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IKF - Graduation Requirements

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Date Adopted: 6 April 1988


Current Review / Revision: 15 July 2022


Diplomas and Completion Certificates


Diplomas and completion certificates shall be awarded to students who have satisfied all requirements of the Emery County School District and the Utah State Board of Education as outlined in policy and in Utah State Board of Education Rule R277-705, including requirements related to the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test.


Credits Toward High School Graduation


Students may earn credit by any of the following methods:


  1. successful completion of approved secondary school courses;
  2. successful completion of concurrent enrollment classes consistent with Utah State Board Rule R277-713;
  3. demonstrated competency, as determined by district or school assessment and standards;
  4. demonstrated competency as determined by review of student work or projects consistent with school procedures and criteria;
  5. successful completion of correspondence or electronic coursework offered by accredited education institutions;
  6. successful completion of coursework from supplemental education service providers accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission or approved by the State Board of Education.


Secondary schools shall accept credit from secondary schools, supplemental education service providers, and distance learning schools accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission or approved by the State Board of Education without alteration. (See Utah State Board of Education Rule R277-705 for definitions). Credits accepted shall be recognized as original credit earned for specific courses, including Core courses.


Secondary schools may accept credits from non-accredited supplemental education service providers and other credit sources with written approval from the student's principal or designee prior to program enrollment. Credits earned from non-accredited supplemental education providers or other credit sources:


  1. shall be aligned with the State Core Curriculum;
  2. shall have course content that matches the Core course requirements; and
  3. shall have end of course tests that meet or exceed school district assessments.


Each secondary school shall have a review process for acceptance and reciprocity of credits earned by students through competency and non-accredited supplemental education service providers and other credit sources. School review processes may require timelines to receive adequate and timely documentation of authenticity for credits and grades submitted.


Each secondary school shall include in their handbooks notification to parents and students concerning this policy and the process the school will employ for review of credit.


Subjects to be required of every student in grades 9-12:


Subject                      Ending Class of 2023                Beginning Class of 2022

Language Arts                            4                                                    4                        From Approved Courses

Math                                             3                                                     3                        From Approved Courses

Science                                        3                                                     3                        From Approved Courses

Social Studies                             3                                                    3                         From Approved Courses             

Physical Education/Health      2                                                    2                         From Approved Courses

Career & Technical Ed (CTE)   2                                                    2                         From Approved Courses

Fine Arts                                        1.5                                                1.5                        From Approved Courses

Digital Studies                             1                                                     1                         From Approved Courses

Financial Literacy                       .5                                                   1                         From Approved Courses

Electives                                       11                                                  10.5                     

Total Require Credits                31                                                   31


1. Secondary Math I, II, and III or higher and math courses selected from the approved State Board list of approved courses.

2. Two credits from: Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Computer Science. Additionally, one credit from the State approved foundations courses or the applied or advanced science core list.

3. One credit US History, .5 credit Geography, .5 credit Civilizations, .5 credit US Government & Citizenship, .5 credit Psychology, Sociology, AP World, World History Modern or World History Ancient.

4. Required .5 credit Health, Required .5 credit Fitness for Life, .5 credit Participation Skills, .5 credit Individualized Lifetime Activities. A maximum of 1 credit can be earned from Team Sport or Athletic participation. 
(.25 credits per sport season)

5. Any state approved Career and Technical Education course will fulfill this requirement.

6. Qualifying courses are Business Office Specialist, Computer Science Principles, Computer Programming 1, Digital Business Applications, Web Development 1, or Exploring Computer Science.


**Elective credits provide a means for specialization related to interest and post-secondary goals.

**Demonstrated Competency – District and/or state issued assessment and/or other process used to determine subject knowledge and core standard proficiency.

Emery School District Alternate Diploma
 
The requirements for this diploma are listed below. If a student requests this graduation plan, it requires a meeting with the student, parent, and counselor, with approval from an administrator and Emery County School Board. Board approval opportunities will occur two times yearly. Beginning of school year, and a mid-year review. A student may not apply for an alternate diploma prior to mid-year of their junior year.

THE 31 CREDIT DIPLOMA IS THE RECOMMENDED PLAN FOR ALL EMERY DISTRICT STUDENTS.


However, it is understood that for some, the 31-credit diploma is not attainable. The guidelines for the 24-credit diploma plan must all be followed or appealed to the Emery County School Board if an exception is justified. Students completing this diploma may continue to attend High School in Emery School District and participate in their graduation ceremony. 


1.   All Core courses must be completed. The 24- credit basic diploma requires:

  • English/Language Arts (4 Credits)
  • Mathematics (3 Credits):
  • Successful completion of Secondary Mathematics I, II, and III or higher.
  • Parents may request that students replace Secondary III with a course from the Applied or Advanced approved course list.
  • Students who successfully complete Calculus have met graduation requirements regardless of the number of credits they have taken.
  • Science (3 Credits):
  • 2 Credits (from the four science foundation areas; Earth Systems, Biological Science, Chemistry, AP Computer Science, or Physics).
  • 1 Credit (from the foundation courses or the applied or advanced science core list).
  • Social Studies (3 Credits):

1 Credit (United States History)

  • 0.5 Credit (Geography)
  • 0.5 Credit (Civilization)
  • 0.5 Credit (United States Government and Citizenship)
  • 0.5 Credit (Local Education Agency (LEA) Discretion)
  • Directed Coursework (3.5 Credits):
  • 1.5 Credit (Fine Arts)
  • 1 Credit (Career and Technical Education (CTE))
  • 0.5 Credit (Digital Studies)
  • 0.5 General Financial Literacy
  • Physical Education Health (2 Credits):
  • 0.5 Credit (Health)
  • 0.5 Credit (Participation Skills)
  • 0.5 Credit (Fitness for Life)
  • 0.5 Credit (Individualized Lifetime Activities)
  • Optional: 1.0 Credit Maximum (Team Sport/Athletic Participation)
  • Can be used in place of Participation Skills or Individualized Lifetime Activities only.
  • Required Electives (5.5 Credits)
  • Total Credit Hours (24)


2. The 24 credit Diploma requires fewer elective requirements. Therefore, a student who is opting for this diploma will be required to complete all core classes prior to registering for electives beyond the 5.5 credits required for the basic 24-credit diploma. 


  • All students opting for a 24-credit diploma must be a full-time student. 
  • The 24-credit diploma will be an Emery School District diploma, not a specific high school diploma. 
  • Students earning the 24-credit diploma will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. 
  • Once the 24-credit diploma is awarded, a student may not continue to earn high school credit in order to “trade” their diploma for a 31-credit diploma. 


A student may apply for the 24-credit diploma but opt out of that choice at any time, though the choice to pursue a 24-credit diploma should not be made unless it is unrealistic for the student to complete all requirements for the 31- credit diploma.


Students may request an application for an Emery School District Alternate Diploma through Emery High School and Green River High School counselor’s office. 

Students with disabilities served by special education programs may have changes made to graduation requirements through individual IEPs to meet the unique educational needs. A student's IEP shall document the nature and extent of modification, substitutions or exemptions made to accommodate a student with disabilities.

Graduation requirements may be modified for individual students to achieve an appropriate route to student success when such modifications: 1) are consistent with the student's IEP or CCR or both; 2) are maintained in the student's file and include the parent's signature; and 3) maintain the integrity and rigor expected for high school graduation, as determined by the State Board of Education.


1. Secondary Math I, II, and III or higher and math courses selected from the approved State Board list of approved courses.

2. Two credits from: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, or Computer Science. Additionally, one credit from the State approved foundations courses or the applied or advanced science core list.

3. One credit US History, .5 credit Geography, .5 credit Civilizations, .5 credit US Government & Citizenship, .5 credit Psychology, Sociology, AP Work, World History Modern, or World History Ancient. 

4. Required .5 credit Health, Required .5 credit Fitness for Life, .5 credit Participation Skills, .5 credit Individualized Lifetime Activities. A maximum of 1 credit can be earned from Team Sport or Athletic participation (.25 credits per sport season). 

5. Any state approved Career and Technical Education course will fulfill this requirement.

6. Qualifying courses are Business Office Specialist, Computer Science Principles, Computer Programming 1, Digital Business Application, Web Development 1, or Exploring Computer Science. 

* Elective credits provide a means for specialization related to interest and post-secondary goals.

** Demonstrated Competency - District and/or state issued assessment and/or other process used to determined subject knowledge and core standard proficiency. 


Students with disabilities served by special education programs may have changes made to graduation requirements through individual IEPs to meet the unique educational needs. A student's IEP shall document the nature and extent of modification, substitutions or exemptions made to accommodate a student with disabilities.


Graduation requirements may be modified for individual students to achieve an appropriate route to student success when such modifications: 1) are consistent with the student's IEP or CCR or both; 2) are maintained in the student's file and include the parent's signature; and 3) maintain the integrity and rigor expected for high school graduation, as determined by the State Board of Education.

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