Do classes from my last school count in the U.S.?
The chart below shows you the guidelines for transferring credit in each subject area.
Only the House Principal, who reads the transcript, can tell a student what credit he or she will receive for classes taken in another country.
Be sure to make an appointment with the House Principal as soon as possible to have him look at transcripts. If the transcript is not in English, a translation that has been certified or notarized is required.
Subject
Guidelines for Transferring Credit
English
All years will count for graduation only.
Only one year will count if the student plans to apply to U.C. or Cal State Universities.
Math
Credit will be given for all classes.
However, students entering Samohi must take a math placement test. The math class a student takes depends on the test results, not on the credit given for any of the student's math classes. Therefore, a student may be scheduled for a math class that he/she has already taken and for which he/she will not get any units ofcredit.
Science
Most students arriving in the U.S. have taken science classes in which many different sciences were taken at the same time.
Credit depends on how many years of science were completed and the number of units given at the last school.
For U.C. or Cal State University credit, all science classes need to be laboratory sciences.
Credit will not be given for a Health class unless it is clear from the student's transcript that an equivalent class was taken outside the U.S.
Social Studies/
History
World History credit will be given for any social studies/history class (example: History of Iran will count for World History.)
Unless the student was enrolled in an I.B. program, he or she probably did not take U.S. government or U.S. History classes and will need to take those classes in the U.S.
Credit will be given for Economics classes.
Students who have not taken Humanities and who do not have credit for the class do not need to take it in the U.S. to graduate from Samohi.
Any other History or Social Studies class will be given credit as if it is an elective.
Languages
English does not count for language credit in the U.S.
For U.C. or Cal State University credit, students should take three years of the same language. If a student is not able to do this, he or she can take the SAT-II test in the language he or she was studying before arriving in the U.S.
Fine Arts
Credit will be given for music, art, and dance classes.
For U.C. or Cal State University credit, only certain arts classes will be given credit. Check with your counselor to see if the classes you took will get "P" credit.
Applied Arts/
Technology
Credit will be given for technology, business, and applied arts classes.
For U.C. or Cal State University credit, only certain applied arts/technology classes will be given credit. Check with your counselor to see if the classes you took will get "P" credit.
Physical Education/
Sports
Credit will be given for all classes.
These classes are not required for applications to U.C. or Cal State Universities