Student Handbook

• Discovery & Innovation 
• Communication & Advocacy 
• Quantitative Thinking & Problem Solving 
• Civic Engagement & Action   
• Personal Wellness & Development 
• Exploration & Enrichment 

In addition to academic competencies, students are supported in developing Essential Skills in every class.

Engagement (Presence and Contribution) 
Students develop the habits necessary to participate fully in learning, collaborate with others, take academic risks, contribute positively to the learning community, and seize opportunities for leadership.  

Ownership (Responsibility and Future) 
Students learn to set goals, monitor progress, advocate for themselves, and connect learning to future opportunities. 

Understanding (Application and Critical Thinking) 
Students demonstrate learning by analyzing information, applying concepts, solving problems, innovating, and creating meaningful solutions. 

At IHA, students may demonstrate growth through three levels of competency development. Each course offers the first two levels of competency development: Foundational Competency and Advanced Competency. An unsuccessful outcome for the course is for the student to receive neither competency and is the equivalent of failing the course. Successful outcomes are 1) to meet only requirements of the Foundational Competency (earning 1 competency or .25 credits) or 2) to meet the requirements for both the Foundational Competency and Advanced Competency (earning 2 competencies or .5 credits).  

Foundational Competency 
Demonstrated through the core classroom assignments and the standard version of the final project. 

Advanced Competency 
Demonstrated through authentic application of learning beyond the Foundational Competency expectations and often beyond the four walls of the classroom. It often requires researching, testing, sharing, or taking action in the community. Work toward the Advanced Competency is assessed at a higher level of rigor. The Advanced Competency can be earned only in addition to the Foundational Competency. 

Community-based Competency 
Independent of classroom work (though perhaps inspired by or a follow up to), students can earn up to six(6) additional competencies though the academic year. Through independent, student-directed projects within the community, the student demonstrates an empowered and self-sustained mastery of the target competency 

• Session 1: September 3 to October 16  
  • Application Deadline – 8/20/26  
  • Admissions Board Decision – 8/25/26  
  • Student Notification – 8/26/26  
  • Success Academy – 9/3/26, 9/4/26 
• Session 2: Session #2 – October 19 to December 4  
  • Application Deadline – 10/1/26  
  • Admissions Board Decision – 10/6/26  
  • Student Notification by – 10/7/26  
  • Success Academy – 10/13/26, 10/14/26 & 10/15/26 
• Session 3: December 7 to January 28  
  • Application Deadline – 11/18/26  
  • Admissions Board Decision – 11/23/26  
  • Student Notification by – 11/24/26  
  • Success Academy – 12/1/26, 12/2/26 & 12/3/26 
• Session 4: February 1 to March 12  
  • Application Deadline –  1/14/27  
  • Admissions Board Decision – 1/19/27  
  • Student Notification by – 1/20/27  
  • Success Academy – 1/26/27, 1/27/27 & 1/28/27 
• Session 5: March 15 to April 30  
  • Application Deadline – 2/25/27  
  • Admissions Board Decision – 3/2/27  
  • Student Notification by – 3/3/27    
  • Success Academy – 3/9/27, 3/10/27 & 3/11/27   
• Session 6: May 3 to June 17   
  • Application Deadline – 4/15/27   
  • Admissions Board Decision – 4/20/27   
  • Student Notification by – 4/21/27  
  • Success Academy – 4/27/27, 4/28/27 & 4/29/27 

Students can earn Fridays off if they:  

• Turn in all their work 
• Pass all classes 
• Have no unexcused absences or tardies that week 
• Meet behavior expectations that week 
• If families do not receive a Thursday notification that the student earned Friday off, the student is expected to attend Friday Re-engagement. 

Students who are referred to Friday Reengagement:  

• Academics: Missing work + Not passing  
• Attendance: Unexcused Absences/Tardies  
• Behavior: Not meeting behavior expectations 

**Any student who is trying to earn Advanced Competencies needs to come at least 3 Fridays a Session. 

Due to 6-week sessions, schedule change requests are minimal at IHA. In the case a student need an alternative class for graduation, schedule changes may be made within the first 3 days of a session. For students who would like to change an elective course, requests can be made to the counselor within the first 3 days of the session. 

For session change requests from AM or PM, or PM to AM. An official Session Change Request Form must be completed and returned by deadlines indicated on form. IHA will do our best to accommodate requests, but cannot guarantee approval. 

IHA students are expected to attend both instructional sessions each school day: 

• AM Session: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 
• PM Session: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

Attendance is recorded for each session. Students are expected to arrive on time and remain engaged for the duration of each session. 

Absences may be excused for reasons including: 

• Illness, injury, or medical appointments 
• Family emergencies 
• Religious or cultural observances 
• Court appearances or legal obligations 
• School-approved activities 
• Suspensions or other district-directed absences 
• Other circumstances approved by the principal or designee 

Parents, guardians, or students who are 18 years of age or older should notify the school as soon as possible when an absence occurs. 

Students are expected to arrive on time for both the AM and PM sessions. Frequent tardies, late arrivals, or early departures can impact academic progress and may result in additional support and intervention from school staff. 

Regular attendance is a key factor in student success. Missing school, whether absences are excused or unexcused, reduces opportunities for learning, collaboration, and progress toward graduation goals. 

Students who are unable to attend regularly are encouraged to communicate with their teachers, counselor, or administrator so that supports can be identified and barriers addressed. 

IHA takes a student-centered approach to attendance. When attendance concerns arise, staff may: 

• Reach out to students and families to discuss attendance concerns. 
• Identify barriers affecting attendance. 
• Develop individualized attendance support plans. 
• Connect students and families with school and community resources. 
• Schedule problem-solving meetings with students, families, and staff. 
• Implement interventions required under district policy and Washington State attendance law. 

Our goal is to support students in re-engaging with school and maintaining steady progress toward graduation. 

A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year, which is approximately 18 school days. Because every day of learning matters, students who are approaching this threshold may receive additional outreach and support from school staff. 

Highline Public Schools follows Washington State attendance requirements, including the Becca Bill. Repeated unexcused absences may require conferences, attendance agreements, interventions, and other actions outlined in state law. 

Students and families should contact the school as early as possible if an extended absence is anticipated. Approval of extended absences is not guaranteed and will be reviewed based on educational considerations, attendance history, and district procedures. 

At Innovation Heights Academy, attendance is more than being physically present. We strive to create a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment where students feel a sense of belonging and purpose. We believe every student can succeed, and we are committed to partnering with students and families to ensure each student has the support they need to stay connected, make progress, and achieve their goals. 

Each week, we will review your attendance to see if you are required to attend an Attendance Workshop on Friday. Attendance workshops take place from 10:00-12:00pm on Fridays.  

You may be asked to come on Friday if you have: 

• 2 or more unexcused extended tardies (beyond 15min late to class), or 
• 1 or more unexcused absences. 

Please make sure you are arriving to school and class on time and attending regularly! 

Additional State Requirements: 

• Washington State History 
• ELA Graduation Pathway 
• Math Graduation Pathway 
• High School & Beyod Plan (HSBP) 

Students seeking to graduate early from Innovation Heights Academy must demonstrate that they are fully prepared for a successful transition beyond high school. Early graduation is a privilege, not an automatic right, and requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

To be considered for early graduation, students must: 

• Complete all Washington State and Highline Public Schools graduation requirements. 
• Complete all required competencies, assessments, and graduation pathways. 
• Complete a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP). 
• Complete a postsecondary application aligned to their identified next steps, such as college, apprenticeship, career training program, military service, or employment opportunity. 
• Participate in an Early Graduation Review Meeting with their Advisor, School Counselor, College & Career Access Specialist (CCAS), parent/guardian/mentor, and other appropriate staff members. 

As part of the Early Graduation Review Meeting, students will present and defend a detailed post-graduation plan that demonstrates readiness for their next step. With support from the College & Career Access Specialist, students will be expected to explain: 

• Their postsecondary goals and career interests. 
• The applications, admissions, or enrollment steps they have completed. 
• Their financial, transportation, and/or housing plans, as appropriate. 
• The specific supports and resources they have identified to help them succeed after graduation. 
• Why early graduation is in their best educational interest. 

The review team will consider both the completion of graduation requirements and the student's preparedness for a successful transition beyond high school before approving an early graduation request. 

Approval of an early graduation request is at the discretion of the school and may be denied if the student has not sufficiently demonstrated readiness for their planned next steps. 

World Language: Due to IHA’s size, IHA is unable to offer world language class. IHA students have an opportunity to earn world language credit through Running Start or by taking the World Language by Proficiency Test in which they earn credit by speaking, reading, and writing in a language other than English.  

• Core Academic Distribution Requirements (CADR’s) are the 4-year Washington State college admission requirements. CADR’s requires students to have at least 2 years of a world language. 

IHA transcripts utilize a competency-based transcript called Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC). All IHA students will receive an MTC login and will continuously upload exemplar work to their MTC transcript. Students will submit their MTC transcript to college & universities. 

For transcript requests: contact the IHA Registrar directly at: Andrew.Bueno@highlineschools.org. 

Assessment rubrics provided for core learning activities and final project will be based on the following scale. Important: Grades are not averaged, instead, all core learning activities and final project must be completed at the level of 3 or 4.  

• 4: Exceeding (Passing) Student is exceeding on most rubric criteria. 
• 3: Meeting (Passing) Student is meeting most criteria and may be approaching or exceeding on some. 
• 2: Approaching (Not Passing) Student is approaching on most criteria and may be emerging or meeting on some. 
• 1: Emerging (Not Passing) Student is emerging on most standards and may be approaching on some. 

A student’s final grade will be one of the following: 

• NC: No Credit Student has not yet demonstrated learning on most standards and may be beginning in some. The NC does not earn credit for a course. 
• P: Pass - The P grade is used in Advisory and indicates participation in advisory activities. 

*These are general descriptions and there may be exceptions. 

Grade Point Average (GPA): Innovation Heights Academy does not utilize GPA’s nor class ranking. 

IHA reviews each student’s competency progress at the end of every academic session. A student will be placed on Academic Watch if they earn 50 percent or fewer of the competencies available to them during that session. To remain in good academic standing, students must earn a majority of their available competencies. For a student with a typical schedule of seven available competencies, this means earning at least four competencies. 

Academic Watch is a supportive process designed to help students identify barriers, establish goals, and access the assistance needed to make progress toward graduation. While on Academic Watch, students will work with their advisor and other appropriate staff members to review their progress, identify needed supports, and develop goals for the next session. 

A student will be removed from Academic Watch after earning a majority of their available competencies in a subsequent session. For a student with seven available competencies, this means earning four or more competencies. The student will then begin the next session with a fresh start. 

If a student remains on Academic Watch for three consecutive sessions, IHA will conduct a program-placement review with the student and their parent or guardian, when appropriate. The review will consider the student’s competency progress, attendance, participation, needs, goals, barriers, and supports provided. Following this review, the student may be referred to another educational program that is better aligned with their needs and pathway toward graduation. 

At Innovation Heights Academy, we are committed to maintaining a safe, supportive, and welcoming learning environment for all students and staff. Because our students come from communities across Highline Public Schools, we expect every member of our school community to contribute to a culture of respect, belonging, and safety. 

Physical violence, fighting, threats of violence, intimidation, or any behavior that compromises the safety of others is not acceptable and may result in serious disciplinary consequences. Incidents involving violence or threats to community safety are addressed promptly and may result in an immediate change of program, emergency removal, or other consequences consistent with district policy and state law. 

We recognize that conflict is a normal part of life. However, violence is not an acceptable way to resolve disagreement. Students who are experiencing conflict with another student are expected to seek support from a staff member before the situation escalates. IHA staff are available to help students resolve conflicts through communication, problem solving, restorative practices, and other appropriate supports. 

Our goal is not simply to respond to incidents, but to help students build the skills necessary to navigate challenges in ways that strengthen our community and support everyone’s right to learn and feel safe at school. 

Our classrooms are cellphone-free.  

This policy supports engagement by encouraging presence, participation, listening, and curiosity; ownership by helping students practice self-regulation and take responsibility for their learning; and understanding by creating the focus needed to analyze, create, question, and apply knowledge meaningfully.  

• Phones should be away and out of sight in classrooms.  
• Teachers and/or support staff will give students ONE reminder if they see the phone.  
• After that, teachers and/or support staff will bring the student a pouch.  
• Teacher and/or support staff will unlock the pouch students at the end of the period.  
• Emergency calls must be taken or made in the commons. 
• If a phone is an issue for a student, that student must come to a Friday re-engagement circle 
• Continued misuse of a cellphone during class may result in the student being required to check their phone in at the beginning of the school day, with the device returned at the end of the day. 

Students need a pass to leave the classroom for any reason 

This policy supports engagement by protecting instructional time and encouraging students to remain present and participate in learning; ownership by helping students practice self-regulation, responsibility, and thoughtful decision-making; and understanding by maximizing uninterrupted time to learn, think, and apply knowledge. 

• Class will start with a 5-minute opportunity for students to use the bathroom  
• Passes will NOT be written for any student during the first 30 minutes of class time and last 10 minutes of class.  
• Student should return passes to teachers / staff in the classroom when they return to class  
• No more than ONE student should be out of class at any time  
• Students should only leave to meet with Community Partners with the partner themselves. 
• If a pass usage is an ongoing issue for a student, that student must come to a Friday re-engagement circle. 
• Continued misuse of passes will result in being put on the “no pass list” - students on this can only leave class during passing periods. 

School bathrooms must be used responsibly. 

This policy supports engagement by protecting instructional time and encouraging students to remain present in the classroom; ownership by helping students practice self-regulation and responsibility; and understanding by creating a focused learning environment with minimal interruptions. 

• Bathrooms will be locked after the first 5 minutes of a class. 
• Bathrooms can be unlocked for students AFTER the first 30 minutes of class (no more than one at a time per class).  
• Bathrooms will be locked 10 minutes before the conclusion of a class. 
• If bathroom usage is an ongoing issue for a student, that student must come to a Friday re-engagement circle. 
• Continued misuse of bathroom privileges will result in being put on the “no pass list” - students on this can only access the bathroom during passing periods. 

Copying and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students are expected to complete their own work and give appropriate credit to the ideas and work of others. 

This policy supports engagement by encouraging students to participate authentically in their learning; ownership by asking students to take responsibility for their work and choices; and understanding by valuing original thinking, problem-solving, and the meaningful application of knowledge. 

• This policy applies to both the people copying and the people providing the work to be copied. 
• If a student is caught copying, plagiarizing, or sharing work:  
• Step 1 - Student will redo assignment OR get a zero (for both copier and sharer)  
• Step 2 - Friday circle  
• Step 3 - Friday circle with parent or guardian 

Food is allowed in classrooms; however, students may get snacks, breakfast, or lunch only before or after class during passing periods. 

This policy supports engagement by minimizing disruptions and allowing students to remain present and focused during instruction; ownership by encouraging students to plan ahead and take responsibility for meeting their needs during appropriate times; and understanding by protecting focused instructional time for learning, discussion, and meaningful work. 

If snacks or food demands become an issue for a student, that student must come to a Friday re-engagement circle. 

Innovation Heights Academy (IHA) is a choice school designed to serve students who are significantly behind in credits and would benefit from a personalized pathway to graduation. Because IHA is a small school with limited enrollment capacity, admissions criteria are used to ensure available seats are provided to students who are most aligned with the school's mission and program design. 

IHA enrolls new students at six points throughout the school year, approximately every six weeks. Students may only begin attendance at the start of an enrollment session and after completing all admissions requirements, including orientation. Current enrollment dates and application deadlines are available on the IHA Admissions website.  

IHA serves students in grades 10-12. Students entering 9th grade are not eligible for enrollment. 

Students must be credit deficient and at risk of not graduating on time in order to be considered for enrollment. When enrollment requests exceed available seats, priority may be given to students with the greatest credit deficiencies and the most significant need for an alternative educational pathway. 

IHA's instructional model is most successful for students who can independently access coursework, projects, and self-directed learning opportunities. Students who are newcomers to the United States or who are at beginning levels of English proficiency are generally better served at their comprehensive home high school, where more extensive multilingual learner supports are available. 

While admissions decisions are made on an individual basis, a WIDA score of 3.0 or higher is generally recommended for students seeking admission to IHA. Students with a WIDA score of 2.5 may be considered for admission and further assessed for readiness during Success Academy orientation. Students with WIDA scores of 2.0 or below are generally not recommended for admission due to independent nature of IHA's instructional model and support resources. 

Students must reside within the Highline Public Schools attendance boundaries to be eligible for enrollment at IHA. 

Students who reside outside of Highline Public Schools may only enroll if they have an approved Choice Transfer that remains valid for the duration of their enrollment. 

In accordance with federal and state law, students experiencing housing instability may be eligible to continue attending Innovation Heights Academy if they were enrolled in the school prior to a change in residence. The district will work with students and families to maintain educational stability whenever possible and in accordance with McKinney-Vento eligibility requirements. 

Innovation Heights Academy is committed to maintaining a safe, supportive, and productive learning environment for all students and staff. As part of the admissions review process, the Admissions Board considers the school's capacity to provide appropriate academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports for prospective students. 

Because IHA is a small school with limited staffing and intervention resources, enrollment decisions may take into account the number of students currently requiring the highest levels of behavioral intervention and support. The Admissions Board seeks to maintain a balance that allows all students to receive the individualized support they need while preserving a safe and positive learning environment for the broader school community. 

When reviewing applications, the Admissions Board may consider the current availability of intensive behavioral supports, counseling resources, and other intervention services. At times, students whose needs require the highest levels of support may be placed on a waitlist or prioritized differently based on the school's current capacity to provide those services effectively. 

Admission decisions are made on an individual basis. The Admissions Board reserves the right to consider whether IHA has the staffing, resources, and support systems necessary to meet a student's educational, behavioral, and social-emotional needs while maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff. 

When enrollment demand exceeds available seats, the Admissions Board may prioritize applicants based on a variety of factors, including: 

• Credit deficiency and graduation status 
• Student readiness for IHA's instructional model 
• Attendance and engagement history 
• English language proficiency and support needs 
• Available space within the program 
• The school's current capacity to provide intensive behavioral, social-emotional, and safety-related supports 

Admission decisions are made on an individual basis. The Admissions Board reserves the right to consider whether IHA has the capacity and resources necessary to meet a student's educational and support needs while maintaining a safe and supportive school community for all students.