South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 43 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Article 19 - INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM › Section 43-234 - Defined Program, Grades 9-12 and Graduation Requirements

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
Each school district board of trustees must ensure quality schooling by providing a rigorous, relevant curriculum for all students.
Each school district must offer a standards-based academic curriculum organized around a career cluster system that provides students with individualized education pathways and endorsements.
I. Requirements for Earning a South Carolina High School Diploma
A. The student must earn a total of twenty-four units of credit as follows:
Unit Requirements
English language arts
4.0
mathematics
4.0
science
3.0
U.S. History and Constitution
1.0
economics
0.5
U.S. Government
0.5
other social studies
1.0
physical education or Junior ROTC
1.0
computer science
1.0
foreign language or career and technology education
1.0
financial literacy
0.5
electives
6.5
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24.0 total
B. Students shall have the opportunity to earn endorsements within each high school diploma pathway; however, earning an endorsement is not a requirement for graduation. Endorsements shall identify a particular area of focus, beginning with the freshman class of 2018-19. The earning of a graduation endorsement shall be based upon the following criteria:
1. Students shall meet all requirements for earning a South Carolina high school diploma as set forth above and within this regulation.
2. Students may earn one or more endorsements in pathways approved in guidelines set by the State Board of Education (SBE). School districts may apply to the SBE to have additional endorsements approved.
3. English I, II, III, IV or their course equivalents (customized English I, II, III, IV as approved by the SBE through the locally designed course process as mentioned in II.H.1) or higher level courses (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Credit, etc.) must be taken to receive an endorsement.
C. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has the authority to develop guidelines approved by the SBE in accordance with provisions of this regulation.
D. The student must pass a classroom examination on the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist papers, and American institutions and ideals. This instruction must be given for a period of at least one year or its equivalent, either within the required course U.S. History and Constitution or within another course. (For specific regulations regarding the end-of-course test for U.S. History and Constitution, see Reg. 43-262, Assessment Program.) As part of the high school curriculum regarding the United States government required credit, students are required to take the civics test as defined as the one hundred questions that officers of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services use to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of United States history and the principles and form of the United States government.
E. The student must pass a high school credit course in science in which an end-of-course examination is administered.
F. The student must be enrolled for a minimum of one semester immediately preceding his or her graduation, except in case of a bona fide change of residence. Units earned in a summer school program do not satisfy this requirement.