Adopted: MSBA/MASA Model Policy 613
Revised: Rev. 2022
613 GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS
[Note: The
requirements set forth in this policy govern the graduation standards that Minnesota
public schools must require for a high school diploma for all students.]
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to set forth requirements for
graduation from the school district.
II. GENERAL
STATEMENT OF POLICY
The policy of the school district is that all students entering
grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year and later must demonstrate, as determined
by the school district, their satisfactory completion of the credit
requirements and their understanding of academic standards. The school district must adopt graduation
requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in
law or rule.
III. DEFINITIONS
A. “Credit” means
a student’s successful completion of an academic year of study or a student’s
mastery of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district.
B. “Individualized
Education Program” or “IEP” means a written statement developed for a student
eligible by law for special education and services.
C. “English
language learners” or “ELL” student means an individual whose first language is
not English and whose test performance may be negatively impacted by lack of
English language proficiency.
D. “Required
standard” means: (1) a statewide adopted expectation for student learning in
the content areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies,
physical education, and the arts, and (2) a locally adopted expectation for
student learning in health.
E. “Section 504
Accommodation” means the defined appropriate accommodations or modifications
that must be made in the school environment to address the needs of an individual
student with disabilities.
IV. DISTRICT
ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR
(
Position Title )Counselor
Amanda Bosman shall be named the District Assessment Coordinator. Said person shall be in charge of all test procedures
and shall bring recommendations to the school board annually for approval.
V. GRADUATION ASSESSMENT
REQUIREMENTS
For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school
year and later, students’ state graduation requirements, based on a longitudinal, systematic approach to student
education and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and
evaluation, include the following:
A. Achievement and career and college
readiness in mathematics, reading, and writing, as measured against a continuum
of empirically derived, clearly defined benchmarks focused on students’
attainment of knowledge and skills so that students, their parents, and
teachers know how well students must perform to have a reasonable chance to
succeed in a career or college without the need for postsecondary remediation and
which facilitates the monitoring of students’ continuous development of and
growth in requisite knowledge and skills; analysis of students’ progress and
performance levels, identification of students’ academic strengths and diagnosis
of areas where students require curriculum or instructional adjustments,
targeted interventions, or remediation; and determination of students’ learning
and instructional needs and the instructional tools and best practices that
support academic rigor for the student based on analysis of students’ progress
and performance data; and
B. Consistent with this paragraph and Minnesota
Statutes section 120B.125 (see Policy 604, Section II.H.),
age-appropriate exploration and planning activities and career assessments to
encourage students to identify personally relevant career interests and
aptitudes and help students and their families develop a regularly reexamined
transition plan for postsecondary education or employment without need for
postsecondary remediation.
C. Based on appropriate state guidelines,
students with an IEP may satisfy state graduation requirements by achieving an
individual score on the state-identified alternative assessments.
D. Students meeting the state graduation
requirements under this section must receive targeted, relevant, academically
rigorous, and resourced instruction which may include a targeted instruction
and intervention plan focused on improving the student’s knowledge and skills
in core subjects so that the student has a reasonable chance to succeed in a
career or college without need for postsecondary remediation.
E. Students meeting the state graduation
requirements under this section and who are students in grade 11 or 12 and who
are identified as academically ready for a career or college are actively
encouraged by the school district to participate in courses and programs
awarding college credit to high school students. Students are not required to achieve a
specified score or level of proficiency on an assessment to graduate from high
school.
F. A
student’s progress toward career and college readiness must be recorded on the
student’s high school transcript.
VI. GRADUATION
CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
Students beginning 8th grade in the 2012-2013 school
year and later must successfully complete, as determined by the school district,
the following high school level credits for graduation:
A. Four credits
of language arts sufficient to satisfy all academic standards in English
language arts;
B. Three
credits of mathematics, including an algebra II credit or its equivalent, sufficient
to satisfy all of the academic standards in mathematics;
C. An algebra I
credit by the end of 8th grade sufficient to satisfy all of the 8th
grade standards in mathematics;
D. Three
credits of science, including at least: (a) one credit of biology; (b) one
credit of chemistry or physics; and (c) one
elective credit of science. The
combination of credits must be sufficient to satisfy (i)
all of the academic standards in either chemistry or physics and (ii) all other
academic standards in science;
E. Three and
one-half credits of social studies, encompassing at least United States
history, geography, government and citizenship, world history, and economics
sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in social studies;
F. One credit
in the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the state or local academic standards
in the arts; and
G. A minimum of
seven elective credits.
H. Credit
equivalencies
1. A one-half credit of economics taught in a school’s agricultural,
food, and natural resources education or business education program or
department may fulfill a one-half credit in social studies under Paragraph E.,
above, if the credit is sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in
economics.
2. An
agriculture science or career and technical education credit may fulfill the
elective science credit required under Paragraph D., above, if the credit meets
the state physical science, life science, earth and space science, chemistry,
or physics academic standards or a combination of these academic standards as
approved by the school district. An agriculture or career and technical
education credit may fulfill the credit in chemistry or physics required under Paragraph
D., above, if the credit meets the state chemistry or physics academic
standards as approved by the school district. A student must satisfy either all
of the chemistry or physics academic standards prior to graduation. An agriculture science or career and
technical education credit may not fulfill the required biology credit under Paragraph
D., above.
3. A career and
technical education credit may fulfill a mathematics or arts credit requirement
under Paragraph B. or Paragraph F., above.
4. A computer
science credit may fulfill a mathematics credit requirement under Paragraph B.,
above, if the credit meets state academic standards in mathematics.
5. A Project
Lead the Way credit may fulfill a mathematics or science credit requirement
under Paragraph B. or Paragraph D., above, if the credit meets the state
academic standards in mathematics or science.
6. An ethnic
studies course may fulfill a social studies, language
arts, arts, math, or science credit if the course meets the applicable state
academic standards. An ethnic studies
course may fulfill an elective credit if the course meets applicable local
standards or other requirements.
[Note: Starting in the 2026-27 school year, a high school
must offer an ethnic studies course; in elementary and middle schools by the
2027-28 school year.]
VII. GRADUATION
STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS
A. All students
must demonstrate their understanding of the following academic standards:
1. School
District Standards, Health (K-12);
2. School
District Standards, Career and Technical Education (K-12); and
3. School
District Standards, World Languages (K-12).
B. Academic
standards in health, world languages, and career and technical education will
be reviewed on an annual basis.* A school district must use the current world
languages standards developed by the American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages.
*
Reviews are required to be conducted on a periodic basis. Therefore, this time period may be changed to
accommodate individual school district needs.
C. All students
must satisfactorily complete the following required Graduation Standards in
accordance with the standards developed by the Minnesota Department of
Education (MDE):
1. Minnesota
Academic Standards, English Language Arts K-12;
2. Minnesota
Academic Standards, Mathematics K-12;
3. Minnesota
Academic Standards, Science K-12;
4. Minnesota
Academic Standards, Social Studies K-12; and
5. Minnesota
Academic Standards, Physical Education K-12.
D. State
standards in the Arts K-12 are available, or school districts may choose to
develop their own standards.
E. The academic standards for language
arts, mathematics, and science apply to all students except the very few
students with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an IEP team
has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An IEP team that makes this determination
must establish alternative standards.
VIII. EARLY
GRADUATION
Students may be considered for early graduation, as provided
for within Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.07, upon meeting the following
conditions:
A. All course
or standards and credit requirements must be met;
B. The
principal or designee shall conduct an interview with the student and parent or
guardian, familiarize the parties with opportunities available in
post-secondary education, and arrive at a timely decision; and
C. The
principal’s decision shall be in writing and may be subject to review by the
superintendent and school board.
Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 120B.018 (Definitions)
Minn.
Stat. § 120B.02 (Educational Expectations and Graduation Requirements for
Minnesota’s Students)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.021 (Required Academic Standards)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.023 (Benchmarks)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.024 (Credits)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.07 (Early Graduation)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.11 (School District Process for Reviewing
Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement; Striving for the World’s Best
Workforce)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.125 (Planning for Students’ Successful
Transition to Postsecondary Education and Employment; Personal Learning Plans)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.30 (Statewide Testing and Reporting
System)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0640-3501.0655 (Academic Standards
for Language Arts)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0700-3501.0745 (Academic Standards
for Mathematics)
Minn. Rules Part 3501.0820 (Academic Standards for the Arts)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0900-3501.0955 (Academic Standards in
Science)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1300-3501.1345 (Academic Standards
for Social Studies)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1400-3501.1410 (Academic Standards
for Physical Education)
20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq. (Every Student Succeeds
Act)
Cross References: MSBA/MASA Model Policy 104 (School
District Mission Statement)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 601 (School District Curriculum and
Instruction Goals)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 614 (School District Testing Plan and
Procedure)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 615 (Testing Accommodations,
Modifications, and Exemptions for IEPs, Section 504 Plans, and LEP Students)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 616 (School District System
Accountability)