In pursuit of its mission to ensure that all students reach their learning potential, the Board of Education has established the following graduation requirements.

District Academic Standards

All students must meet or exceed the district’s academic standards prior to becoming eligible to graduate.

Graduation from high school is a culminating event that results from the foundations built at the elementary and middle levels. Graduation is a collaborative effort among levels in a student’s public school career. Each level of school and each staff member or parent/guardian who instructs or counsels a student, shares responsibility for the ultimate ability of that student to demonstrate proficiency in the district’s academic standards and to meet the expectations for graduation.

Students must meet units of credit, years of attendance and achieve scores at or above minimums on college and career-ready demonstrations in the areas of reading and math.

Units of Credit Needed

A total of 28 credits earned during grades nine through twelve are required for graduation. A credit is defined as the amount of credit given for the successful completion of a course which meets four days per week for a minimum of 47 minutes daily for at least 36 weeks or the equivalent. Successful completion means that the student obtained a passing grade (D or better) for the course. Junior high students may earn credit for math courses (Algebra 1 or higher) taken during Junior High.

The following criteria shall entitle a student to a high school diploma:

• Achievement in the district’s academic standards as demonstrated by mastery of the curriculum which may include, but is not limited to, daily classroom assignments, state and district assessments, classroom assessments, and student participation in, and completion of, assigned projects.

Required Credits/Courses

Credits Area Specific Courses

4 credits English

3.5 credits Social Studies 0.5 in Government

1 credit Physical Education

4 credits Science

4 credits Math (Algebra I & Geometry required)

11.5 credits Electives

Total Credits required for graduation:  28 credits (16.5 required + 11.5 electives)

College/Career Readiness Demonstrations

In addition to taking and passing required credit courses, students must show proficiency on one or more math and one or more English assessments approved by the Board of Education.

English

Students must complete at least one of the following measures and meet or exceed the measure’s corresponding cut score or criteria to demonstrate college and career readiness in English.

Math

Students must complete at least one of the following measures and meet or exceed the measure’s corresponding cut score or criteria to demonstrate college and career readiness in math.

Credit from Other Institutions and Home-Based Programs

All students entering from outside the district must meet the district graduation requirements. The principal shall determine whether credit toward graduation requirements shall be granted for courses taken outside the district. Students who are currently enrolled in the district and wish to obtain credit from outside institutions, or through “online” programs, must have prior approval from the principal.

The district shall accept the transcripts from a home-based education program. In order to determine whether the courses and grades earned are consistent with district requirements and district academic standards, the district shall require submission of the student’s work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward graduation is sought. In addition, the district may administer testing to the student to verify the accuracy of the student’s transcripts. The district may reject any transcripts that cannot be verified.

Certificate of Attendance

In certain cases students may receive a Certificate of Attendance without meeting the graduation requirements for the general education program if they meet individualized goals and graduation requirements set by administration and Haxtun School District Re-2J.

All Certificates of Attendance must be submitted to the Administration and gain approval before January 1 of each school year, unless the student has entered the school after that date. The plan  for issuing a Certificate of Attendance to a student must be signed by parents, students, and administration prior to January.

• Special Education or Students with Disabilities: appropriate for a student who is not able to meet the academic requirements from Haxtun School District, but met their Individualized  Education Plan goals and requirements set forth by their IEP (Individualized Education Plan). The student may have been working on Extended Evidence Outcomes (alternate Standards) and met the requirements set there for completion.

Class Rankings and Grade Point Averages

Grades for regular classes will be given the following values: A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0.

Grades for single weighted classes will be given the following values: A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5.

Grades for double weighted classes will be given the following values: A=5.0, B=4.0, C=3.0, D=2.0.

After a course has been passed, no future grade earned in the same course shall be used to determine grade point average.

The student with the highest cumulative grade point average will be valedictorian. When more than one student holds the same high grade point, those students will be declared co-valedictorians.

When transcripts of transfer students show grades such as pass or satisfactory, such grades shall not be counted in determining grade point average. Students entering from home-based education programs must submit student work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward grade point average is sought.

Independent Study

Independent study, work experience and experienced-based programs approved in advance by the principal may be taken for high school credit. Students must submit a request for approval that includes a summary of the educational objectives to be achieved and monitored by a faculty member.

Student Course Load

The course load for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors shall be a minimum of 8 credits per school year.

Years of Attendance

The Board of Education requires four years of high school experience.