Credit Evaluations

The International Admissions and Enrollment (IAE)  team supports children and their families with a pathway to enrollment, ensuring newcomers’ educational, linguistic, and cultural assets are honored and acknowledged.

IAE works closely with families to ensure all official school records are submitted at registration. This allows for accurate grade-level placement, course transfers, and graduation planning. Families provide a detailed school history and confirm that their child has been withdrawn from any previous school systems. When applicable, families also provide letters from the Ministry of Education and/or exam results.

Credit Evaluation and Grade Placement

MCPS Promotion Criteria:

• When official transcripts are provided at enrollment, students receive a credit evaluation. IAE clears the student into the appropriate grade level based on transferred high school credits.  

What is an official transcript or school record?

An official high school transcript is a formal academic record issued directly by a school. It provides a complete history of a student’s high school coursework and academic performance.  To be considered official, a transcript must include:

• The school’s name and contact information
• The student’s full legal name and date of birth
• A list of courses completed, including course levels and credits earned
• Final grades and cumulative GPA
• Graduation status (if applicable)
• An official signature and/or school seal

To ensure authenticity, transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing school or provided in a sealed envelope. Electronic transcripts must be submitted through an approved secure service.  Please note that transcripts submitted without official verification may be considered unofficial.

• Students unable to provide school records due to crises might be placed in Grade 9, depending on age. Families and schools should submit additional school records to IAE within 60 days of enrollment- This is very important for universities later, as it is vital that all secondary schooling is documented for academic integrity.

• Students from U.S.-accredited schools abroad are referred and enrolled directly at their assigned school. International school transcripts are analyzed and converted to the U.S. system using Metropolitan Area Foreign Student Advisors (MAFSA) charts.

Role of IAE Intake Specialists

• Analyze official transcripts and certified translations
• Verify dates, yeasr of schooling, grades, and graduation status
• Consult with the student and family
• Research the school and country system using MAFSA charts
• Align and transfer courses to MCPS/MSDE standards
• Populate the credit evaluation with all courses by year, grade, and credit.

Important: Families should keep all original transcripts, as universities will request them later.

School Responsibilities

The receiving MCPS school:

• Shares the credit evaluation with the family within 2–3 days
• Enter the courses into the MCPS system.
• Ensures the student is placed in the correct grade.
• Creates a graduation plan.
• Ensures students do not repeat courses they have already passed.

Schools, IAE, and families discuss and resolve any questions or updates within the 60-day deadline. Families in crisis situations may have their records considered after the deadline on a case-by-case basis.

• If families would like to have their credit evaluation completed by a third party, it is accepted from any MSDE approved provider. MCPS has a partnership with Scholaro and WES.

Resources

• Middle & High School Catalog/Graduation Requirements