*The following information has been copied from the Ohio Department of Education website.
Graduation Requirements
2018-Beyond
These are the new graduation requirements that take effect with the
class of 2018. These are students who are entering ninth grade for the
first time in the 2014-2015 school year.
Required Courses
The new requirements did not change the current courses or number of
course credits that students must complete to be eligible for
graduation. View that information here.
Assessments
In addition to course credits, students will earn points toward
graduation on seven end-of-course exams. These exams will replace the
Ohio Graduation Tests.
The courses in which students take an
end-of-course exam will be: English I and II, algebra I, geometry,
integrated math I and II, physical science, American history and
American government. Districts have the option to use the state
end-of-course exams to replace their current course final exams and use
the state’s test as part of the class grade. This will help avoid double
testing after the 2014-2015 school year.
Students can earn from 1-5 points for each exam, based on their performance.
5 – Advanced
4 – Accelerated
3 – Proficient
2 – Basic
1 – Limited
Students who take physical science, American history or American
government as part of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or
college dual credit programs can use their scores from the programs’
end-of-course exams in place of the state end-of-course exam scores to
accumulate graduation points.
A student who earned high school
credit in any of the above courses before July 1, 2014, automatically
will receive a score of three points per course exam toward the total
points needed for graduation. Middle school students this year who take
one of these courses for high school credit must take the corresponding
state end-of-course exam in this school year.
Exam Retakes
Students that score below proficient on an exam may retake it after
they receive some extra help on the material. Students that score
proficient or higher on an end of course exam can retake exams only if,
once they take all the exams, they have not met the minimum graduation
points to graduate. In this case, a student can retake any exam after
receiving some extra help on the material. The same rules apply to
substitute exams, which may be used interchangeably with approved
tests.
More Flexibility for Students and Families
Students who do not earn the required number of graduation points can
still meet the requirements for a diploma if they earn a
remediation-free score on a national college admission test. This
assessment will be given to students free of charge in the fall of their
junior year starting with the graduating class of 2018.
Students
also can qualify for graduation by earning an approved
industry-recognized credential and achieving a workforce-readiness score
on a related job skills assessment. The selection of those assessments
is in progress.