There are three requirements to graduate:
ONE: Earn a diploma (Core 40 or Honors).
TWO: Complete a service based, work based, or project based learning experience.
THREE: Meet at least one post-secondary readiness competency.
When you hear your counselor or teachers talking about a "pathway" for graduation, they are talking about the third requirement. So let's take a look at what it means.
What is "post-secondary readiness"? It is the idea that students should be ready for life after high school. If you graduate from high school but can't do anything but get a minimum wage job, then what good was high school? Before a student graduates, Indiana wants to make sure they are ready for something else. Here are the ways that you can prove you are ready to advance after high school and satisfy that "pathway" requirement.
COLLEGE READINESS
If you can prove that you are ready for college, then you have completed a pathway to graduation. You can prove this by doing any of the following (you only need one):
Earn the Academic Honors diploma
Pass the ACT or SAT with a score that meets the college ready benchmark
Pass three AP or dual credit classes with a C or better
CAREER READINESS
If you can prove that you are ready for a job that takes more training than a minimum wage job, then you have completed a pathway. You can prove this by doing one of the following:
Earn a C or better in two career classes in a single career path. (The courses can't be "intro" classes)
Pass an industry recognized certification test in a career area, or earn a state recognized credential in a career area.
Complete a federally recognized apprenticeship
MILITARY READINESS
To join the military, you have to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The higher you score, the better jobs you can get in the military. For instance, to work in the medical field, you need to score around an 85. To be in the infantry, you need a 32. The military is a legitimate career for after high school, so if you can pass the ASVAB with a score of 32 or better, you have completed a pathway.