Course requirements for graduation
Students must earn 22 units of credit or more in grades 9-12 in order to graduate.
Pass four (4) years of English – 4 credits
Pass four (4) years of Social Studies – 4 credits
Pass three (3) years of Math – 3 credits
Pass three (3) years of Science – 3 credits
Pass one (1) year of Foreign Language (Spanish or Chinese) – 1 credit
Pass one half (1/2) year of Health – 0.5 credit
Pass one (1) unit of Fine Arts (Art, Music, or other (see below) – 1 credit
Pass four (4) years of Physical Education (1/2 credit each year) – 2 credits
Pass three (3) Elective Courses – 3.5 credits
(Fine Arts Requirements may also be met by taking: Studio Art, Design and Drawing for Production, Fashion and Interior Design, and Performance Theatre)
Required course breakdown
In addition to these required courses, students planning their course selections must select additional credits from the elective courses available each year. The total number of credits must be at least 6.5 credits. Students may select more if they wish.
(R) = Regents exam
Required Courses – Grade 9
English 9 – 1 credit
Global History and Geography 1 – 1 credit
Basic Algebra OR Integrated Algebra (R) – 1 credit
Living Environment (R) – 1 credit
Spanish I or Chinese 9 – 1 credit
Physical Education 9/10 – 0.5 credit
Required Courses – Grade 10
English 10 – 1 credit
Global History and Geography 2 (R) – 1 credit
Integrated Algebra 10 (R) OR Geometry(R) – 1 credit
Earth Science (R) – 1 credit
Health – 0.5 credit
Physical Education 9/10 – 0.5 credit
Required Courses – Grade 11
English 11 (R) – 1 credit
US History and Government (R) – 1 credit
(A Third Year of Math) – 1 credit
(A Third Year of Science) – 1 credit
Physical Education 11/12 – 0.5 credit
Required Courses – Grade 12
English 12 – 1 credit
Economics 12 – 0.5 credit
Participation in Government 12 – 0.5 credit
Physical Education 11/12 – 0.5 credit
New York State Regents examination requirement for graduation
Regents Diploma
Five required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better as follows:
Math (1)
Science (1)
ELA
Global History and Geography
US History and Government
Advanced Regents Diploma
Eight requred Regents exams with a score of 65 or better as follows:
Math (3)
Science (2)
ELA
Global History and Geography
US History and Government
Either a locally developed Checkpoint B LOTE examination or a 5 unit sequence in the Arts or CTE
Regents Diploma with Honors or Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors
A student may earn a Regents Diploma with Honors if they score an average of 90 or above on the 5 Regents exams needed for a Regents Diploma.
A student may earn an Advanced Designation Diploma with Honors if the student achieves an average of 90% in all 8 Regents needed for an Advanced Designation Regents Diploma.
*Note: Each Regents grade is averaged at the same weight of one, and scores below 90.0 shall not be rounded upward to 90% (Source: New York State Education Department)
Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with an annotation that denotes Mastery in Math
Meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation and, in addition, scores 85 or better on each of 3 Regents Examinations in Mathematics.
Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with an annotation that denotes Mastery in Science
Meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation and, in addition, scores 85 or better on each of 3 Regents Examinations in Science.
Local Diploma (Students with Disabilities with an IEP or Section 504 Accommodation Plan)
Low Pass Safety Net Option 1: 5 required Regents exams with a score of 55 or better as follows:
Math (1)
Science (1)
ELA
Global History and Geography (1)
US History and Government (1)
Compensatory Safety Net Option: Scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the English Language Arts (ELA) or mathematics exam, but compensates the low score with a score of 65 or higher on another required Regents exam.
A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and mathematics exams.
A score of 65 or higher on a single examination may not be used to compensate for more than one examination for which a score of 45-54 is earned.