Graduation Requirements
Exiting with a Diploma or Certificate of Completion
COMAR 13a.03.02.09 provides guidelines for school systems to award high school diplomas and certificates of completion. The transition plan sets forth appropriate goals and services to help reach students' goals to be awarded a diploma or certificate of completion, as appropriate, and based on students' individual needs.
Maryland High School Diplomas shall be awarded to a student who:
Complete State of Maryland enrollment, credit, and service requirements;
Complete MCPS local school system requirements; and
Meet the graduation assessment requirements in the following ways:
Achieve a passing score on the Maryland High School Assessments for Algebra I, science, government, and English 10;
Achieve a combined score(s) as established by the Department on the Maryland High School Assessments;
Achieve a passing score on an approved alternative assessment as established by the Department, such as Maryland High School Assessment for Algebra II, Advanced Placement examinations, SAT, ACT, or International Baccalaureate examinations; or
If a student is unable to meet the requirements above, then the student shall satisfactorily complete the requirements of the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation.
Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion shall be awarded only to students with disabilities who cannot meet the requirements for a diploma but who meet the following standards:
The student is enrolled in an education program for at least 4 years beyond Grade 8 or its age equivalent, and is determined by an IEP team, with the agreement of the student and the parents of the student, to have developed appropriate skills for the individual to enter the world of work, act responsibly as a citizen, and enjoy a fulfilling life, with the world of work including but not limited to:
Gainful employment;
Post-secondary education and training;
Supported employment; and
Other services that are integrated in the community; or
The student has been enrolled in an education program for 4 years beyond Grade 8 or its age equivalent and will have reached age 21 by the end of the student's current school year.
The final decision to award a student with disabilities a Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion will not be made until after the beginning of the student's last year in high school.
The Maryland Summary of Performance is a document generated when students with disabilities exit with a Maryland High School Diploma or Maryland Certificate of Completion. It summarizes a student’s skills, strengths, and interests and provides important information that may be useful as students transition from school to postsecondary activities, including employment, postsecondary education, or independent living. Students receive a copy of their Summary of Performance to complement the Maryland High School Diploma or the Maryland High School Certificate of Completion. A hard copy is placed in the student’s confidential folder.
If a student participates in a graduation ceremony prior to the completion of the student’s education program, at the ceremony the school system shall issue to the student a Certificate of Achievement or other similarly titled certificate in place of a diploma.
Alternatives to Meeting High School Graduation Assessment Requirements
Students who are unable to pass high school assessments required to obtain a high school diploma may be eligible to meet assessment requirements through alternative methods.
The Bridge Plan for Academic Validation provides a process that helps ensure all students have a fair opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills if traditional assessments are not effective measures for them. Each student who failed a Maryland High School Assessment once may participate in the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation process and shall be provided at least one opportunity to retake the appropriate assessment in accordance with the testing schedule issued by MSDE. The Bridge Plan for Academic Validation process does not change Maryland graduation requirements. The process does provide remediation and a path to graduation that is meaningful, rigorous, and clearly tied to State standards.
In compliance with guidance from MSDE, IEP teams must ensure students with disabilities are eligible to participate in the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation. Students who fail to pass the HSAs after participating in interventions are eligible to participate in the Bridge Plan. The student must be on track to fulfill all graduation requirements. Information regarding the Bridge Plan can be found in the Maryland Bridge Plan for Academic Validation Administrative Manual.
The HSA Waiver Process permits a school's principal to consider whether to recommend individual seniors to the superintendent for consideration of a waiver from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment graduation requirements when a student:
Meets the following criteria:
The student has or will meet all other graduation requirements;
The student has or will take all required Maryland Comprehensive Assessments before the graduation date; and
If the student had an opportunity to participate in one or more interventions, or remediation opportunities, including the Bridge Plan, the student participated in them; and
The student is prevented from meeting the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment graduation requirements because:
Of a decision made by the local school system concerning the provision of appropriate assistance as required by Maryland Regulation .06C, which requires each local school system to provide appropriate assistance to strengthen areas of weaknesses for students who have not achieved satisfactory scores on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessments:
The student experienced a special, extraordinary, or extenuating circumstance or combination of circumstances preceding the administration of the most recent Maryland Comprehensive Assessment, such as a recent death in the immediate family, a serious or prolonged illness or pregnancy with medical complications, an accident causing serious injury, or a destructive house fire;
The student moved to the United States in the junior or senior year and the student is literate in the student's native language but not literate in English; or
The student moved to Maryland in the senior year, has passed all the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment courses, but has failed the related Maryland Comprehensive Assessment, and has had no adequate opportunity for intervention.
IEP teams must discuss and determine a student’s eligibility for consideration for a diploma based on the MHSA waiver criteria. IEP teams must document student access to appropriate instructional support, services, and interventions to assist in the obtainment of a high school diploma. Parents/guardians must be fully informed regarding the MHSA waiver eligibility. Additional information regarding the MHSA waiver can be found in the Graduation Requirements for Public High Schools in Maryland, Overview and Frequently Asked Questions, March 2018.