Diploma Requirements

COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION

Students must earn 22 units of credit or more in grades 9-12 in order to graduate. Students must also:

• Pass four (4) years of English – 4 credits
• Pass four (4) years of Social Studies – 4 credits
• Pass three (3) years of Math – 3 credits
• Pass three (3) years of Science– 3 credits
• Pass one (1) year of Foreign Language (Spanish) – 1 credit
• Pass one half (1/2) year of Health – 0.5 credit
• Pass one (1) unit of Fine Arts* – 1 credit
• Pass four (4) years of Physical Education (1/2 credit each year) – 2 credits
• Pass four (4) Elective Courses – 3.5 credits

*Fine Arts requirements may be met by taking Studio Art, Design and Drawing for Production, Choir, or Band.

REQUIRED COURSE BREAKDOWN

In addition to these required courses, students planning their course selections must select additional credits from the elective courses available each year. Students are enrolled in at least 5.5 credits each year (5 classes plus PE) but may select more credits if they wish. (R) = Regents exam

Required Courses – Grade 9

• English 9 – 1 credit
• Social Studies 9 – 1 credit
• Algebra I (R) OR Algebra Extended 1– 1 credit
• Living Environment (R) and Lab – 1 credit
• Studio Art, Band, or Choir – 1 credit
• Physical Education – 0.5 credit

Students are offered the opportunity to earn the required Foreign Language credit in 8th grade. The Checkpoint A exam is required for graduation, and is offered at the end of their accelerated 8th grade study. If a student does not earn this credit in 8th grade, it will be part of their 9th grade studies.

Required Courses – Grade 10

• English 10 – 1 credit
• Social Studies 10 (R) – 1 credit
• Geometry (R), Applied Geometry (R), or Algebra Extended 2 (R) – 1 credit
• Earth Science (R) and Lab – 1 credit
• Health – 0.5 credit
• Physical Education – 0.5 credit

Required Courses – Grade 11

• English 11 (R) – 1 credit
• US History and Government (R) – 1 credit (A Third Year of Math) – 1 credit
• (A Third Year of Science) – 1 credit
• Physical Education – 0.5 credit

Required Courses – Grade 12

• English 12 – 1 credit
• Government & Economics 12 – 1 credit
• Physical Education – 0.5 credit

NEW YORK STATE REGENTS EXAMINATION GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• Regents Diploma: Five required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better:
  • Math
  • Science
  • English Language Arts (ELA)
  • Social Studies
  • One additional exam from either Math, Science, or Social Studies

*The Regents Diploma with Honors requires a minimum average of 90% on these five exams.

• Advanced Regents Diploma: Eight required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better as follows:
  • Math (3)
  • Science (2)
  • ELA
  • Global History and Geography
  • US History and Government
  • Either a locally developed Checkpoint B Language Other Than English (LOTE) examination (3 unit sequence in LOTE) or a 5 unit sequence in the Arts or CTE

*The Advanced Designation Diploma with Honors requires a minimum average of 90% on these eight exams.

*Note: Each Regents grade is averaged at the same weight of one, and scores below 90.0 shall not be rounded upward to 90% (Source: New York State Education Department)

• Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Mastery in Math meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation AND scores 85 or better on each of three Regents Examinations in Mathematics.
• Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Mastery in Science meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation AND scores 85 or better on each of three Regents Examinations in Science.

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LOCAL DIPLOMA (Accessible Only to Students with Disabilities with an IEP or Section 504 Accommodation Plan)

• Low Pass Safety Net Option: 5 required Regents exams with a score of 55 or better as follows:
  • Math
  • Science
  • ELA
  • Social Studies
  • One additional exam from either Math, Science, or Social Studies
• Compensatory Safety Net Option: Scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the English Language Arts (ELA) or mathematics exam, but compensates the low score with a score of 65 or higher on another required Regents exam. A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and mathematics exams. A score of 65 or higher on a single examination may not be used to compensate for more than one examination for which a score of 45-54 is earned.

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