Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 160 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Chapter 160-4 › Subject 160-4-2 - DIVISION OF GENERAL INSTRUCTION › Rule 160-4-2-.48 - High School Graduation Requirements for Students Enrolling in the Ninth Grade for the First Time in the 2008-09 School Year and Subsequent Years

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1)
PURPOSE
. This rule specifies programs of study that shall be
				offered by local boards of education for students enrolling in the ninth grade
				for the first time in the 2008-2009 School Year and for subsequent
				years.
(2)
DEFINITIONS
.
(a)
Alternate
				Diploma
- the document awarded to students with the most significant
				cognitive disabilities who were assessed using the alternate assessment aligned
				to alternate academic achievement standards. While this diploma is
				standards-based and aligned with the state requirements for the regular high
				school diploma, it is not a regular high school diploma. Therefore, an
				alternate diploma does not terminate Free and Appropriate Public Education
				(FAPE) for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
(b)
Career, Technical and Agricultural
				Education (CTAE) Pathways
- Three elective units in a coherent sequence
				that includes rigorous content aligned with industry-related standards leading
				to college and work readiness in a focused area of student interest.
(c)
Core Courses
- courses
				identified as "c" or "r" in Rule
				160-4-2-.20 List of State-Funded K-8
				Subjects and 9-12 Courses.
(d)
Elective Courses
- any courses identified as "e" in Rule
				160-4-2-.20 List of State-Funded K-8
				Subjects and 9-12 Courses that a student may select beyond the core
				requirements to fulfill the unit requirements for graduation.
(e)
Georgia Alternate Assessment
				(GAA)
- an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement
				standards. The GAA is a standardized, task-based assessment with multiple
				access points designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities
				under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) whose
				Individualized Education Program (IEP) team has determined they are unable to
				meaningfully access the regular assessment program, even with maximum
				appropriate accommodations. The purpose of the GAA is to ensure that students
				with significant cognitive disabilities are provided access to the state
				academic content standards and given the opportunity to demonstrate achievement
				of the knowledge, concepts, and skills inherent in the standards.
(f)
Required courses
- specific
				courses identified as "r" in Rule
				160-4-2-.20 List of State-Funded K-8
				Subjects and 9-12 Courses that each student in a program of study shall pass to
				graduate from high school.
(g)
Secondary School Credential
- a document awarded to students at
				the completion of the high school experience.
1.
High School Diploma
- the
				document awarded to students certifying that they have satisfied attendance
				requirements, unit requirements and the state assessment requirements as
				referenced in Rule
				160-3-1-.07 Testing Programs -
				Student Assessment.
2.
High
				School Certificate
- the document awarded to pupils who do not complete
				all of the criteria for a diploma or who have not passed the state assessment
				requirements as referenced in Rule
				160-3-1-.07 Testing Programs -
				Student Assessment, but who have earned 23 units.
3.
Special Education Diploma
-
				the document awarded to students with disabilities assigned to a special
				education program who have not met the state assessment requirements referenced
				in Rule 160-3-1-.07
				Testing Programs - Student Assessment or who have not completed all of the
				requirements for a high school diploma but who have nevertheless completed
				their IEP.
(h)
Significant Cognitive Disabilities
- students with significant
				intellectual disabilities or intellectual disabilities concurrent with motor,
				sensory or emotional/behavioral disabilities who require substantial
				adaptations and support to access the general curriculum and require additional
				instruction focused on relevant life skills and participate in the Georgia
				Alternate Assessment (GAA).
(i)
Unit
- one unit of credit awarded for a minimum of 150 clock hours
				of instruction or 135 hours of instruction in an approved block
				schedule.
(j)
Unit, Summer
				School
- one unit of credit awarded for a minimum of 120 clock hours of
				instruction.