 4 Blonder Boulevard • Ledyard, Connecticut 06339 • (860) 464-9255 • Fax: (860) 464-8589 Policy Manual | ||||||
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Policy 6146 Instruction Graduation Requirements Only those students who have earned the appropriate number and distribution of credits and have satisfactorily met the District’s Performance Graduation Requirements shall receive a diploma from Ledyard High School. At the beginning of the school year, students and their parents/guardians shall be notified of the requirements to graduate from Ledyard High School. Notification shall also be given whenever there is a significant change to this policy or to any of the graduation requirements. Credit Distribution Requirement Students must earn a total of twenty-six (26) credits as specified in the following subject areas: Subject Required Credits and Courses English 4 credits Mathematics 3 credits Social Studies* 3.5 credits, including: - World History (1 credit)** Science 3 credits, including: - Biology (1 credit) Math or Science 1 additional credit Physical Education 1 credit Vocational and/or 2 credits Health 0.5 credit
Electives 8 credits * 3 Credits in Social Studies required for the Classes of 2009-2011. Under the Block Schedule, one credit is the equivalent of a class period that lasts at least eighty (80) minutes and meets every school day for one semester. The Ledyard High School administration shall delineate the classification of courses by subject area, establish the minimum number of course credits a student must carry each year, and make other such requirements as deemed necessary to administer this policy. Any student who presents a certificate from a physician stating that, in the opinion of the physician, participation in physical education is medically contraindicated because of the physical condition of such student shall be excused from the physical education requirement. In such a case, the physical education credit requirement shall be fulfilled by an elective as determined by the Ledyard High School administration. However, students shall not be excused from the physical education requirement based on a medical condition that the School Medical Advisor determines is temporary in nature. In such cases, the student shall be expected to satisfy the physical education credit requirement after he or she is no longer medically restricted. Credit for Courses Completed at Other Educational Institutions Credit toward satisfying the graduation requirements at Ledyard High School shall be granted in the following circumstances:
In cases where there is any disagreement between the student’s parent/guardian and the Ledyard High School administration regarding the granting of credit toward the graduation requirements, the Superintendent shall make the final determination. Performance Graduation Requirements (PGRs) 1. Reading/Writing PGR – Students shall either (1) score at Level 3 (proficiency) or higher on the Writing Across the Disciplines section or the Reading Across the Disciplines section of the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) or (2), prior to the completion of their senior year and within the context of appropriate courses, satisfactorily demonstrate equivalent proficiency through their accumulated work. 2. Problem-Solving PGR – Students shall either (1) score at Level 3 (proficiency) or higher on the Mathematics or Science sections of the CAPT or (2), prior to the completion of their senior year and within the context of appropriate courses, satisfactorily demonstrate equivalent proficiency through their accumulated work. As part of the regulations developed to implement this policy, the Ledyard High School administration shall specify the required course work for those students who do not successfully meet one or both of the PGRs and the assessment procedures to be used in determining whether or not those students have subsequently met the standard for the District PGRs. These regulations shall also delineate the rubrics to be used in assessing the student’s accumulated work. Exemptions from the PGRs 1. Transfer students who enroll at Ledyard High School after completing at least three years in an out-of-state high school or an equivalent out-of-state secondary educational institution, including students who have been home-schooled, shall be exempted from having to meet the District’s PGRs as a condition of graduation. 2. Special education students, whose performance is assessed using the CMT/CAPT skills checklist, may be exempted from the Reading/Writing and/or Problem-Solving PGRs by the Pupil Placement Team (PPT). Special education students not using the CMT/CAPT skills checklist may have modifications made to the PGRs or be required to meet alternative performance graduation assessments as determined by the PPT. The decision to exempt a student from the PGRs or require alternative/modified performance graduation assessments shall be based on performance data as documented in the individual student’s evaluations, educational records, and Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Other requests for exemption/modification to the PGRs shall be handled on a case-by-case basis, with the final determination to be approved by the Superintendent. Student Transcripts For each component of the CAPT in which the student scores at Level 4 (Goal) or higher, the student’s score for that component shall be recorded on his or her transcript indicating that the student has met or exceeded the state-wide mastery goal. For each PGR, the student’s transcript will indicate the date it was successfully met. For students who have successfully completed the course work and passed the final exam for a course taught at Ledyard Middle School using the same curriculum as at Ledyard High School, the completion of such course shall be recorded on the student’s transcript. However, the course shall not count toward satisfying any of the graduation requirements. Awarding of Diplomas Students who meet all the graduation requirements of this policy shall receive a diploma at the June commencement ceremony. A Ledyard High School diploma shall be awarded upon request to any honorably discharged veteran who left high school prior to graduation in order to serve in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Air Force during World War II and did not receive a diploma as a consequence of such service. A student who is under expulsion from Ledyard High School but has satisfactorily completed all of the graduation requirements shall receive a diploma. However, that student shall not attend the commencement ceremony. Students Attending Out-of-District Programs Students who are Ledyard residents but are attending regional technical and vocational schools, magnet schools, charter schools, or other out-of-district programs shall receive a diploma from those institutions and must comply with the graduation requirements as specified for those schools. In the absence of specific graduation requirements at the out-of-district locations, the graduation requirements of Ledyard High School must be fulfilled. Early Graduation Ledyard High School students are encouraged to take as many courses as possible in order to broaden their experience and/or deepen their knowledge level in a particular area of interest. However, the Board recognizes that completion of the high school program in less than four years may be in the best interests of some students. Students requesting early graduation must still meet all of the graduation requirements delineated in this policy. Reasons to request early graduation include, but are not limited to, entering a college or university for continued academic studies, directly entering the workforce, or entering a vocational training program. All requests for early graduation should normally be submitted in writing to the student’s guidance counselor by the end of the student’s Junior year to facilitate scheduling. Requests submitted at a later date will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Principal shall make the final decision regarding approval of each early graduation request and notify the student of the decision within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the request. In all cases for which early graduation is approved, the diplomas for those students will be issued when the student’s class graduates at the end of the school year. Related Policies: 5121 – Examination/Grading/Rating Legal References:
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