credit Recovery

  1. Science courses must include a regularly scheduled laboratory component if HS equivalent has a lab.
  2. Language Arts courses must include a regularly scheduled writing component.
  3. World Language courses must include a regularly scheduled speaking component.
  4. Option II credit recovery applications for courses in the content areas of English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics will only be accepted and count toward the graduation requirement if:
    1. The student already took the course in TRRS and was unable to successfully complete the course with a passing grade, or,
    2. The student is a multilingual learner and must take additional core courses in order to meet graduation requirements, or,
    3. The student is transferred from another district and it is necessary for the student to take core courses in order to meet graduation requirements in a timely manner. 

General Procedures for Option II Application Process