Graduation Requirements.  To qualify for a high school diploma, public school students must satisfy credit and subject area requirements established by the Legislature and the State Board of Education (SBE), fulfill any locally established requirements, complete a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP), and meet the requirements of at least one graduation pathway option. 
 
Graduation Pathways.  Legislation adopted in 2019 (Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1599, enacted as Chapter 252, Laws of 2019) established graduation pathway requirements that began application with the graduating class of 2020.  The stated intent of the pathway options was to provide students with multiple pathways to graduating with a meaningful high school diploma that are tailored to the students' goals.
 
The graduation pathway options, which are implemented through rules adopted by the SBE, give students the option to meet pathway requirements by:

1. meeting or exceeding the graduation standard established by the SBE on the statewide high school assessments in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics;
2. completing and qualifying for college credit in dual-credit courses in ELA and mathematics;
3. earning high school credit in a high school transition course that meets specific requirements in ELA and mathematics;
4. earning high school credit with an appropriate grade or exam score in specified Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Cambridge International courses in ELA and mathematics;
5. meeting or exceeding the scores established by the SBE for the mathematics portion and the reading, English, or writing portion of the SAT or ACT;
6. meeting any combination of at least one ELA option and at least one mathematics option established in the previous bullets;
7. meeting standard in the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery; or
8. completing a sequence of career and technical education courses that meet specified criteria and are relevant to the student's postsecondary pathway.

 
School districts are encouraged to make all graduation pathway options available to their students and to expand their list of options until all are offered, but districts are granted discretion in determining which pathway options they offer.
 
The 2019 legislation also established reporting requirements related to the graduation pathways, including mandating annual data collection and reporting duties for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and directing the SBE to conduct a survey about the creation of additional graduation pathways and whether modifications should be made to existing pathways.
 
Using the annually collected data and the survey information, the SBE was directed to review the graduation pathways, suggested changes to those graduation pathways, and the options for additional graduation pathways, and to provide a report to the education committees of the Legislature in December 2022.  The Legislature is in receipt of the report.

Establishment of New Graduation Pathway.  School districts may permit students to meet graduation pathway requirements by completing a performance-based learning experience through which the student demonstrates knowledge and skills in a real-world context, providing evidence of meeting or exceeding state learning standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics.

The performance-based learning experience may take a variety of forms, such as a project, practicum, work-related experience, community service, or cultural activity, and may result in a variety of products that can be evaluated, including a performance, presentation, portfolio, report, film, or exhibit.
 
The performance-based learning experience must conform to state requirements established in rule by the State Board of Education (SBE) that address the safety and quality of the performance-based learning experience and the authentic performance-based assessment criteria for determining that the student has demonstrated the applicable learning standards.  The rules may allow external parties, including community leaders and professionals, to participate in the evaluation of the student's performance, and must require that the evaluation include at least one certificated teacher with an endorsement in each relevant subject area or with other applicable qualifications.  Additionally, school district boards of directors must adopt a written policy in conformity with applicable state requirements prior to offering the performance-based learning experience pathway option to their students.

To support implementation of the performance-based learning experience option, the SBE, in collaboration with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, must establish graduation proficiency targets and associated rubrics aligned with state learning standards in ELA and mathematics.

 
Provision of Information to Students and Families.  School districts must annually provide students in grades 8 through 12 and their parents or legal guardians with comprehensive information about the graduation pathway options offered by the district.  School districts must provide this information in a manner that conforms with the district's language access policy and procedures and are encouraged to begin providing this information to students when they are in grade 6.
 
Review and Monitoring Requirements.  The SBE must review and monitor the implementation of graduation pathway options to ensure school district compliance with applicable requirements, including data and analysis obligations.  The reviews and monitoring may be conducted concurrently with other oversight and monitoring by the SBE.  The review and monitoring information must be collected annually and reported to the education committees of the Legislature every two years, beginning January 10, 2025.
 
At least annually, school districts must examine data on student groups participating in and completing each graduation pathway option offered by the district.  The applicable student data must be disaggregated by a minimum number of student groups, including race and ethnicity subgroups, and by:

1. gender;
2. students who are the subject of a dependency proceeding;
3. students who are experiencing homelessness; and
4. multilingual/English learners.

 
If the results of the analysis show disproportionate participation and completion rates by student groups, the school district must identify reasons for the observed disproportionality and implement strategies as appropriate to ensure the graduation pathway options are equitably available to all students.
 
Provisions directing the SBE to perform previously completed survey and reporting duties related to graduation pathway options are repealed.
 
Other Graduation Pathway Modifications.  The SBE is directed to establish a list of AP, IB, and Cambridge International courses that can be used for meeting ELA and mathematics requirements for the AP, IB, Cambridge International Courses graduation pathway option, rather than having qualifying courses delineated in statute.  Additionally, students may meet the ELA and mathematics requirements for this pathway option by earning the minimum scores outlined in credit awarding policies required of public institutions of higher education.
 
The stated intent of the graduation pathway options is revised to specify that the options are intended to provide a student with multiple ways, including test-based, course-based, and performance-based options, to demonstrate readiness in furtherance of the student's individual goals for high school and beyond.  For purposes of this intent provision, "demonstrate readiness" means the student meets or exceeds state learning standards addressed in the pathway option.