Curriculum

Alternative Academic Approach to Earning Credit for Students in Grades 9-12

Earning credits at Sweetwater is based on the completion of course standards and not “seat time.” Teachers will identify the standards required in a specific course of study and students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of all course competencies and standards before credit is earned. Some students are able to complete a half-credit in a nine-week course, while others can earn more or less credit depending on their work habits.

We believe that life is not a race, only a process. Earning credit toward a high school diploma should be designed as an individualized learning plan. Counselors, staff members, and administrators may be consulted at any time to create, clarify or modify an individual learning plan.

Sweetwater's Evening Classes

Jobs and extracurricular activities can make it difficult for students to fit in all the classes they need to graduate. Sweetwater Community School makes it easy by offering virtual evening high school classes during the school year. 

Students can enroll in an extra class, retake a class or attend a class at a time that is more convenient for them. 

New classes are offered each quarter, and students can earn a .5 credit for each class completed.  The classes are held Monday through Thursday and students can enroll in one or two classes each quarter, depending on their need and schedule limitations. The schedule is as follows:

Block 1 – 5:00 - 6:17 p.m.

Block 2 – 6:23 - 7:40 p.m.

For added support or to complete any missing assignments, students can sign on from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. and meet with their teacher(s).  

Classes are free of charge to all actively enrolled PVSchools high school students.  Students not currently enrolled in a PVUSD high school or are living outside of the PVSchools district are welcome and will need to pay a fee of $199 per course, per quarter.

If you are interested in taking a night class, please check with your high school counselor.  

Grading Procedures

All efforts will be made while a student is enrolled in a course to help that student achieve 70 percent or better.

Sweetwater Community School is on a nine-week "semester" schedule versus eighteen weeks like the other high schools in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. This is by design so our students can make up credits twice as fast and graduate on time. Therefore, all coursework and finals must be completed by the last day of each quarter. No extensions will be given into the next academic quarter without permission from the teacher of record. Please contact your child's teacher(s) if you have any further questions. 

Transcript Evaluation

Transcripts of new students will be evaluated according to AdvancEd standards and credits will be entered on the permanent record. Transfer students whose transcripts indicate courses which received less than one-half credit per semester may be awarded the extra credit if the sending school verifies that the course met standards for a Carnegie unit. In such cases, the credit will be entered on the permanent record as it appears on the transcript. An asterisk (*) will be placed beside the credit in question and a note will appear on the record stating, “The credit required for graduation has been altered for this student by the given amount of credit."

Transcript Request

Sweetwater Community School transcripts may be requested by contacting the front office. Please call 602.449.2300, Monday - Friday, between 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.