| DeWitt Public Schools |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5460 - HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
It shall be the policy of the Board of Education to acknowledge each student's successful completion of the instructional program appropriate to the achievement of District goals and objectives as well as personal proficiency by the awarding of a diploma at graduation ceremonies.
The Board shall award a regular high school diploma to every student enrolled in this District who meets the requirements of graduation established by this Board as provided by State law.
Special education students who properly complete the programs specified in their I.E.P., or in a personal curriculum, and meet the requirements for a high school diploma, and have received the recommendation of the I.E.P.C. may participate in graduation activities as recommended by the student's I.E.P.C. Reasonable accommodation shall be made for students with disabilities, as defined under State or Federal law, to assist them in taking any required tests or assessments for graduation.
Any high school student who wishes to test-out of a course in which s/he is not enrolled may do so by taking the final examination for the course and receiving a grade of at least C+ or by demonstrating mastery of the subject matter as determined by the District assessment used in lieu of a final examination. Credit for a course earned by a student through this process may be used to fulfill a course or course-sequence requirement and be counted toward the required number of credits needed for graduation but may not be used to determine the student's GPA.
A student may be granted credit by earning a qualifying score, as determined by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) on assessments developed or selected for the subject area by the MDE or the student earns a qualifying score, as determined by the school district on one (1) or more assessments developed or selected by the school district that measure a student's understanding of the subject area content expectations or guidelines that apply to the credit.
Credit for Demonstrated Mastery of Course's Subject Matter
High school credit shall be granted in any course to a student enrolled in high school but not enrolled in the course who exhibits a reasonable level of mastery of the course's subject matter as outlined below:
| A. | The student will be granted high school credit by attaining a grade of not less than C+ in the final examination in the course. |
| 1. | A final examination is a comprehensive examination which addresses all components of the course curriculum. | ||
| 2. | A non-comprehensive examination that is offered during the time set aside for final examinations is not considered a "final examination" for purposes of obtaining credit through the testing process. | ||
| 3. | No final examination will be created solely for the purpose of providing a student with an opportunity to test out of the course. | ||
| 4. | A student is eligible to take the final examination in the course at the same time it is offered to the students currently enrolled in the course or at the discretion of the high school principal. |
| B. | If there is no final examination in the course, the student will be granted high school credit by exhibiting mastery through the basic assessment used in the course which may consist of a portfolio, performance, paper, project or presentation. |
| 1. | The course teacher and building principal will determine the assessment criteria to determine if the student has exhibited a reasonable level of mastery of the course's subject matter. | ||
| 2. | A student is eligible to demonstrate mastery of the course's subject matter at the same time that students currently enrolled in the course are required to demonstrate their mastery of the course's subject matter. |
| C. | Credit earned under this policy section shall be based on a "pass" grade and shall not be included in the computation of the student's grade point average for any purpose. | |
| D. | Credit earned under this policy section shall apply equally to all students and may not be counted toward graduation. | |
| E. | Credit earned under this policy section shall be counted toward fulfillment of a requirement for a subject area course. | |
| F. | Credit earned under this policy shall be counted toward fulfillment of a requirement as to course sequence. | |
| G. | Once credit is earned under this policy section, a student may not receive credit thereafter for a course lower in course sequence concerning the same subject area. |
Commencement exercises will include only those students who have successfully completed requirements as certified by the high school principal. No student who has completed the requirements for graduation shall be denied a diploma as a disciplinary measure. A student may be denied participation in the ceremony of graduation, however, when personal conduct so warrants.
M.C.L.A. 380.1166,380.1278a(4)(c), 380.1278b, 380.1279
20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. (Individuals with Disabilities Act)
29 U.S.C. 794 (Section 504 of Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973)
42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.
Revised 11/13/00
Revised 5/8/06
Revised 8/13/07
Revised 12/10/07