6340: Graduation Requirements

District Policy 6340 

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Adams 12 Five Star schools believes that every student can succeed. To ensure all students are prepared for future success, the Board of Education has established the following graduation requirements.

Graduation from high school is a culminating event that results from the strong foundation built at the elementary and middle grade levels. Teachers, staff members, administrators and parents/guardians share responsibility for supporting each student in his/her progress toward mastery of the standards as outlined in each content area’s curriculum and in meeting the district’s expectations for graduation.

The Adams 12 Board of Education values the importance of a high quality educational experience where students are provided multiple opportunities to explore a variety of interests while completing an equitable, grade level appropriate and rigorous academic course of study. Our graduation requirements reflect the minimum course of study a student needs to complete to earn a high school diploma. Each school, along with the student and parent/guardian, will develop an approved course of study that reflects the academic and career goals of the student while ensuring that the student is well positioned to enter his or her post-secondary experience. Joining the workforce, serving in the armed forces, earning an industry certificate, or pursuing a two-year or four-year degree exemplify post-secondary success for graduates of Adams 12 Five Star Schools.

1.0       Graduation Requirements. The following requirements are established for graduation from high schools of Adams 12 Five Star Schools, (the “District”).

1.1       In order to be eligible for a District traditional diploma, students must earn twenty three (23) credits in grades 9-12. These credit requirements represent minimum requirements for graduation and do not reflect college admission requirements.

Students must earn credits distributed in the following curricular areas and meet at least one (1) of the following college and career competency requirements in the Reading, Writing and Communicating column and at least one (1) in the mathematics column.

Content Area	Credit Requirements
English	4      Credits
Math	3      Credits
Science	3      Credits
Social Studies	1      Credit Of U.S. History .5   Credits Of Government 1.5   Social Studies Elective Credit
Physical Education	1      Credit – No P.E. Waiver Available
Fine And Practical Arts*	2      Credits
Electives	7      Credits

*Fine and Practical Arts include coursework in Music, Art, Drama, Career & Technical Education, Business, Marketing, Consumer & Family Studies and World Languages.

 

College and Career Competency Requirements

Demonstration	Reading, Writing and Communications	Mathematics
Accuplacer (Classic)	62 on Reading Comprehension or 70 on Sentence Skills	61 on Elementary Algebra
Accuplacer (Next Generation)	241 on Reading Comprehension or 236 on Sentence Writing	255 On Arithmetic or 230 on Quantitative Reasoning Algebra and Statistics (QAS)
ACT	18	19
ACT Work Keys - National Career Readiness Certificate	Bronze or Higher	Bronze or Higher
Advanced Placement	2+	2+
International Baccalaureate	4	4
ASVAB	31	31
Concurrent Enrollment	Passing Grade	Passing Grade
District Capstone	Individualized	Individualized
Industry Certificate	Individualized	Individualized
SAT	470	480 2024-2026 Graduates
Collaboratively-Developed, Standards-Based Performance Assessment	State-Wide Scoring Criteria	State-Wide Scoring Criteria

*The Colorado Department of Education’s menu of college and career competency requirements is subject to change and revision. When changes are made, the district will update its requirements to ensure adherence to the state’s guidelines.

1.1.1    A credit is defined as successful completion of courses meeting for the equivalent of one period daily for a school year. Fractional credit is given for courses meeting a fraction of the year, i.e., one-half (.5) credit is given for courses lasting the equivalent of one-half (.5) of the year. For credit equivalency purposes of Concurrent Enrollment and dual enrollment, see section 1.6.4.

1.1.2    Internal courses are defined as currently offered high school courses that have been approved through the District process and that are active within the current District course master list.

1.1.3    External courses are defined as courses offered outside of Adams 12 for credit at postsecondary institutions that do not meet the criteria for Concurrent Enrollment or dual enrollment as defined in District Policy 6285, section 2.1.1.

1.1.4    Middle school students passing a math course with the same title as a high school course will be awarded high school math credit. The course title and grade will be on the high school transcript and will be calculated in GPA. Otherwise students can earn high school credit beginning in the 9th grade.

1.2       All schools are responsible for developing an individual career and academic plan (ICAP) for each student beginning in grade 6. Leadership for the plan will be facilitated by counselors and administrators and monitored by school personnel. The plan will be reviewed and access will be provided, at a minimum, annually in grades six (6) through twelve (12) and may include participation by students, parent or legal guardian, school counselors, school administrators and school personnel. The ICAP and ICAP related data shall be available upon request to the student, parent or legal guardian and/or approved service providers in both electronic and printable form.

1.2.1    The ICAP is a multi-year process that intentionally guides students as they explore career, academic, and postsecondary opportunities. With the support of adults, students develop the awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills to create their own meaningful and powerful pathways to be career and college ready.

1.3       Each high school may define specific courses which fulfill the required credit in each subject area. They may also specify individual courses in a given subject area which are required for graduation. All courses must adhere to the Colorado Academic Standards and align to the district’s guaranteed and viable curriculum. A list of these courses shall be submitted to the Chief Academic Officer for approval before implementation.

1.4       Graduation requirements for students receiving special education services shall be the same as for any other high school student. Modifications may be made to the course specific curriculum via the individualized education program (IEP) process. A high school student receiving special education services may earn any or all of their credits in any of the high school special education programs.

1.4.1    Electives may include areas of Career and Technical Education, work study and work experience as determined by the IEP process. Students who do not meet credit requirements and/or who have not met their IEP goals and objectives may be eligible to receive special education services until the age of twenty-one (21). Special education students may take more than the required number of credits if the parents agree and the courses are included in the child's IEP.

1.5       All students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 must enroll in a minimum of six (6) credits per year. Students who are entering their fifth (5th) year or more of high school and have earned at least 19 credits may enroll in less than six (6) credits for the school year with principal approval.

1.5.1    Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 must be enrolled in one (1) credit each of math, English, science, and social studies. Exceptions to this requirement may be made so long as the exceptions are consistent with CLDE Guidelines for:

1.5.1.1    Students identified as Newcomers (students within the first two (2) years of U.S. schooling and who test at the NEP 1 or NEP 2 level on ACCESS/WIDA Screener).

1.5.2    Seniors must take a minimum of three (3) credits in a core area. For the purposes of this requirement, core areas shall be defined as English, mathematics, science, social studies, or world languages. Exceptions to the three (3) core class requirement for seniors may be made for:

1.5.2.1    Students at a District Career/Technical Education Center, provided such students can demonstrate competency in the core area;

1.5.2.2    Students who are entering their fifth (5th) year or more of high school needing five (5) or fewer credits to graduate, and need those credits in particular areas of instruction, which may or may not include the identified core areas;

1.5.2.3    Students with special circumstances in alignment with ICAP goals as approved by the principal or designee.

1.5.3    Students who are two (2) or more grade levels below their assigned grade level may be required by the District to take additional coursework in reading, writing and/or math. Such coursework may be scheduled in addition to their regular required coursework or in lieu of elective options.

1.6       Credit may be awarded for external courses of study under the following circumstances:

1.6.1    Coursework not already defined by Policy 6285.

1.6.2    Credit shall not be awarded for external courses of study when the content of the course is substantially equivalent to a class currently offered at the high school.

1.6.3    Subsequent to enrollment, no more than three high school credits earned through an external course of study shall be used to meet the District graduation requirements. Concurrent Enrollment courses and dual enrollment courses are not considered part of an external course of study.

1.6.4    For credit calculation purposes of external courses of study, Concurrent Enrollment courses, and dual enrollment courses, each 1.0 to 2.0 semester hours of college course credit shall equal .25 of high school credit; each 3.0 to 4.0 semester hours of college course credit shall equal .50 of high school credit; and each 5.0 to 6.0 semester hours of college course credit shall equal 1 high school credit.

1.7       Students must receive approval prior to taking courses outside the school if they wish to receive high school credit for those courses.

1.7.1    High school credit will be awarded for a course taken at a school that is accredited by the state or accredited by a nationally recognized organization.

1.8       The high school reserves the right to review transcripts and determine credit to be granted for course work transferred in when a student moves into the District. Grades from a previous high school transcript will be placed on the Adams 12 transcript. These grades will not be altered or adjusted as a result of different grading scales used to determine final letter grades. Credit will not be awarded for course work for which the previous high school has not granted credit.

2.0       High School Credit for State-Mandated Assessments.

2.1       Credit may be awarded based on student performance on the following identified assessments provided that the student was enrolled in an Adams 12 school on the date of the test administration:

2.1.1    PSAT 9: ninth grade students may earn up to a maximum of .5 credits (.25 English Language Arts and/or .25 mathematics).

2.1.1.1    Students will receive the .25 credit of English Language Arts if their PSAT 9 assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.1.1.1    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) score is 410 or higher; or

2.1.1.1.2    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.1.2    Students will receive a .25 credit of math if their PSAT 9 math assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.1.2.1    Mathematics score is 390 or higher; or

2.1.1.2.2    Mathematics student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.2    PSAT 10: tenth grade students may earn up to a maximum of .5 credits (.25 English Language Arts and/or .25 mathematics).

2.1.2.1    Students will receive the .25 credit of English Language Arts if their PSAT 10 assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.2.1.1    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) score is 430 or higher; or

2.1.2.1.2    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.2.2    Students will receive a .25 credit of math if their PSAT 10 math assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.2.2.1    Mathematics score is 440 or higher; or

2.1.2.2.2    Mathematics student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.3    SAT and CMAS: Eleventh grade students may earn up to a maximum of .75 credits (.25 English Language Arts, .25 mathematics and/or .25 science).

2.1.3.1    Students will receive the .25 credit of English Language Arts if their grade 11 sat assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.3.1.1    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) score is 480 or higher; or

2.1.3.1.2    Evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.3.2    Students will receive a .25 credit of math if their grade 11 SAT math assessment score reflects the following:

2.1.2.2.1    Mathematics score is 480 or higher; or

2.1.2.2.2    Mathematics student growth percentile of 66 or higher.

2.1.3.3    Students will receive a .25 credit of science if their grade 11 CMAS science score reflects met or exceeded expectations.

2.1.4    Alternative Education Campus. Students attending an Adams 12 alternative education campus may earn up to a maximum of .5 credits (.25 English and/or .25 math) each year for scoring at the identified level on the northwest evaluation association measures of academic progress (NWEA map) assessment.

2.1.4.1    A student will receive .25 credit of English and/or a .25 credit of math if he or she scores at or above grade level on the NWEA map reading exam; student meets his or her growth target on the NWEA reading exam as set by NWEA for alternative education campuses.

2.1.4.2    Students who have earned credit for the PSAT 9, PSAT 10 and/or sat and CMAS 11 are not eligible to earn additional credit based on the NWEA map assessment.

3.0       The high school principal shall assign appropriate personnel to assess and inform students annually of their individual progress toward their completion of required credits and competency completion. The principal shall also assign appropriate personnel to determine credit application toward graduation for those students transferring from schools outside the District.

4.0       The high school principal shall have authority to determine all matters regarding high school graduation credit in compliance with this policy.

5.0       Notwithstanding the credit requirements of Section 1.1, students who are enrolled in and successfully complete the WorkKeys program offered by the District are eligible for a District competency based diploma.

5.1       Successful completion of WorkKeys is defined as:

5.1.1    Meeting pre-assessment standards of the District-approved content curriculum;

5.1.2    Completing career planning through participation in the ICAP process pursuant to District Policy 6285; and

5.1.3    Demonstrating knowledge of technology integration through successful completion of thirty (30) hours of aligned coursework.

CROSS REFERENCE:
Policy: 6285

Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Most Recent Adoption: October 23, 2024