613 Policy: Graduation Requirements

600: Education Programs

Adopted	Review Frequency
Adopted: 10-10-2023 Revised: 02-02-2026	Three

PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to set forth requirements for graduation from the school district.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
The policy of the school district is that all students must demonstrate, as determined by the school district, their satisfactory completion of the credit requirements and their understanding of academic standards. The school district must adopt graduation requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or rule.
DEFINITIONS
1. “Credit” means a student’s successful completion of one semester of study or a student’s mastery of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district.
2. “Individualized Education Program” or “IEP” means a written statement developed for a student eligible by law for special education and services.
3. “Multi-Lingual Learners” or “ML” student means an individual whose first language is not English and whose test performance may be negatively impacted by lack of English language proficiency.
4. “Required standard” means: (1) a statewide adopted expectation for student learning in the content areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, and the arts, and (2) a locally adopted expectation for student learning in health until statewide rules implementing health standards under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.021, subdivision 3, are required to be implemented in the classroom.
DISTRICT DATA AND ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR
The Data and Assessment Coordinator shall be in charge of all test procedures and shall bring recommendations to the school board annually for approval.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students’ state graduation requirements, based on a longitudinal, systematic approach to student education and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation, include the following:
1. Achievement which reflects students’ ability to succeed in college or career without the need for post-secondary remediation;
  1. Students not meeting the state graduation requirements under this section must receive targeted, relevant, academically rigorous, and resourced instruction which may include a targeted instruction and intervention plan focused on improving the student’s knowledge and skills in core subjects so that the student has a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without the need for postsecondary remediation.
2. Career and college readiness in mathematics, reading, and writing, as measured against a continuum of empirically derived, clearly defined benchmarks focused on students’ attainment of knowledge and skills
3. Age-appropriate exploration and planning activities and career assessments to encourage students to identify personally relevant career interests and aptitudes and help students and their families develop a regularly reexamined transition plan for postsecondary education or employment without the need for postsecondary remediation.
  1. Students in grades 11 and 12, who are identified as academically ready for a career or college, shall be encouraged to enroll in courses and programs in high school that award college credit.
4. Based on appropriate state guidelines, students with an IEP may satisfy state graduation requirements by meeting their IEP goals.
5. Based on state requirements, students enrolled in the District’s Area Learning Center may satisfy graduation requirements by meeting the state minimum graduation requirements, as identified in each student’s Continual Learning Plan (CLP)
GRADUATION CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
1. Students must successfully complete, as determined by the school district, the following high school level credits for graduation:
  1. Eight credits of language arts sufficient to satisfy all academic standards in English language arts;
  2. Six credits of mathematics, including two credits of algebra II or its equivalent and two credits of geometry, sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in mathematics;
  3. Six credits of science, including at least: (a) two credits of biology; (b) two credits of chemistry or physics; and two credits of Integrated Science.
  4. Eight credits of social studies, encompassing at least United States history, geography, government and citizenship, world history, and economics sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in social studies;
  5. Two credits in the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the state or local academic standards in the arts;
  6. One credit of Personal Finance starting with the graduating class of 2028
  7. One credit of 9th Grade Seminar starting with the graduating class of 2030
  8. Students who transfer to SAHS after their 9th grade year are exempt from this requirement and would be required to complete the total number of required credits to graduate
  9. One Health credit; and
  10. One PE credit
  11. A minimum of 17 elective credits for the graduating class of 2030 and beyond, a minimum of 16 elective credits for the graduating class of 2029, and a minimum of 14 elective credits for the graduating class of 2028.
2. Credit equivalencies
  1. Two credits of economics taught in a school’s agricultural, food, and natural resources education or business education program or department may fulfill one credit in social studies under Paragraph E., above, if the credit is sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in economics.
  2. An agriculture science or career and technical education credit may fulfill the elective science credit required under Paragraph D., above, if the credit meets the state physical science, life science, earth and space science, chemistry, or physics academic standards or a combination of these academic standards as approved by the school district. An agriculture or career and technical education credit may fulfill the credit in chemistry or physics required under Paragraph D., above, if the credit meets the state chemistry or physics academic standards as approved by the school district. A student must satisfy either all of the chemistry or physics academic standards prior to graduation. An agriculture science or career and technical education credit may not fulfill the required biology credit under Paragraph D., above.
  3. A career and technical education credit may fulfill a mathematics or arts credit requirement under Paragraph B. or Paragraph F., above.
  4. A computer science credit may fulfill a mathematics credit requirement under Paragraph B., above, if the credit meets state academic standards in mathematics.
  5. A Project Lead the Way credit may fulfill a mathematics or science credit requirement under Paragraph B. or Paragraph D., above, if the credit meets the state academic standards in mathematics or science.
  6. An ethnic studies course may fulfill a social studies, language arts, arts, math, or science credit if the course meets the applicable state academic standards. An ethnic studies course may fulfill an elective credit if the course meets applicable local standards or other requirements.
GRADUATION STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS
1. Academic standards in world languages and career and technical education will be reviewed on a periodic basis. A school district must use the current world languages standards developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
2. All students must satisfactorily complete the following required Graduation Standards in accordance with the standards developed by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE):
  1. Minnesota Academic Standards, English Language Arts K-12;
  2. Minnesota Academic Standards, Mathematics K-12;
  3. Minnesota Academic Standards, Science K-12;
  4. Minnesota Academic Standards, Social Studies K-12; and
  5. Minnesota Academic Standards, Physical Education K-12.
  6. Minnesota Academic Standards, Health K-12 (TBD)
3. State standards in the Arts K-12 are available, or school districts may choose to develop their own standards.
4. The academic standards for language arts, mathematics, and science apply to all students except the very few students with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an IEP team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An IEP team that makes this determination must establish alternative standards.
EARLY GRADUATION
Students may be considered for early graduation, as provided for within Minnesota Statutes section 120B.07, upon meeting the following conditions:
1. All course or standards and credit requirements must be met;
2. The principal or designee shall conduct an interview with the student and parent or guardian, familiarize the parties with opportunities available in post-secondary education, and arrive at a timely decision; and
3. The principal’s decision shall be in writing and may be subject to review by the superintendent and school board.

Legal References:
Minn. Stat. § 120B.018 (Definitions)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.02 (Educational Expectations and Graduation Requirements for Minnesota’s Students)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.021 (Required Academic Standards)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.023 (Benchmarks)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.024 (Credits)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.07 (Early Graduation)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.11 (School District Process for Reviewing Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement Goals; Striving for Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.125 (Planning for Students’ Successful Transition to Postsecondary Education and Employment; Personal Learning Plans)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.30 (General Requirements; Statewide Assessments)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.303 (Assessment Graduation Requirements)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.307 (College and Career Readiness)
Minn. Rules Part 3501.0660 (Academic Standards For Kindergarten through Grade 12)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0700-3501.0745 (Academic Standards for Mathematics)
Minn. Rules Part 3501.0820 (Academic Arts Standards for Kindergarten through Grade 12)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0900-3501.0960 (Academic Standards in Science)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1200-1210 (Academic Standards for English Language Development)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1300-3501.1345 (Academic Standards for Social Studies)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1400-3501.1410 (Academic Standards for Physical Education)
20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq. (Every Student Succeeds Act)

Cross References:MSBA/MASA Model Policy 104 (School District Mission Statement)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 601 (School District Curriculum and Instruction Goals)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 614 (School District Testing Plan and Procedure)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 615 (Testing Accommodations, Modifications, and Exemptions for IEPs, Section 504 Plans, and LEP Students)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 616 (School District System Accountability)