SJE Board
Policy 2410 - Instruction
Administrative
Procedure
High School Graduation
Requirements
Prior to registering in high
school, and each year thereafter each student and his/her parents or guardians
will be provided with a copy of the graduation requirements in effect for that
student (those in effect when the student enrolled in ninth grade unless ten
years have elapsed). Graduation requirements shall also be included in the
student handbook.
Each student is to develop, update
as necessary, and initially have on file a high school completion plan approved
by the parent. Counselors will provide assistance to incoming ninth graders and
their families in developing educational plans. Changes in plans should
normally reflect parent consent and should be submitted to the appropriate
counselor. At the conclusion of each year the school will provide the student
and his/her parents or guardians with a report which reflects the progress that
has been made toward satisfying the graduation requirements. If progress is not
normal, the school will identify alternative courses that can be taken to
correct the deficiencies.
Required Subject Areas and
Credits
The following credits and subject
areas of study shall be required of each candidate for graduation:
Subject - Credits
English - 4.0
Mathematics - 2.0 (See note #1)
Social Studies - 3.5
Science (1 credit in laboratory
science) - 2.0 (See note #2)
Occupational Education - 3.0
credits (See note #3)
Health and Fitness - 2.0 credits
(See note #4)
Arts - 1.0 credit
Electives - 7.5 credits
TOTAL CREDITS - 25
Notes:
#1 - Must include at least
Algebra, Geometry or Algebra II.
#2 - Must include one full year
(both semesters) of lab science.
#3 - Includes Introduction To
Technology (ITT), Money Management/Careers, and an elective.
#4 - Up to 0.5 credit can be
waived for participation in three or more completed sports season
during
the Freshman and/or Sophomore year.
Additional Requirements
Beginning with the graduating
class of 2008, the following additional requirements must be obtained in order
to receive a diploma:
Credits
Students shall be expected to earn
a total of 25 credits in order to complete graduation requirements. For credit
purposes, a class must meet for a total of 180 (50 minute) hours of planned
instruction.
Waiver of Graduation
Requirements
The following procedure shall be
followed in graduation waiver requests:
A. The
principal is responsible for evaluating educational experiences of individual
students and recommending graduation to the superintendent when requirements
have been met.
An
individual student may be granted an exemption from any requirement in this
policy if such requirement impedes the progress toward graduation provided
there is a direct relationship between the failure to meet the requirement and
the student's ability. When a 12th grade student transfers from another high
school, the student may be permitted to graduate with a lesser number of
credits provided that minimum state-course and credit requirements are
satisfied and the student successfully passes a full schedule of classes during
his/her 12th year of school.
B. Waiver
of graduation requirements is determined by the principal. The procedure for
processing requests for waiver shall be as follows:
1.
Request
shall be initiated by the parent or the eligible student.
2.
The
principal shall investigate the request for waiver of graduation requirements.
3.
The
principal shall make a determination in writing based upon appropriate data and
upon conclusions of the investigation.
4.
The
principal shall develop appropriate record keeping procedures for storage of
all pertinent data relating to each waiver request.
5.
The
parent or eligible student shall be notified that an appeal to the decision on
waiver requests may be made in writing to the superintendent no later than 30
days prior to the anticipated graduation date.
6.
All
state statutory requirements must be satisfied except that Washington history
and government, pursuant to WAC 180-51-075, and physical education, pursuant to
RCW 28A.230.050, may be waived. In the latter instance, an individual student
may be excused from physical education upon written request of a parent or
guardian on account of physical disability, employment or religious belief or
because of participation in directed athletics or military science and tactics.
This shall not alter the credit requirements established by the board.
Alternative Programs
Credit toward graduation
requirements may be granted for planned learning experiences primarily
conducted away from the facilities owned, operated or supervised by a district.
A proposal for approval of
out-of-school learning activities shall be submitted prior to the experience,
shall be at no additional cost to the district, and shall include at least the
following information:
A. The
objective(s) of the program;
B. The
teaching component(s) of the program, including where and when teaching
activities will be conducted by school district certificated staff;
C. A
schedule of the duration of the program, including beginning and ending dates
within the school year;
D. A
description of how student performance will be supervised, evaluated, and
recorded by the certificated staff or by qualified school district employees
under the direct supervision of the certificated staff;
E. A
description of intervention techniques and criteria for their use;
F. Description
of how student performance will be assessed;
G. Qualifications
of instructional personnel; and
H. Plans
for evaluation of program.
A list of approved programs shall
be kept on file in the superintendent's office. Reasons for approval or
disapproval shall be communicated to those making the request.
Credit for Work Experience
The use of work experience as a
part of the educational program of students should be regarded as part of the
secondary school curriculum rather than just a device to relieve a manpower
shortage. The following are the bases upon which credit may be granted for work
experience.
A. The
work program shall be supervised by the school.
B. The
work experience shall be specifically related to the school program of the
student.
C. Credit
given for work experience shall represent growth in the student, and the type
of work done should have definite educational value.
D. The
job in which experience is gained shall provide varied experience.
E. A
work experience program shall be supplemented by an adequate program of
guidance, placement, follow-up and coordination between job and school by the
career placement counselor.
F. Work
experience as a planned part of a school subject may be included in the credit
given for that subject (e.g., sales training class).
G. One
work credit may be granted for not less than 405 hours of work experience
related to a student's school program.
H. A
student participating shall be legally employed and must have passed his/her
sixteenth birthday.
I. An
employer's report of the student's work record, indicating satisfactory
progress on the job, shall be filed with the school.
J. The
regular state apprenticeship program, where the training is worked out
cooperatively with the school and meets the standards for graduation
requirements, is acceptable.
National Guard High School
Career Training
Credit may be granted for national
guard high school career training in lieu of either required or elective high
school credits. Approval by the district shall be obtained prior to a student's
participation in a national guard training program as follows:
A. MIL
Form 115 or an equivalent form now or hereafter provided by the national guard
shall be completed and filed with the school district; and
B. The
number of credits toward high school graduation to be granted shall be
calculated, agreed upon by the student and an authorized representative of the
school district, and such agreement noted on MIL Form 115 or such equivalent
form.
Credit toward high school
graduation may be granted by the school district upon certification by a
national guard training unit commander on the completion component of MIL Form
115 or such equivalent form that the student has met all program requirements.
Home School Credit
Guidelines for granting high
school credit for home schooling are as follows:
A. To
gain credit for a course of study, a student shall provide:
1.
a
journal which reflects the actual work completed during a home-study course of
study.
2.
exhibit(s)
of any specific projects completed (e.g., themes, research papers, art and/or
shop projects); and/or
3.
any
such other performance-based exhibits of specific course-related
accomplishments.
B. To
gain credit for a course of study, a student shall demonstrate proficiency at a
minimum of 80% of the objectives of the course. Such testing shall be available
as an ancillary service of the district if it is regularly available to all
students. If not, the parent may engage district-approved personnel to conduct
such an assessment at a cost to be determined by such personnel.
If a parent and/or student
believes that the above process is excessively burdensome, the student, if
eligible, may apply to take the test of General Educational Development.
Correspondence Courses
Credit for correspondence courses
may be granted within the two-credit limitation, provided the following
requirements are met:
A. Prior
permission has been granted by the principal.
B. The
program fits the educational plan submitted by the student.
C. Credit
is granted for the following approved schools:
1.
Schools
approved by the National University Continuing Education Association, or
accredited by the National Home Study Council,
2.
Community
colleges, vocational-technical institutes, four-year colleges and universities
and approved private schools in the state of Washington, and
3.
Other
schools or institutions which are approved by the district after evaluation for
a particular course offering.
Graduation Ceremonies
If students fulfill graduation
requirements by the end of the last term of their senior year, they may
participate in graduation ceremonies. Each student shall be awarded a diploma
after satisfactorily completing local and state requirements. Upon request,
each graduating student shall receive a final transcript. Each student shall be
notified of this opportunity at least one month prior to the close of the
school term.
Graduation ceremonies will be
conducted in the following manner:
A. Each
participating student must participate in the graduation ceremony rehearsal.
Each student who participates will purchase or rent the proper cap and gown as
designated by the school administration and the class advisor and officers.
B. Caps
and gowns will be worn in the proper manner, as designated by the school
administration and class advisor.
C. Students
who participate will be expected to use good taste in their choice of
accessories for their attire.
D. Each
student who participates will be expected to cooperate with the class advisor
and to participate in all parts of the graduation ceremonies.
E. Failure
to comply with the above requirements will automatically forfeit a student's
privilege of participation in the graduation ceremonies.
St. John-Endicott
Cooperative Schools