Graduation Requirements

Do you know what is required in order to graduate from high school? In all honesty, for freshmen students the answer is probably "no." The graduation requirements have been a work in process for those students who are in the Class of 2018, but last month the state provided the information we needed to know that spells out what current freshmen must successfully do in order to graduate with a high school diploma. I will be honest, perhaps it is just because it is a change, but it isn't necessarily easy to understand at first glance, but my goal is to help make sure that you know and understand what you will need to do to graduate. And, please, rest assured that I will be doing progress checks at least twice per year to make sure you will be staying on track to graduate.

So, before I jump into the freshman graduation requirements, I am going to start off with the Course Requirements because those have not changed at all so the course requirements are the classes that are required for ALL STUDENTS in grades 9 - 12. These course requirements include:
- 4 credits of English
- 4 credits of Math (including equivalent of Algebra 2)
- 3 credits of Science
- 4 credits (beginning with class of 2018) of Social Studies (including US History,Government and Econ/Financial Literacy)
- 1/2 a credit of Health
- 1/2 a credit of Physical Education
- 5 credits of Elective (electives can also include additional credits in the core subjects above - so, for example, if you take 4 credits of Science, the 4th credit would be an elective credit.)
- 1/2 a credit of Financial Literacy (met through Economics)
- 2 semesters worth of Fine Arts successfully completed between grades 9
- 12

In addition to the classes mentioned above, 10th - 12th graders must also pass all sections of the Ohio Graduation Test in order to graduate.

Now, take a deep breath and we will talk about the additional requirements that freshmen have. The good news is that you do not have to take or pass the Ohio Graduation Tests. However, you do have some Assessment requirements.

All students in the Class of 2018 will be required to take 7 End of Course Exams. These tests will be in:
- English 1
- English 2
- Math 1
- Math 2
- Physical Science
- American History
- American Government

Depending on how you do on those End of Course Exams you will earn a certain number of points. If you are Advanced you will earn 5 points, Accelerated = 4 points, Proficient = 3 points, Limited = 2 points, and Basic = 1 point.

Those points become important for the 3rd component the requirement for freshmen to earn their high school diploma which is Demonstration of Readiness.

In the Demonstration of Readiness area students must meet one of the following 3:
1. Earn at least 18 points cumulative score on the 7 end of course exams. At least 4 of those points must come from English, 4 points must come from Math and 6 points must come from Science and Social Studies. The remaining 4 points can come from any subject area.
2. Earn a "Remediation Free" score on the ACT or SAT. The state of Ohio will pay for students in the Class of 2018 to take one of these tests when you are in 11th grade. We anticipate the state announcing which test they will use this coming spring, but if students take the tests multiple times they can use their highest verifiable score to meet the requirement.
3. Earn a State Board of Education approved, industry-recognized credential or a state issued license for practice in a career and achieve a score that demonstrates workforce readiness and employability on a job skills assessment. The state is still working on determining what these tests will be and that information will come in the next few months. All credentials will need to be tied to jobs that are in demand either statewide or locally and the state will update the list of jobs that will qualify regularly. The job must be on the list during the student's junior or senior year in order to qualify.

In short, for students in the class of 2018, if you successfully complete the Course Requirements + the Assessment Requirements + the Demonstration of Readiness then it will = a High School Diploma.

The tests will probably lead to a lot of questions down the line, but I promise we will help you through this whole process. All we ask of you is to focus on your current classes and do the best you can on each of the assessments that you will have to take this year and in the following years.

When you reach the end of your high school career (no matter if it is in a few months or a few years) I promise you that this will be worth it and you will be both excited and proud to be walking across the stage in your cap and gown!