IKFGRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
IKFRegular Education
A minimum of twenty-three (23) units of credit are required for graduation. Listed below are the units that must be completed before a student may receive a high school diploma. Each student shall demonstrate achievement of the standards in reading, writing, science, social studies, and mathematics adopted by the State Board of Education.
Graduation requirements may be met as follows:
A. By successful completion of subject area course requirements.
B. By mastery of the standards adopted by the State Board of Education and other competency requirements for the subjects as determined by the Governing Board in accord with A.A.C. R7-2-302.02 and rules established by the Superintendent or designee.
C. By earning credits through correspondence courses or on-line courses and/or by passing appropriate courses at the college or university level if the courses are determined to meet standards and criteria established by the Board and in accord with A.R.S. 15-701.01.
D. By the transfer of credits as described in Policy JFABC.
E. By earning credits in courses offered through distance education as defined in A.A.C. R7-2-301.01 and R7-2-302.02.
F. An out-of-state transfer student is not required to pass the competency test to graduate if the student has successfully passed a statewide assessment test on state adopted standards that are substantially equivalent to the State Board Adopted Academic Standards.
Graduation requirements as determined by the Arizona State Board of Education (R7-2-302.02) and the District Governing Board are as follows:
English 4.0 units
Math 4.0 units*
Science 3.0 units**
Minimum of 1.0 unit of Physical Science and
Minimum of 1.0 unit of Life Science
Social Studies 3.0 units***
World History and Geography 1.0 units
American/Arizona History 1.0 unit
United States/Arizona Government 0.5 unit
Economics 0.5 unit
Health Education 0.5 unit
Physical Education 1.0 unit
Fine Arts/PracArts/Vocational Education (CTE) 1.0 unit
Fine Arts/Vocational Education (CTE) 1.0 unit
Electives 5.5 units
Total 23.0 units
* In lieu of one (1) credit of Algebra II or its equivalent course content a student may request a personal curriculum in mathematics following R7-2-302.03.
* Math courses shall consist of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, (or its equivalent) and an additional course with significant math content as determined by the Governing Board.
Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-710, a total of one (1) year instruction in state and federal constitutions, American institutions and ideals and in the history of Arizona, including the history of Native Americans in Arizona is required during grades nine (9) through twelve (12).
Pursuant to the prescribed graduation requirements adopted by the State Board of Education, the Governing Board may approve a rigorous computer science course that would fulfill a mathematics course required for graduation from high school. The Governing Board may only approve a rigorous computer science course if the rigorous computer science course includes significant mathematics content and the Governing Board determines the high school where the rigorous computer science course is offered has sufficient capacity, infrastructure and qualified staff, including competent teachers of computer science.
**Three (3) credits of science in preparation for proficiency at the high school level on a state required test.
The District Governing Board Approved Courses Catalog contains information about graduation requirements met by the individual courses approved for offering within the District. This District Catalog also contains information about college and university entrance requirements.
Students who transfer to the Tempe Union High School District in their junior or senior year will not be required to take health.
Service-type credit awarded for non-class service will be designated "administrative assistant." The grade is not counted in the cumulative grade average or class rank. No more than one (1) unit of credit earned as administrative assistant will be counted among the twenty-three (23) units required for graduation.
Civics Test
***Through the graduating class of 2025 the competency requirements for social studies shall include a requirement that, in order to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must correctly answer at least sixty (60) of the one hundred (100) questions listed on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Beginning with the graduating class of 2026 the competency requirements for social studies shall include a requirement that, in order to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must correctly answer at least seventy (70) of the one hundred (100) questions listed on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The District school shall document on the pupil's transcript only a pass or fail designation that the pupil has passed or failed the test.
***The State Board requirement for economics is at least one-half (.5) of a course credit, which shall include financial literacy and personal financial management.
The Governing Board may determine the method and manner in which to administer a test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. A pupil who does not obtain a passing score on the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test may retake the test until the pupil obtains a passing score.
Each school district and charter school shall report to the department of education all of the following aggregate data, organized by grade level, relating to the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services required by subsection A, paragraph 3 of §15-701.01:
1. The median score.
2. The percentage of pupils who passed by correctly answering the minimum number of questions required to pass the test pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of §15-701.01.
3. The percentage of pupils who failed by correctly answering fewer than the minimum number of required to pass the test pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of §15-701.01.
4. Any other data required by the department relating to the test.
A school district or charter school may not include the personally identifiable information of any pupil in the data reported to the department of education under subsection L of §15-701.01.
Section 504 Accommodation Plans
A student with a Section 504 Accommodation Plan, grades nine (9) through twelve (12), is eligible to receive a high school diploma without meeting state competency requirements, unless otherwise specified in the accommodation plan.
Special Education
Listed above, under "Regular Education," are the requirements that must be completed before a student may receive a high school diploma. Completion of graduation requirements for special education students who do not meet the required units of credit shall be determined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the special education course of study and the individualized education program of the student. Graduation requirements established by the Governing Board may be met by a special education student as defined in A.R.S. 15-701.01 and A.A.C. R7-2-302.
Students may be served in special education programs until they have met graduation requirements as delineated in the students' Individualized Education Programs or until the end of the academic year in which the student attains the age of twenty-two (22), whichever comes first.
Pupils who receive special education shall not be required to achieve passing scores on the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test under subsection 15-711.01 in order to graduate from high school unless the pupil is learning at a level appropriate for the pupil's grade level in a specific academic area and unless a passing score on the test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test under section 15-701.01 is specifically required in a specific academic area by the pupil's individualized education program as mutually agreed on by the pupil's parents and the pupil's individualized education program team or the pupil, if the pupil is at least eighteen (18) years of age.
Competency requirements. Any student who is placed in a special education program, grades nine (9) through twelve (12), is eligible to receive a high school diploma without meeting state competency requirements, unless otherwise specified in the student's Individualized Education Program.
State Seal of Biliteracy and Seal of Fine Arts. The School District may voluntarily participate in the state seal of Biliteracy and Fine Arts programs by notifying the Superintendent of Public Instruction of such intention. Schools will then identify the students who have met the requirements to be awarded the state seal of Biliteracy and the state seal of Fine Arts, which shall be affixed to the diploma and noted on the transcript of each student who has met the requirements.
CPR Instruction and Training. School districts and charter schools shall provide public school pupils with one (1) or more training sessions in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, through the use of psychomotor skills in an age-appropriate manner, during high school.
Adopted: June 12, 2024
LEGAL REF.:
A.R.S.
15-203
15-341
15-701.01
15-710
15-763
A.A.C.
R7-2-302.02
R7-2-302.03
CROSS REF.:
IGD - Curriculum Adoption
IGE - Curriculum Guides and Course Outlines
IHAMC - Instruction and Training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
IHAMD - Instruction and Training in Suicide Prevention
IIE - Student Schedules and Course Loads
IKA - Grading/Assessment Systems
JFABC - Admission of Transfer Students