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613 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS |
Adopted: Stewartville School District Policy 613 Revised: 2010, 5/2012, 2013 Reviewed: 4/2012 613 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS 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 must satisfactorily complete, as determined by the school district, all course credit requirements, all state academic standards, or local standards where state standards do not apply, and successfully pass graduation examinations, as required, in order to graduate. III. DEFINITIONS A. “Course credit” is equivalent to a student’s successful completion of a semester of study or a student’s mastery of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district. B. “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. C. “Individualized Education Program” or “IEP” means a written statement developed for a student eligible by law for special education and services. D. “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. E. “GRAD” means the graduation-required assessment for diploma that measures the reading, writing, and mathematics proficiency of high school students. IV. TEST ADMINISTRATOR The District Assessment Coordinator shall be named the school district test administrator. Said person shall be in charge of all test procedures and shall bring recommendations to the school board annually for approval. V. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS A. For students enrolled in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, only Minnesota basic skills tests in reading, mathematics, and writing shall fulfill students’ basic skills testing requirements for a passing state notation. The passing scores of basic skills tests in reading and mathematics are the equivalent of 75 percent correct for students entering grade 9 as based on the first uniform test administered in February 1998. Students who have not successfully passed a basic skills test by the end of the 2011-2012 school year must pass the GRAD as set forth in Sections V.B. and V.C. B. For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, only the following options shall fulfill students’ state graduation test requirements: 1. for reading and mathematics: a. obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as determined through a standard setting process on the Minnesota comprehensive assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the GRAD in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or subsequent retests; b. achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified language proficiency test in reading and the mathematics test for English language learners or the GRAD equivalent of those assessments for students designated as English language learners; c. achieving an individual passing score on the GRAD as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an IEP or 504 plan; d. obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics for students with an IEP; or e. achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an IEP; and 2. for writing: a. achieving a passing score on the GRAD; b. achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified language proficiency test in writing for students designated as English language learners; c. achieving an individual passing score on the GRAD as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an IEP or 504 plan; or d. achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an IEP. C. Students enrolled in grade 8 in any school year from the 2005-2006 school year to the 2009-2010 school year who do not pass the mathematics GRAD under Section V.B.1., above, are eligible to receive a high school diploma if they: 1. complete with a passing score or grade all state and local coursework and credits required for graduation by the school board granting the students their diploma; 2. participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in mathematics; and 3. fully participate in at least two retests of the mathematics GRAD test or until they pass the mathematics GRAD test, whichever comes first. D. Students beginning ninth grade in the 2004-2005 school year and later must successfully complete, as determined by the school district, the following high school level course credits for graduation: 1. Four credits of language arts and one-half credit of speech; 2. Three credits of mathematics, encompassing at least algebra, geometry, algebra II to satisfy the academic standard. Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, students must satisfactorily complete or be enrolled in an algebra I credit by the end of eighth grade; 3. Three credits of science, including at least one credit in biology. Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015 school year or later must satisfactorily complete a chemistry physics or career and technical education credit that meets the standards underlying either the chemistry or physics credit; 4. Four credits of social studies, encompassing at least United States history, geography, government and citizenship, world history, and economics, or three credits of social studies, encompassing at least United States history, geography, government and citizenship, and world history, and one-half credit of economics taught in a school’s social studies, agriculture education, or business department; 5. One credit in the arts; and 6. One credit phy.ed. and one-half credit of health; 7. A minimum of five and a half elective course credits. 8. The IEP/504 team can allow for course/credit substitution on an individual student basis. E. Academic standards in health, world languages, and vocational and technical education will be reviewed on a periodic basis.* * Reviews are required to be conducted on a periodic basis. Therefore, this time period may be changed to accommodate individual school district needs. F. 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, 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, Arts K-12; or 1. Minnesota Academic Standards, Social Studies K-12, or have met the requirements of an IEP, a Section 504 accommodation plan, or an alternative learning center; 2. Minnesota Academic Standards, Arts K-12, or have met the requirements of an IEP, a Section 504 accommodation plan, or alternative learning center; and 3. Alternative standards established in the student’s IEP in the academic areas of language arts, mathematics, and science. VI. STUDENTS IN UNIQUE SITUATIONS In order to graduate from the school district, all students must fulfill the graduation test requirements in reading, mathematics, and writing established by Minn. Stat. §§ 120B.02 and 120B.30 as set forth in Sections V.A., V.B., and V.C., above, with the following exceptions: A. ELL students are required to pass the GRAD only if they have been enrolled in any Minnesota school for at least four consecutive years. An ELL student who first enrolls in a Minnesota school in grade 9 or above and who completes the coursework and any other state and district requirements to graduate within a four-year period is not required to pass the GRAD; B. Shared-time students are not required to pass the GRAD unless they intend to graduate from the school district. C. Students who have transferred from another state will not be required to pass the GRAD if they passed graduation examinations in other states with examinations acceptable to MDE. D. Students with IEPs or 504 accommodation plans will be tested and required to pass the GRAD as specified in the students’ IEPs or 504 accommodation plans. VII. EARLY GRADUATION Students may be considered for early graduation, as provided for within Minn. Stat. § 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. VIII. NOTICE Within 30 working days of a student’s entry into grade 9 or transfer into the district during or after grade 9, the school district will notify students and their parents of the school district’s graduation requirements and the grade in which the student will have the first opportunity to take a GRAD. The school district also will provide written notice of the GRAD results to parents and the student no later than 60 days after the school district receives the results and will provide written notice of the basic requirements test results no later than 90 days after the school district receives the results. The school district also will provide notice of remediation and/or additional testing opportunities and/or accommodations. Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 120B.02 (Educational Expectations for Minnesota’s Students) Minn. Stat. § 120B.021 (Required Academic Standards) Minn. Stat. § 120B.023 (Benchmarks) Minn. Stat. § 120B.024 (Graduation Requirements; Course Credits) Minn. Stat. § 120B.07 (Early Graduation) Minn. Stat. § 120B.11 (School District Process) Minn. Stat. § 120B.30 (Statewide Testing and Reporting System) Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0010-3501.0180 (Graduation Standards – Mathematics and Reading) Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0200-3501.0290 (Graduation Standards – Written Composition) Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0505-3501.0550 Academic Standards for Language Arts) Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0700-3501.0745 Academic Standards for Mathematics) Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0800-3501.0815 Academic Standards for the Arts Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0900-3501.0955 Academic Standards in Science Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1000-3501.1190 (Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma) 20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq. (No Child Left Behind Act) Cross References: Stewartville School District Policy 104 (School District Mission Statement) Stewartville School District Policy 601 (School District Curriculum and Instruction Goals) Stewartville School District Policy 614 (School District Testing Plan and Procedure) Stewartville School District Policy 615 (Testing Accommodations, Modifications, and Exemptions for IEPs, Section 504 Plans, and LEP Students) Stewartville School District Policy 616 (School District System Accountability) |
