Diploma Types at DCHS DIPLOMA TYPES AND REQUIREMENTS

Diploma Types at DCHS

DIPLOMA TYPES AND REQUIREMENTS Students who plan to go to a two or four-year college or technical school should pursue either a Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma, or a Core 40 with Technical Honors diploma. Admission to a four-year college or university requires a Core 40 diploma or higher. Students may still pursue a college education at a four year college/university even if they earn a General diploma via transfer from a community college such as, Ivy Tech Community College, Vincennes University, etc. . . Without a Core 40 diploma, the student will not be eligible to receive the maximum amount of financial aid for college from the state of Indiana. To earn a high school diploma, see each of the following categories for the required number of credits. Students must pass both the Algebra I and English 10 End of Course Assessments (ECA). A number of changes in diploma requirements have been made by the Indiana Department of Education beginning with the class of 2016. These changes are reflected in each category to which they apply.

CORE 40 – 44 credits Core 40 Diploma requires student to take 5 “directed elective” credits in any of the following areas: World Language, Fine Arts or a Career- Technical area. Career-Technical classes include courses from Business, Engineering & Technology, Family & Consumer Sciences, PLTW, Ivy Tech Automotive, and Area 31 Career Center. Courses with “Pass/Fail” grades cannot be included in the Core 40 curriculum. Beginning with the class of 2010, all students are required to take a math or physics course during their junior or senior year. Beginning with the class of 2011, completion of Core 40 became an Indiana graduation requirement. Indiana’s Core 40 curriculum provides the academic foundation all students need to succeed in college and the workforce. Beginning with the class of 2016, students must take a math or quantitative reasoning course each year in high school. NOTE: to graduate with less than Core 40, students and parents, along with school personnel must complete a formal opt-out process.

CORE 40 WITH ACADEMIC HONORS – 47 credits Students may be eligible for extra help to pay for college. The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana makes tuition assistance available for graduates with the Academic Honors Diploma. Depending on financial need, Indiana high school graduates with the Academic Honors Diplo- ma may qualify for a grant premium up to 100 percent of demonstrated need for approved tuition and mandatory fees. The tuition and fees apply to any eligible Indiana higher education institution. Review The Division of Student Financial Aid's (SFA) web site to determine eligibility: http: //www. state. in. us/ssaci A student must have a cumulative grade point average of “B” (2. 66) or above. Only courses in which a student has earned a grade of “C” or above may count toward a Core 40 with Academic Honors Diploma. Courses with “Pass/Fail” grades cannot be included in the Academic Honors curriculum. Beginning with the class of 2010, all students are required to take a math or physics course during their junior or senior year.

Core 40 with Academic Honors Beginning with the class of 2016, to earn a Core 40 with Academic Honors Diploma, students must complete one of the following: A. Earn 4 credits in 2 or more AP courses and take corresponding AP exams. B. Earn 6 verifiable transcripted college credits in dual-credit courses from priority course list C. Earn two of the following: A minimum of 3 verifiable transcripted college credits from the priority course list. 2 credits in AP courses and corresponding AP exams. 2 credits in IB standard level courses and corresponding IB exams. D. Earn a combined score of 1750 or higher on the SAT critical reading, mathematics and writing sections and a minimum score of 530 on each. E. Earn an ACT composite score of 26 or higher and complete written section. F. Earn 4 credits in IB courses and take corresponding IB exams

CORE 40 WITH TECHNICAL HONORS – 47 credits Beginning with the class of 2016, to earn a Core 40 with Technical Honors Diploma, students must complete the following requirements: Complete all requirements for Core 40. Earn 6 credits in the college and career preparation courses in a state-approved College & Career Pathway and one of the following: 1. Pathway designated industry-based certification or credentials, or 2. Pathway dual credits from the lists of priority courses resulting in 6 transcripted college credits Earn a grade of “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma. Have a cumulative grade point average of a “B” (2. 66) or above. Complete one of the following; Any one of the options (A-F) of the Core 40 with Academic Honors Earn the following scores or higher on Work. Keys: Reading for Information – Level 6; Applied Mathematics – Level 6; Locating Information – Level 5 Earn the following minimum score(s) on Accuplacer: Writing 80, Reading 90, Math 75. Earn the following minimum score(s) on Compass: Writing 70, Reading 80, Algebra 66.

GENERAL DIPLOMA – 40 credits Beginning with students who enter high school in 2007 -2008 (graduating class of 2011), the completion of Core 40 became an Indiana graduation requirement. Indiana’s Core 40 curriculum provides the academic foundation all students need to succeed in college and the workforce. To graduate with less than Core 40, students and parents, along with school personnel must complete a formal opt-out process that includes the following: The student, the student’s parent/guardian, and the student’s counselor (or other staff member who assists students in course selection) meet to discuss the student’s progress. The student’s career and course plan is reviewed. The student’s parent/guardian determines whether the student will achieve greater educational benefits by completing the general curriculum or the Core 40 curriculum. If the decision is made to opt-out of Core 40, the student is required to complete the course and credit requirements for a general diploma and the career/academic sequence the student will pursue is determined.

CERTIFICATE OF COURSE COMPLETION Students who earn all credits required for graduation but fail to pass the End of Course Assessment in Algebra I and English 10 by the end of their senior year will receive a Certificate of Course Completion. The student will still be able to participate in the graduation ceremony. The stu - dent can also return to Decatur Central the following fall to take the ECA test again. Upon successful completion of the test, the student will re- ceive his or her diploma. NOTE: Students who do not earn all required credits for graduation, will not earn a diploma whether they have passed both of the ECA tests or not. A student must be within two credits of meeting all graduation requirements to be eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony. English Math Science Academic Honors 8 credits 2 Algebra I

DIPLOMA TYPES AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS