For more than a decade, parents, employers and colleges have been asking for high statewide standards. Teachers, parents and students designed the Graduation Standards to meet these requests. Minnesota's Graduation Standards have two components, the Basic Standards and the High Standards , also know as the Profile of Learning. The Basic Standards are basic skills tests in reading, mathematics , and writing that students must pass in order to be eligible to receive a diploma from public high school. The reading and mathematics tests are first given in the eighth grade and the written composition test is first given in the tenth grade.
Students are able to retest every year until a passing score is attained.
The High Standards are organized into ten learning areas. Beginning with the class of 2002 and beyond, students must complete 24 of the 48 high school standards. While students may choose which standards they wish to complete in some of the learning areas, there are some standards that are required for all students. For examples, all students must complete the Citizenship standard from People and Cultures, but they may choose two of five different science standards. The new standards focus on what students know and can do.