Virginia Administrative Code › Title 8 - EDUCATION › Agency 20 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 131 - REGULATIONS ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA › Part III - Student Achievement › Section 8VAC20-131-51 - Requirements for graduation (effective with the students who enter the ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year)

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. The requirements for a student to earn a
				  diploma and graduate from a Virginia high school shall be those in effect when
				  that student enters the ninth grade for the first time. Students shall be
				  awarded a diploma upon graduation from a Virginia high school.
Both the Standard Diploma and the Advanced Studies Diploma
					 shall provide multiple paths toward college, career, and citizenship readiness
					 for students to follow in the later years of high school. Each such pathway
					 shall provide meaningful and rigorous opportunities tied to instruction to
					 achieve workplace and citizenship skills through experiences such as
					 internships, externships, credentialing, and blended learning, which may be
					 offered for credit toward high school graduation.
In accordance with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate
					 approved by the board, the instructional program leading to a Standard Diploma
					 or Advanced Studies Diploma shall ensure that students (i) attain the
					 knowledge, skills, competencies, and experiences necessary to be successful in
					 the evolving global economy whether immediately entering the world of work or
					 pursuing a postsecondary education and (ii) acquire and be able to demonstrate
					 foundational skills in critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration,
					 communication, and citizenship.
When students below the ninth grade successfully complete
					 courses offered for credit in grades 9 through 12, credit shall be counted
					 toward meeting the standard units required for graduation provided the courses
					 are equivalent in content and academic rigor as those courses offered at the
					 secondary level. To earn a verified unit of credit for these courses, students
					 must meet the requirements of
					 8VAC20-131-110.
The requirements in this section shall be the only
					 requirements for a diploma, unless a local school board has prescribed
					 additional requirements that have been approved by the board. All additional
					 requirements prescribed by local school boards that have been approved by the
					 board remain in effect until such time as the local school board submits a
					 request to the board to amend or discontinue them.
B. Requirements for a Standard Diploma.
1. Beginning with the ninth-grade class of
				  2018-2019 and beyond, students shall earn the required standard and verified
				  units of credit described in subdivision 2 of this subsection.
2. Credits required for graduation with a
				  Standard Diploma.
A "standard unit of credit" or "standard credit" is a
					 credit awarded for a course in which the student successfully completes 140
					 clock hours of instruction and the requirements of the course. Local school
					 boards may develop alternatives to the requirement for 140 clock hours of
					 instruction as provided for in
					 8VAC20-131-110
					 and in accordance with board guidelines.
A "verified unit of credit" or "verified credit" is a
					 credit awarded for a course in which a student earns a standard unit of credit
					 and (i) achieves a passing score on a corresponding end-of-course SOL test;
					 (ii) achieves a passing score on an additional test, as defined in
					 8VAC20-131-5 as part
					 of the Virginia Assessment Program; (iii) meets the criteria for the receipt of
					 a locally awarded verified credit conferred in accordance with board criteria
					 and guidelines as provided in
					 8VAC20-131-110
					 B 3 when the student has not passed a corresponding SOL test in English,
					 mathematics, laboratory science, or history and social science; or (iv) meets
					 the criteria for the receipt of a verified credit for English (writing) by
					 demonstrating mastery of the content of the associated course on authentic
					 performance assessments as provided in
					 8VAC20-131-110
					 B 4.
No more than one locally awarded verified credit may be
					 used to satisfy these requirements, except as provided in subdivision 3 of this
					 subsection for credit accommodations for students with disabilities.
Discipline Area
Standard Units of Credit Required
Verified Credits Required
English (reading and writing)
4
2
Mathematics
3
1
Laboratory Science
3
1
History and Social Science
3
1
Health and Physical Education
2
World Language, Fine Arts, or Career and Technical
								Education
2
Economics and Personal Finance
1
Electives
4
Total
22
5
Discipline Area
Specifications
Mathematics
Courses completed to satisfy this requirement shall
								include at least two different course selections from among: algebra I,
								geometry, algebra functions, and data analysis, algebra II, or other
								mathematics courses approved by the board to satisfy this requirement. Per the
								Standards of Quality, a computer science course credit earned by students may
								be considered a mathematics course credit.
Laboratory Science
Courses completed to satisfy this requirement shall
								include course selection from at least two different science disciplines: earth
								sciences, biology, chemistry, or physics, or completion of the sequence of
								science courses required for the International Baccalaureate Diploma and shall
								include interdisciplinary courses that incorporate Standards of Learning
								content from multiple academic areas. The board shall approve courses to
								satisfy this requirement. Per the Standards of Quality, a computer science
								course credit earned by students may be considered a science course credit.
A laboratory science verified credit may be awarded
								to students who complete a career and technical education program sequence and
								(i) pass two examinations or occupational competency assessments in a career
								and technical education field that confers certification or an occupational
								competency credential from a recognized industry, trade, or professional
								association; (ii) acquire two professional licenses in a career and technical
								education field from the Commonwealth of Virginia; or (iii) pass one
								examination or competency assessment from clause (i) and acquire one license
								from clause (ii). The examination or occupational competency assessment must be
								approved by the board as an additional test to verify student achievement.
History and Social Science
Courses completed to satisfy this requirement shall
								include Virginia and U.S. history, Virginia and U.S. government, and one course
								in either world history or geography or both. The board shall approve courses
								to satisfy this requirement.
World Language, Fine Arts, or Career and Technical
								Education
Per the Standards of Quality, credits earned for
								this requirement shall include one credit in fine or performing arts or career
								and technical education. Per the Standards of Quality, a computer science
								course credit earned by students may be considered a career and technical
								course credit.
Electives
Courses to satisfy this requirement shall include
								at least two sequential electives as required by the Standards of Quality.
Additional Requirements for Graduation
(i) complete an Advanced Placement, honors, or
								International Baccalaureate course, or
(ii) earn a career and technical
Advanced Placement, Honors, or International
								Baccalaureate Course or Career and Technical Education Credential
In accordance with the Standards of Quality,
								students shall (i) complete an Advanced Placement, honors, International
								Baccalaureate, or dual enrollment course; (ii) complete a high-quality
								work-based learning experience, as established by board guidance on work-based
								learning; or (iii) earn a career and technical education credential approved by
								the board, except when a career and technical education credential in a
								particular subject area is not readily available or appropriate or does not
								adequately measure student competency, in which case the student shall receive
								satisfactory competency-based instruction in the subject area to satisfy the
								standard diploma requirements. The career and technical education credential,
								when required, could include the successful completion of an industry
								certification, a state licensure examination, a national occupational
								competency assessment, or the Virginia workplace readiness assessment.
Virtual Course
Students shall successfully complete one virtual
								course, which may be a non-credit-bearing course or a required or elective
								credit-bearing course that is offered online.
Training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary
								resuscitation (CPR), and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED)
Students shall be trained in emergency first aid,
								CPR, and the use of AED, including hands-on practice of the skills necessary to
								perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Students with an individualized
								education plan (IEP) or 504 Plan that documents that they cannot successfully
								complete this training shall be granted a waiver from this graduation
								requirement, as provided in
								8VAC20-131-420
								B.
Demonstration of the five Cs
Students shall acquire and demonstrate foundational
								skills in critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication,
								and citizenship in accordance with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate approved
								by the board.
3.
				  The board shall establish through guidelines credit accommodations to the
				  standard and verified credit requirements for a Standard Diploma. Such credit
				  accommodations for students with disabilities may include:
a. Approval of alternative courses to meet
				  the standard credit requirements;
b. Modifications to the requirements for
				  local school divisions to award locally awarded verified credits;
c. Approval of additional tests to earn a
				  verified credit;
d. Adjusted cut
				  scores required to earn verified credit; and
e. Allowance of work-based learning
				  experiences.
The student's IEP or 504 Plan shall specify any credit
					 accommodations applicable for the student.
Students completing the requirements for the Standard
					 Diploma may be eligible to receive an honor deemed appropriate by the local
					 school board as described in subsection H of this section.