Graduation Requirements: IKF-2

(Beginning with the Class of 2021)

In pursuit of its mission to ensure that all students reach their learning potential and are prepared for post-secondary enrollment, career opportunities, or enlistment in the military, the Board of Education has established the following graduation requirements for students entering the ninth grade in the 2017-18 school year and each ninth grade class thereafter.

To receive a high school diploma from the district, students must meet or exceed the district's academic standards and measures required by this policy. All students must complete 46-semester credits, community service/experiential learning hours and two required college and career demonstrations. Students with disabilities shall be provided access to all graduation pathways provided by this policy and shall have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma from the district.

College and career readiness

The Colorado State Board of Education has adopted state graduation guidelines that identify college and career readiness measures in English and Math. The Board has selected its own measures from these state graduation guidelines.

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.

SAT English	Score of at least 470
Advanced Placement (AP) exam that demonstrates English readiness.	Score of at least 2
Concurrent enrollment course that demonstrates English readiness, as approved by the district and included in the student's academic plan of study or Individualized Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).	Passing grade
Industry certificate that demonstrates academic and intellectual learning in the subject area of English.	Receipt of an approved industry certificate which demonstrates a student’s grade-level academic achievement and technical skill achievement.
A district capstone project that demonstrates academic and intellectual learning in the subject area of English language arts.	Completion of an approved capstone which demonstrates a student’s grade-level competency in English language arts.

 

27J Schools will accept the following optional measures whose scores represent achievement at or above the districts adopted measures.

Measure	Cut Score/Criteria
Accuplacer assessment	Score of at least 62 on Reading Comprehension
Next Generation Accuplacer	Score of at least 246 on the WR (Writing Section)
ACT assessment	Score of at least 18 on English.
ACT WorkKeys assessment that demonstrates English readiness.	Score of at least 3 (Bronze level).
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery- Armed Forces Qualifying Test (ASVAB-AFQT)	A score in at least the 31st percentile.
International Baccalaureate (IB) exam that demonstrates English readiness.	A score of 4

 

Math

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

Measure	Cut Score/Criteria
SAT assessment	A score of at least 500 on Math.
Concurrent enrollment course that demonstrates Math readiness, as approved by the district and included in the student's academic plan of study or Individualized Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).	Passing grade
Advanced Placement (AP) exam that demonstrates Math readiness.	Score of at least 2.
Industry certificate that demonstrates academic and intellectual learning in the subject area of Math.	Receipt of an approved industry certificate which demonstrates a student’s grade-level academic achievement and technical skill achievement.
A district capstone project that demonstrates academic and intellectual learning in the subject area of Math.	Completion of an approved capstone which demonstrates a student’s grade-level competency in mathematics.

 

27J Schools will accept the following optional measures whose scores represent achievement at or above the districts adopted measures.

Measure	Cut Score/Criteria
Accuplacer assessment	A score of at least 61 on Elementary Algebra.
Next Generation Accuplacer	A score of at least 255 on AR or 230 on QAS or 245 on AAF sections of the math test.
ACT assessment	A score of at least 19 on Math.
ACT WorkKeys assessment that demonstrates Math readiness.	A score of at least 3 (Bronze level).
Advanced Placement (AP) exam that demonstrates Math readiness	Score of at least 2.
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery- Armed Forces Qualifying Test (ASVAB- AFQT)	A score in at least the 31st percentile.
International Baccalaureate (IB) exam that demonstrates Math readiness.	A score of 4.

 

Exceptions to the Board's required measures and cut scores/criteria

If a student has demonstrated college and career readiness by completing an assessment, or another measure, that is not included in this policy, but whose cut scores or criteria exceed the school district requirements, and that measurement is included in the state graduation guidelines, the principal or principal's designee may determine that such assessment or other measure is acceptable and meets the district's demonstration requirements.

Courses required for graduation

Each student graduating from 27J shall have earned 46-semester credits in the following subject areas, (33 required and 13 electives)

Subject Area Requirements	Semester Credits
English Language Arts	8
Mathematics	6
Science	6
Civics (or Political Science)	1
Economics	1
History	4
Career and Technical Education	2
Humanities	2
Physical Education	2
Health	1
Electives	13
Total Credits	46

 

• Up to 2 semesters of English Language Arts or Math credit may be awarded for intervention courses.
• Up to 2 physical education credits may be awarded for successful completion of a CHSAA-approved sport or participation in Marching Band. Participation in a CHSAA approved Sport or Marching Band does not count toward elective credits and will neither carry a grade nor apply to GPA. It will be listed on the transcript as a course and the grade designation will be “P” for passed.
• Humanities courses will include courses in the following areas
  • Fine Arts
  • Performing Arts
  • World Languages
  • Any academic elective course may also be counted as humanities credits
• Any course completed that does not count for subject area requirements listed above is considered an Elective.
• Any course completed in a subject area after the subject area requirement has been fulfilled will count as Elective credit.
• Work-based Learning. A maximum of 4 elective credits may be earned through paid or unpaid work-experience completed during a semester at the rate of 90 hours per credit. Students may earn additional credits by participating in a paid or unpaid Career and Technical Education Internship.

Community Service/Experiential Learning

Each student graduating from School District 27J shall have served a minimum of 5 clock hours of volunteer, community service, or other forms of experiential learning for each year of attendance in a 27J managed high school.

Units of credit required for graduation

Graduation from high school in School District 27J is achieved through the earning of semester credits. Semester Credits for all high school courses and for graduation requirements will be awarded on a "unit of semester credit" basis. One "unit of credit" is equal to a semester of instruction within a course. Students may earn more than one credit during one semester for additional time spent in a course and/or demonstrating content mastered. Partial units of credit may be allowed for students enrolling at times other than the beginning of a semester or for attending a course for a period of time shorter than the full semester according to the time spent in the course and/or the content mastered. All partial credit must be approved by the principal.

Credit from other institutions and home-based programs

Students entering from outside the district must meet the district's course requirements. The principal or principal's designee shall determine whether credit toward course requirements shall be granted for courses taken outside the district.

In accordance with applicable state law, college courses completed pursuant to the student's participation in a "dropout recovery program" shall count as credit toward completion of the district's credit requirements.

Early graduation

The Board of Education believes that most students benefit from four years of high school experience and are encouraged not to graduate early. However, in some cases, students are ready for postsecondary education or other opportunities at an earlier age. Therefore, the principal may grant permission to students wishing to graduate early, provided the student has met all district graduation requirements in accordance with this policy.

LEGAL REFS.:      C.R.S. 22-1-104 (teaching history, culture and civil government)

C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(kk) (board to establish graduation requirements that "meet or exceed" state graduation guidelines)

C.R.S. 22-32-132 (discretion to award diploma to honorably discharged veterans)

C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 (home-based education law)

C.R.S. 22-35-101 et seq. (Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act)

 

Approved June 14, 2016

Revised 3/19/2019