- Procedure
Procedure: 2410P
Section: 2000 - Instruction
Title: High School Graduation Requirement Procedures
Status: Active
Adopted: May 28, 2009
Procedure - High School Graduation Requirement
I. Introduction
These Ferndale School District graduation procedures have been developed by the Superintendent to: 1) implement Board Policy 2410, Graduation Requirements; 2) satisfy the State Board of Education requirements; and 3) recognize the expectations of the citizens of the District.
The Board shall award a regular Ferndale High School diploma to every student enrolled in the District who meets these requirements. This diploma may be attained through completion of appropriate high school graduation requirements on any of the three (3) Ferndale High School campuses: Clearview, Ferndale, and/or Windward.
II. Publication of Graduation Requirements
Prior to registering in high school, and each year thereafter, each student and his/her parents or guardians will be provided with a copy of the graduation requirements in effect for that student (those in effect when the student enrolled in ninth grade unless ten (10) years have elapsed). Graduation requirements shall also be included in the student handbook.
III. High School Completion
Each student is to develop, update as necessary, and initially have on file a High School Completion Plan approved by the parent/guardian.
Counselors will provide assistance to incoming ninth graders and their families in developing educational plans. Changes in plans should normally reflect parent consent and should be submitted to the appropriate counselor. At the conclusion of each year the school will provide the student and his/her parents/guardians with a report which reflects the progress that has been made toward satisfying the graduation requirements. If progress is not normal, the school will identify alternative courses that can be taken to correct the deficiencies.
IV. Subject Area Requirements and Approved Courses
The graduation requirements for students who entered Ferndale High School prior to July 1, 2009 shall be those in place when they entered the ninth grade and shall continue for a period of up to ten (10) years.
The following courses are approved for satisfying the subject area requirements as established by the State Board of Education and the Ferndale School District for students entering the ninth grade on or after July 1, 2009:
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*The Ferndale High School administrators will review any unintended or unmanageable implementation consequences of the third science requirement by June of 2011; forwarding any resultant recommendation for requirement reconsideration to the Board.
V. Additional Requirements
A High School and Beyond Plan and Culminating Project are also required. In assisting students with developing a High School and Beyond Plan the high school should:
A. Provide internal and external resources to ensure successful development and implementation of the High School and Beyond Plan.
B. Provide the opportunity for student choice, voice and ownership of the High School and Beyond Plan.
C. Teach students a planning process that provides a capacity to create, review and revise the High School and Beyond Plan.
D. Prepare all students for post-secondary options.
E. Align the High School and Beyond Plan with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements, State Learning Goals, and District goals and link to the Ferndale District high school graduation requirements.
F. Collect and analyze data to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the High School and Beyond Plan.
G. Assure parent/guardian involvement in the planning process, including the student’s development of the High School and Beyond Plan.
In assisting students with developing the Culminating Project the high school should:
A. Advise the student and parents of the requirement to complete a Culminating Project as a graduation requirement, including the components required for a Ferndale High School diploma.
B. Provide the student assistance and guidance annually on completing the Culminating Project.
C. The Culminating Project will include:
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a demonstration of the student’s ability to communicate through the completion of a paper requiring the ability to research and give reasonable evidence and commentary to support a thesis;
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a demonstration of the student’s ability to communicate orally through a presentation to peers, teachers and/or community members;
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completion of a self directed student project that demonstrates the student’s academic and management skills; and,
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the completion of a community service project or other
approved project.
D. Review each student’s progress annually.
E. Provide opportunities within the curriculum for students to work on projects.
F. Ensure projects align with goals three and four of the state learning goals.
VI. Credits
Students shall be expected to earn a total of thirty (30) credits in order to complete graduation requirements. For credit purposes, a class must meet for a total of one hundred fifty (150) hours of planned instruction.
Up to two (2) credits may also be granted for satisfactory demonstration of clearly identified competencies providing the Ferndale High School Principal has determined: 1) any such credit meets the minimum college core admissions standards set by the higher education coordinating board for admission into a public, baccalaureate institution;
and/or 2) any such competency is developed outside of planned instruction for which the student receives traditional (course-based) credit. The Ferndale High School Principal shall retain the exclusive right to determine the appropriateness of any requested competency credit(s). In addition, such approvals will be limited to those situations in which the Principal determines appropriate assessment instruments exist (there is no expectation for such assessment(s) to be developed in order to respond to any request for competency credit).
The Ferndale High School Principal, or designee, is responsible for determining whether the substitution of one (1) course requirement for another is possible as part of a planned program.
Credit toward graduation may be granted for any course taken in the seventh or eighth grade which is equivalent to a course offered at the high school. Grades received in seventh and/or eighth grade will be calculated into the high school cumulative grade point average. Students and parents/guardians will be informed of this prior to enrollment in any such course.
The Ferndale High School Principal, or designee, is responsible for determining which credits will be recognized by the District for students enrolling from another state approved learning program (public school, approved private school or home school), or from out-of-state, or out-of- country. Credits from another Washington public school or accredited state private school or accredited out-of-state public or private school shall be accepted to the extent the credit matches a District graduation requirement, or may be counted as an elective credit. Credits from unaccredited programs or home schools shall be evaluated as described below for home school students. Decisions of the Principal, or designee, may be appealed to the Superintendent within fifteen (15) business days of the initial decision.
VII. Waiver of Graduation Requirements
All state requirements must be satisfied except that Washington history and government may be waived for students who have completed and passed a state history and government course in another state during grades seven (7) through twelve (12) and who have fulfilled study of the Washington state constitution through an alternative learning experience approved by the Ferndale High School Principal. Additionally, physical education, pursuant to RCW 28A.230.050, may be waived upon written request of a parent/guardian on account of physical disability, employment, religious belief, or because of participation in directed athletics or military science and tactics. This shall not alter the credit requirements established by the Board or this Procedure.
The following procedure shall be followed in graduation waiver requests:
A. The Ferndale High School Principal is responsible for evaluating educational experiences of individual students and recommending graduation to the Superintendent when requirements have been met.
An individual student may be granted an exemption from any requirement in this policy if such requirement impedes the progress toward graduation provided there is a direct relationship between the failure to meet the requirement and the student's ability. When a 12th grade student transfers from another high school, the student may be permitted to graduate with a lesser number of credits provided that minimum state course and credit requirements are satisfied and the student successfully passes a full schedule of classes during his/her 12th year of school.
B. Waiver of graduation requirements is determined by the Ferndale High School Principal. The procedure for processing requests for waiver shall be as follows:
- the request shall be initiated by the parent/guardian or the eligible student;
- the Principal shall investigate the request for waiver of graduation requirements;
- the Principal shall make a determination in writing based upon appropriate data and upon conclusions of the investigation;
- the Principal shall develop appropriate record keeping procedures for storage of all pertinent data relating to each waiver request; and
- the parent/guardian or eligible student shall be notified that an appeal to the decision on waiver requests may be made in writing to the Superintendent no later than thirty (30) days prior to the anticipated graduation date.
VIII. Alternative Programs
Credit toward graduation requirements may be granted for planned learning experiences primarily conducted away from the facilities owned, operated or supervised by a district.
A proposal for approval of out-of-school learning activities shall be submitted prior to the experience, shall be at no additional cost to the District, and shall include at least the following information:
A. the objective(s) of the program;
B. the teaching component(s) of the program, including where and when teaching activities will be conducted by school district certificated staff;
C. a schedule of the duration of the program, including beginning and ending dates within the school year;
D. a description of how student performance will be supervised, evaluated, and recorded by the certificated staff or by qualified school district employees under the direct supervision of the certificated staff;
E. a description of intervention techniques and criteria for their use;
F. a description of how student performance will be assessed;
G. the qualifications of instructional personnel; and,
H. plans for evaluation of program.
A list of approved programs shall be kept on file in the Principal’s office and a copy will be provided to the Superintendent's office. Reasons for approval or disapproval shall be communicated to those making the request.
IX. Credit for Work Experience
The use of work experience as a part of the educational program of students should be regarded as part of the secondary school curriculum rather than just a device to relieve a manpower shortage. The following are the bases upon which credit may be granted for work experience:
A. the work program shall be supervised by the school;
B. the work experience shall be specifically related to the school program of the student;
C. credit given for work experience shall represent growth in the student, and the type of work done should have definite educational value;
D. the job in which experience is gained shall provide varied experience;
E. the work experience program shall be supplemented by an adequate program of guidance, placement, follow-up and coordination between job and school by the placement counselor/coordinator;
F. work experience as a planned part of a school subject may be included in the credit given for that subject (e.g., sales training class);
G. one (1) credit may be granted for not less than one hundred eighty
(180) hours for instructional work based learning experience, and not less than three hundred sixty (360) hours of cooperative work based learning experience related to a student’s school program;
H. participating students shall be legally employed and must have passed their sixteenth (16th) birthday;
I. an employer's report of the student's work record, indicating satisfactory progress on the job, shall be filed with the school; and,
J. the regular state apprenticeship program, where the training is worked out cooperatively with the school and meets the standards for graduation requirements, is acceptable.
X. College, University, and Correspondence Courses
Credit will be granted for correspondence, vocational-technical institutes and/or college courses for college or university course work that the District has agreed to accept for high school credit. State law requires that the District award one (1) high school credit for every five (5) quarter hour credits or three (3) semester hour credits successfully earned through a college or university, except for community college high school completion programs where the District awards the diploma. Tenth and eleventh grade students and their parents/guardians shall be notified annually of the Running Start Program.
A. Credit for correspondence courses may be granted provided the following requirements are met:
- prior permission has been granted by the principal; and
- the program fits the educational plan submitted by the student.
B. Credit may be granted for the following approved schools:
- those approved by the National University Extension Association or the National Home Study Council;
- community colleges, vocational/technical institutes, four-year colleges and universities, and approved private schools in the State of Washington; and
- other schools or institutions which are approved by the District after evaluation for a particular course offering.
XI. National Guard High School Career Training
Credit may be granted for national guard high school career training in lieu of either required or elective high school credits. Approval by the District shall be obtained prior to a student's participation in a national guard training program as follows:
A. MIL Form 115 or an equivalent form now or hereafter provided by the national guard shall be completed and filed with the school district; and,
B. the number of credits toward high school graduation to be granted shall be calculated, agreed upon by the student and an authorized representative of the District, and such agreement noted on MIL Form 115 or such equivalent form.
Credit toward high school graduation may be granted by the District upon certification by a national guard training unit commander on the completion component of MIL Form 115 or such equivalent form that the student has met all program requirements.
XII. Home School Credit
Guidelines for granting high school credit for home schooling are as follows:
A. To gain credit for a course of study, a student shall provide:
- a journal which reflects the actual work completed during a home-study course of study;
- exhibit(s) of any specific projects completed (e.g., themes, research papers, art and/or shop projects); and/or,
- any such other performance-based exhibits of specific course- related accomplishments.
B. To gain credit for a course of study, a student shall demonstrate proficiency at a minimum of eighty percent (80%) of the objectives of the course. Such testing shall be available as an ancillary service of the District if it is regularly available to all students. If not, the parent/guardian may engage District-approved personnel to conduct such an assessment at a cost to be determined by such personnel.
C. Credit is granted for the following approved schools:
- community colleges, vocational-technical institutes, four-year colleges and universities, and approved private schools in the state of Washington; and,
- other schools or institutions which are approved by the District after evaluation for a particular course offering.
XIII. Special Education Students
Any student who meets the eligibility criteria for a special education disability category and is assigned to the Special Education Program will be eligible for a high school diploma, providing the student's Individual Education Program (IEP) is active.
If there is a direct relationship between a high school requirement and the student's handicapping condition, and if the high school requirement impedes the student's progress toward graduation, a special accommodation or exemption for an individual may be provided.
Special education students, prior to satisfying graduation requirements, may participate in the graduation ceremony with their age- appropriate cohort and be given a certificate of attendance.
XIV. Transfer Students
Evaluation of a student's transcript at the time of transfer will determine grade level placement. A student who has maintained passing grades in another accredited or state approved school is normally placed at the equivalent grade level at Ferndale High School (Clearview, Ferndale, or Windward campus).
However, in cases where the Ferndale High School Principal is not reasonably certain—based upon personal knowledge, experience, and/or other available information—that courses from other schools or programs satisfy District content and other standards for particular subject areas, granting of credit may be subject to reasonable verification. The Principal’s determination may be based upon examination of written curricula, site visits, communication with persons with information, demonstrated knowledge and skills in the discipline for which credit is sought and/or other factors as the Principal determines reasonable and appropriate in the particular case.
XV. Graduation Ceremonies
If students fulfill graduation requirements by the end of the last term of their senior year, they may participate in graduation ceremonies. However, related to the culminating project, the student must have completed, at standard, all components except the presentation by the published deadline (see Culminating Project Handbook). Students who do not meet the deadline may present at a later date, and still be eligible for a diploma, but will not be allowed to participate in commencement exercises. It is the sole responsibility of each student to ensure he/she is on track for graduation and meeting all requirements.
Each student shall be awarded a diploma after satisfactorily completing local and state requirements. Upon request, each graduating student shall receive a final transcript. Each student shall be notified of this opportunity at least one (1) month prior to the close of the school term.
A student may be denied participation in the graduation ceremonies, in accordance with Policy 3200, Student Rights and Responsibilities, for violations of school rules. Such exclusion shall be regarded as a school suspension. In such instances, a diploma may be granted. A student may also be allowed to participate in graduation, but not given a diploma until the sanctions associated with a disciplinary action have been completed.
Graduation ceremonies will be conducted in the following manner:
A. Each participating student must participate in the graduation ceremony rehearsal. Each student who participates will purchase or rent the proper cap and gown as designated by the school administration and the class advisor and officers.
B. Caps and gowns will be worn in the proper manner, as designated by the school administration and class advisor. However, each Ferndale High School campus (Clearview, Ferndale, Windward) may be so designated, in an approved manner, as to permit identification and celebration (e.g., colored cords, hoods).
C. Students who participate will be expected to use good taste in their choice of accessories for their attire.
D. Each student who participates will be expected to cooperate with the class advisor and to participate in all parts of the graduation ceremonies.
E. Failure to comply with the above requirements will automatically forfeit a student's privilege of participation in the graduation ceremonies.
Adopted: 05.28.2009
- 2000