Standard Diploma

To graduate with a Standard Diploma for students entering the ninth grade for the first time in 2018-2019 and beyond, a student must earn at least 22 standard units of credit and five verified units of credit. Students earn standard credits by successfully completing required and elective courses. Students earn verified credits by successfully completing required courses and passing associated end-of-course SOL tests or other assessments approved by the state Board of Education. More information on standard credits, verified credits, and locally awarded verified credits can be found on the Credits for Graduation webpage.

Please note: Your school counselor can tell you which courses are offered by your school to fulfill the requirements for a Standard Diploma.

In addition, students must pass end-of-course SOL tests to receive verified units in specific areas. The requirements for graduation that are in effect when a student enters the 9th grade will apply for that student until he/she graduates.

Standard Diploma

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION


AP, Honors, IB, Dual Enrollment, Work-Based Learning, or CTE Credential - Students shall (i) complete an Advanced Placement, honors, International Baccalaureate, or dual enrollment course; or (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 advanced studies 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. Guidance on this requirement is provided in the Guidance Document Governing Certain Provisions of the SOA (8VAC20-131) (Word).


First Aid, CPR, and AED Training - Students shall be trained in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED), including hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Students with an 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 5 C’s - In accordance with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, students shall acquire and demonstrate foundational skills in Virginia’s 5 C’s: critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and citizenship.


SEQUENTIAL ELECTIVES

Effective with the graduating class of 2003, students who wish to receive a Standard Diploma must successfully complete two sequential electives. On February 5, 2002, the Board of Education approved Guidelines for Sequential Electives for the Standard (PDF).

  1. Sequential electives may be in any discipline as long as the courses are not specifically required for graduation.

  2. Courses used to satisfy the one unit of credit in a fine arts or career and technical education course may be used to partially satisfy this requirement.

  3. An exploratory course followed by an introductory course may not be used to satisfy the requirement.

  4. An introductory course followed by another level of the same course


STANDARD DIPLOMA CREDIT ACCOMMODATIONS

Credit accommodations provide alternatives for students with disabilities in earning the standard and verified credits required to graduate with a Standard Diploma. MCPS Program of Studies 16 2021-2022 Credit accommodations for students with disabilities may include:

  1. Alternative courses to meet the standard credit requirements

  2. Modifications to the requirements for locally awarded verified credits

  3. Additional tests approved by the Board of Education for earning verified credits

  4. Adjusted cut scores on tests for earning verified credits

  5. Allowance of work-based learning experiences through career and technical education (CTE) courses

  6. Credit accommodations provide alternate pathways and flexibility, students receiving accommodations must earn the required standard credits and verified credits required to graduate with a Standard Diploma.

GUIDELINES FOR STANDARD DIPLOMA CREDIT ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

March 28, 2013 STUDENT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Credit accommodations for the Standard Diploma shall be determined by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team or 504 plan committee, including the student where appropriate, at any point after the student’s eighth-grade year. The school must secure the informed written consent of the parent/guardian and the student, as appropriate, to choose credit accommodations after review of the student’s academic history and full disclosure of the student’s options.

The student must meet the following criteria to be eligible to receive credit accommodations for the Standard Diploma:

  1. Student must have a current IEP or 504 plan with standards-based content goals.

  2. Student has a disability that precludes his/her from achieving and progressing commensurate with grade level expectations but is learning on grade level content.

  3. Student needs significant instructional supports to access grade level Standards of Learning (SOL) content and to show progress.

  4. Based on multiple objective measures of past performance, the student might not be expected to achieve the required standard and verified units of credit within the standard time frame.

ASSESSMENTS USED TO VERIFY CREDIT

Identify and approve additional substitute tests to earn a verified credit. The Board of Education may from time to time approve additional tests that are recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the purpose of awarding verified credit. The Virginia Department of Education may partner with a school division in the procedure to nominate an additional test.

Such additional tests, which enable students to earn verified units of credit, must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:

  1. The test must be standardized and graded independently of the school or school divisions in which the test is given;

  2. The test must be knowledge based;

  3. The test must be administered on a multi-state or international basis, or administered as part of another state’s accountability assessment program; and

  4. To be counted in a specific academic area, the test must measure content that incorporates or exceeds the SOL content in the course for which verified credit is given.

COURSE OFFERINGS

Approve additional course options available only to students with disabilities to meet the standard credit requirements for the Standard Diploma:

Augment the Personal Finance course (3120) to include the 22 Work Readiness Skills (WRS) for the Commonwealth. Allow this augmented course to meet the Economics and Personal Finance requirement if the student has earned at least 3 standard credits in history and social science. The economics strand in these courses would be deemed a credit accommodation. Upon completion of the augmented Personal Finance course, the student may take the WRS assessment to earn the Board-approved Work Readiness Skills credential. This approach would satisfy the graduation requirements for economics and personal finance, history and social sciences, and the workplace credential.

Establish minimum content courses in the subject areas required for verified credits and provide flexibility in how the courses are delivered. Allow parts I and II of certain required courses to each earn a standard credit towards the total number required in the subject area. The student must successfully complete:

  1. Four standard credits in English and 1 verified credit each in Reading and Writing

  2. Three standard credits in mathematics that include Algebra I and Geometry, and one verified credit in mathematics

  3. Three standard credits in science that include Earth Science and Biology, and one verified credit in science - Attachment A, Memo No. 105-13 April 19, 2013

  4. Three standard credits in history and social science that include Virginia and U.S. History and Virginia and U.S. Government, and one verified credit in history and social science

ADDITIONAL CREDIT ACCOMMODATIONS

The Board may, from time to time, approve additional credit accommodations.

Final approval for Locally Awarded Verified Credits will be awarded by the High School Principal.