Barney Fletcher RealtyU School Policies
NOTICE TO STUDENTS
Policy for Classroom Courses
We at Barney Fletcher RealtyU thank you for your interest in our School for your real estate educational needs. We appreciate your business and that we will do everything possible to earn the confidence you have shown in choosing our School.
This notice covers various items, many of which may be very helpful in your moving through a course in an effective manner, in retaining the subject matter of the course, and in performing to your utmost potential on any required examinations.
Barney Fletcher RealtyU provides a Notice to Students, our statement of policy, in the workbooks or materials for each classroom course. Please refer to the notice for your specific course for any additional information not included with this notice.
School Approval
Barney Fletcher RealtyU is approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission to offer real estate prelicense, postlicense, and continuing education courses. The Real Estate Commission Code for the School is 40, and the School renews its approval with the Commission on December 31, 2008.
The Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board has approved Barney Fletcher RealtyU to offer prelicense (classification) and continuing education courses for real estate appraisers. The Board’s Code for the School is 18, and the school renews its approval with the Board on December 31 of each year.
Instructors
The instructors at Barney Fletcher ReatlyU meet requirements established by the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board for instructors of real estate and appraisal courses. The school will include the name(s) of all instructors in the notice for each classroom course.
Attendance Policy
The Commission and the Board require each student to attend a specific number of instructional hours for each course. In order to receive credit for a course, a student must be on time and present for each hour of instruction. Class breaks and meal breaks do not count as part of the instructional hours in any classroom course. Each instructor will start and end class on time for each in-class session.
Student Sign-In
Unless instructed otherwise by the instructor, the school requires each student to sign in at the beginning of each session of the course. The instructor will have a class roster for each session. Once class has begun, the instructor will circle the names of any students who have not signed in for the start of the class session. If you arrive late, you must sign in next to your circled name and place the time of your arrival next to your name. There is a clock in each classroom. If you must leave early from a course, you must note the time you leave on each sign-in sheet.
The instructor in each session returns the sign-in roster to the school administrative offices. A course administrator will track your attendance. The administrator will track your attendance by the minute. While it is your responsibility to keep track of your attendance, our staff will do their best to inform you of any make-up instruction required. No student may take a course final examination in prelicense or postlicense courses unless the student has completed the required number of hours for the course. Continuing education courses do not require a final examination.
In prelicense and postlicense courses, the school has designed the curriculum so that the instructional time and the examination time provide enough hours that a student may miss a few hours of instruction without having to make up any instructional time. The school permits no more than a specific number of hours absence in each course before a student must drop out of the course and enroll in another class offering to receive credit. The written notice for each classroom course provides details on the time permitted for absence in each course. The school charges a fee for a student who drops out of a course to enroll in a separate classroom offering of the same course.
Make-Up Instruction
Barney Fletcher RealtyU will permit a student to make up hours through attendance at specific classroom sessions or in designated online courses in real estate and appraisal prelicense courses. A student must contact an administrator at (770) 850-9090 to enroll in make up instruction or to re-enroll in a classroom course. The school will not schedule a course final examination or consider the attendance complete until a student has completed all requirements for make-up instruction. The student is responsible for providing the appropriate documentation for completion of a make-up course to the school. The instructions and policies for the online and CD/ROM courses provide details of the completion requirements for each course.
Weather, Traffic and Class Cancellations
Barney Fletcher RealtyU offers many locations and times for our courses so that you may select a class time that meets their needs and schedules. As a result, the school’s classrooms are scheduled for classes most days, evenings, and weekends. Rescheduling of class sessions creates great difficulty not only for our staff, but major inconveniences for our students. The school will always conduct class if possible. Bad weather or heavy traffic are common at various times of the year, and either may require that you begin travel to class earlier than normal.
When bad weather threatens, there is always uncertainty about how severe the weather conditions will be and whether or not classes will be held. The school director and administration will determine if class will be held based on weather conditions existing several hours before the class is scheduled to begin. Please note that the closing of public or private elementary or secondary schools does not mean that Barney Fletcher RealtyU will not have classes. Those schools cancel or postpone classes based on mass transportation concerns or because of problems with their facilities. Barney Fletcher RealtyU as a private real estate school will usually conduct classes if our instructor is able to travel safely to our classroom site.
If you have children or dependents that need to be cared for at home when public or private schools are closed, please consider various alternatives of day care facilities, relatives, or friends who can care for them when you are in class. The make-up policies for our courses are designed to give you some flexibility to miss hours in the course when absolutely necessary. For that reason, you should plan on missing hours or sessions only in case of emergency, not for other personal business or convenience.
In the event that the school cancels a particular class session, please check the school closings listed at local TV channels 11 Alive and Fox 5 for a notice that Barney Fletcher RealtyU is closed, or listen to Star 94 (94.1 FM) for a notice that the school is closed. You may also find a cancellation notice at our website, www.BarneyFletcher.com, or you may call for a recorded message at our office number, (770) 850-9090. While the school will attempt to post cancellation notices in each of the media, it is possible that school personnel may not be able to transmit the information to one of the TV stations or radio, to the website, or to our phone messaging system due to weather conditions. If you do not find a cancellation message at one of these sources, you should check the other media for a notice of school closing. If you do not find a cancellation notice at any one of those sources, you should assume that the school is holding class.
Your personal safety in traveling to our classroom sites is very important to us. For that reason, we want you to make your own decision regarding travel to a class when you have concerns about the weather. If class is held and you miss the class, you have opportunities for make up as described in the course’s Notice to Students. State law requires that you attend the minimum number of instructional hours for the course, so the school does not have the authority to certify your completion of the course if you have not attended the required hours for the course.
There may be cases in which an instructor is unable to arrive at a classroom site by the time the class session is scheduled to begin. If an instructor has not arrived at a classroom site by the scheduled start time, please wait for thirty (30) minutes. If an instructor has not arrived by 30 minutes past the scheduled start time, you may assume that there is some emergency or situation that has caused the delay, and that the class session will not be held. The school will schedule an alternative class session at no charge to you and notify you of that schedule as soon as possible, usually at the next class session. Students arriving for a morning session of an all-day class should contact the school as soon as possible when the instructor does not arrive within 30 minutes of the morning start time to confirm that an afternoon session of the course will be conducted.
In the event that Barney Fletcher RealtyU cancels a class session due to weather or other emergencies, the school will arrange a make-up session as soon as possible at no charge to our students.
Homework, Quizzes and Assignments
The 75-hour real estate sales prelicense course includes a number of homework assignments, homework quizzes and in-class quizzes. Other courses may require some homework assignments or case studies. The notice to students for each course will explain any out-of-class requirements for the course and the procedures for receiving credit for those requirements. Shorter courses, in particular continuing education courses, usually will not include any out-of-class assignments.
Course Final Examinations
The Georgia Real Estate Commission requires a final examination for real estate prelicense and postlicense courses. The Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board requires a final examination for all prelicense and classification courses. In addition, specific real estate associations may require a final examination for courses that lead to a real estate designation. Your final examination will be given on a fixed date at the end of each course.
You must arrive on time for a course final examination. Students arriving late for an exam cause unnecessary disruption for those students taking the examination. If you arrive for a course final examination more than 15 minutes late, do not attempt to take the exam. The school requires that you reschedule the examination and pay a $25.00 rescheduling fee.
If you wish an appointment testing at a separate time when you are guaranteed to take the exam (during our normal business hours) at our administrative facility, the fee will be $25.
In most cases, students who fail a first examination attempt for a course are permitted to take a separate, second examination. If a student does not pass the second examination, the Commission and the Board require that the student take the course again in order to receive credit for the course. Specific examination requirements, required passing scores, and examination retake procedures are outlined in the policy provided for each course.
Cram Courses
Barney Fletcher RealtyU offers an optional Cram Course for real estate sales and broker prelicense students at least two times during most months. Check with the School for schedules. The Cram's value lies in the areas of review and exam preparation. The prelicense course is a difficult course because of the breadth of material and its vocabulary. The challenge in preparing for examinations is in designing a review of the extensive topic areas covered in the course. It is difficult for the School to determine if an individual is in critical need of the Cram. We can state without question that the Cram Course is beneficial to all who take it. In tracking our students, it is clear that students who take the Cram Course score significantly better on examinations than those who do not.
Our Cram Course utilizes questions and practice examinations as springboards for review discussions of various topic areas. Since the value of the Cram lies in the discussion rather than the questions, it would be unfair to our students to sell our Cram materials separately. You must attend the Cram Course to receive appreciable benefit from the questions utilized. Also, there is a large number of questions that are presented in an “Overhead” format rather than in the traditional “hard copy” format.
If you have any additional questions about the Cram, you may call our administrative offices. Please note that the class size is limited at the Cram Course. To be assured a seat, you must enroll early. Typically the Cram Course fills to capacity each time offered.
Refund Policy
Once a student receives materials and/or attends a class session, Barney Fletcher RealtyU will offer no refunds. However, if it becomes necessary for you to drop out of a course for any reason, we will work with you at a later date to complete your course for a reduced fee as long as the state requirements for the course are the same as when you originally enrolled. If the course materials have changed significantly from the original course, a student will be required to purchase the current materials at an additional fee. Any student who has a returned check due to insufficient funds or a closed account will be assessed a $20.00 charge by the School.
Courtesy in the Classroom
Barney Fletcher Schools will make every effort to ensure that the materials and classroom instruction you receive in this course are of the highest quality. You as a student have a responsibility to ensure that the learning experience in the classroom is good for you and other students. Barney Fletcher Schools requires that you observe the following in order to facilitate “good citizenship” among all students in the classroom.
- Be on time for all class sessions.
- Do not leave early from any class session.
- Sign the attendance roster at the beginning of class, after scheduled breaks, and after lunch. Indicate the time you arrived if you arrive late for class.
- Ask questions related to the course material. Your instructor will determine which questions are pertinent to that day’s material and will be happy to answer other questions at breaks or after class.
- Allow others to listen to the instructor by not talking to other students during a class session. Our instructors have the authority to dismiss a student from a class session if the student is repeatedly disruptive or talking during the class.
- Place all cell phones, beepers, or other communication devices in an “off” or “silent” mode. Do not check messages during a class session. If you inadvertently leave a phone on and it rings, turn it off immediately. You will have time at breaks or mealtimes to return calls.
- When leaving your place to visit the restroom during class, please do so quietly and return to your seat as soon as possible. Do not use cell phones or other communication devices in the bathrooms or bathroom area.
- Keep your place in the classroom tidy by cleaning up any tissues, drinks or other materials when you leave the class session.
Course Certification
Upon completion of a real estate or appraisal prelicense course, Barney Fletcher RealtyU will electronically convey the student record of completion to the examination vendor, Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) no later than the day following the course examination. Students will be able to call the testing service to schedule a state examination or register online at www.goamp.com within 48 hours after the electronic transmission date.
For all other real estate or appraisal courses, the school submits an electronic record directly to the Commission or the Board.
The school will provide printed certificates for some courses, notably home inspection and designation courses. The written notice to students for each course provides information on the certification of the course to the appropriate agency or organization.
Prelicense Examination Registration Form
If you are taking a Georgia real estate prelicense course, you must fax or mail to the school a completed Georgia Real Estate Examination Registration Form as soon as you begin your course. To access the form, print the Candidate Handbook for the Georgia Real Estate Examination Program at www.goamp.com. The information on this form will be electronically submitted by the school to Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) so that you may schedule your state licensing examination online or by phone once you complete the prelicense course and pass the course final examination. Failure to submit the form to the school in a timely manner may result in a delay in your ability to schedule the state real estate examination once you complete your prelicense course.
GCIC Report
The Georgia Real Estate Real Estate Commission and the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board require each applicant for a new real estate license or a new appraiser classification to file a GCIC Report with the application for any license. The GCIC report is a criminal history check that you may acquire at most police stations or sheriff offices. There may be a small fee to acquire the document. The agencies require that the GCIC Report be issued no more than 60 days prior to your application to the Board.
Application for Preliminary Decision
If you have a DUI, a conviction, or a state sanction on your personal record, you may file an Application for Preliminary Decision with the agency. The application will permit the Commission or the Board to determine whether the state will grant you a license or an appraisal classification once you complete the requirements for the license or classification. You should file the Application for Preliminary Decision as soon as possible once you enroll in a prelicense course if you have a DUI, conviction or sanction on your record.
Credit for Duplicate Courses
Commission and Board regulations state that a real estate licensee or an appraiser who has successfully completed an approved continuing education course to meet any part of the continuing education requirement may not repeat that course for credit unless one full year has passed since the completion of the course.
Non-Discrimination
Barney Fletcher RealtyU will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial or handicap status in the establishment of fees, entrance qualifications or standards for successful completion of any course.
Prohibition of Recruiting
The Georgia Real Estate Commission prohibits recruiting for employment opportunities for any real estate brokerage firm in courses offered by any approved school. Report promptly any effort to recruit by anyone including a fellow student to the School Director at (770) 850-9090, or to the Georgia Real Estate Commission at (404) 656-3916.
If you have any questions regarding the school’s policies and procedures, call a course administrator at 770-850-9090.
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