ACS Graduation Distinction
In addition to meeting all of the requirements for the Texas Recommended diploma set by the state of Texas, ACS students are asked to complete additional requirements in order to meet the mission and graduate profile of an ACS scholar. Students must complete the following in order to earn the full ACS Graduation Distinction:
3 credits of fine arts or other approved ACS elective
1 credit of Latin *
80 Civic Engagement points
Senior Seminar Experience
*Students not taking Latin may take 4 credits of fine arts or ACS electives
If you choose to not take Latin, the following courses count as an ACS-approved elective that will count towards the graduation distinction:
Debate
Journalism
Creative Writing
Literary Genres
Model UN
African American Studies
American Film & Music
Asian Studies
Latin American Studies
AP European History
AP Human Geography
Sociology
Psychology
additional fine arts/performing arts courses
This course is a requirement for students to receive distinction. The senior seminar is an opportunity for students to explore their academy pillars through an internship, a capstone project, or a passion project.
Internship: Students seek out an on-campus or off-campus internship with a business or non-profit group. Internship work can happen during the day OR after school. Internships may be a single semester or year-long.
Capstone Project: Students will work in groups of 2-4 to identify a local, regional, or global need and create/implement a plan to address that need.
Passion Project: Students work independently or with a partner to research any topic they are passionate about and create outcomes that demonstrate learning.
The goal is that students will earn and log these points over all four years of their time at Austin High.
Points get logged via x2vol.com. If you or your student is a freshman, their 9th grade ACS teaching team will walk them through the logging process by the end of the fall semester.
You can learn more about what counts and what doesn't towards civic engagment points on this page.