Graduation Requirements

In order for a student to be eligible for graduation at the completion of the 8th grade year, the following conditions must be met:

1. The student must successfully pass an examination on the State and Federal Constitution as well as the flag of the United States.

2. The student must complete all of the specific department requirements.

Participation in commencement exercises at the end of a student’s eighth grade year is seen as both a beginning to a new stage of life as students enter their high school years as well as a culmination of their educational lives in District 101.

To assure that commencement represents the accomplishments students have made through the course of their schooling in District 101, standards of attendance, behavior and academic performance must be met. These standards, while lenient in overall student expectations, help to keep integrity in the commencement exercises for all students who participate in it. These standards are outlined below.

Students who participate in commencement must meet state and local standards for attendance and truancy. Eighth grade students who are deemed “chronically absent” or “chronically truant” will be deemed ineligible to participate in commencement exercises.

Written notification will be mailed to parents of eighth grade students as well as the Superintendent of Schools when a student has surpassed nine (9) school days of absence to notify them of the possibility of exclusion from the commencement exercises.

Note: Students who supplement the loss of academic time due to excessive absences with home-bound tutoring will be exempt from this standard and will be eligible to participate in commencement exercises. This should be coordinated in advance with the building principal.

Students who are chronic discipline problems (ten (10) or more discipline related referrals within their eighth grade year) or who have demonstrated that they are unlikely to uphold the behavior standards expected throughout the commencement proceedings (as exhibited during commencement practices held in the final week of school) may be deemed ineligible for participation in commencement exercises.

Written notification will be mailed to parents of eighth grade students as well as the Superintendent of Schools when a student has surpassed five (5) discipline related referrals to notify them of the possibility of exclusion from the commencement exercises.

Academic standards are set forth for consideration of Retention in a student’s present grade level. Any student who was considered for Retention due to not meeting Academic Standards, but who will not be retained in their eighth grade year will be ineligible for commencement participation. Eligibility for Retention is per District 101 Board of Education policy.

Written notification will be mailed to parents of eighth grade students as well as the Superintendent of Schools to notify them of the possibility of exclusion from the commencement exercises.