Credit requirements and exit exam requirements for a standard high school diploma and the use of other high school completion credentials, by state: 2008 and 2011

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Table 177.

State	Course credits (in Carnegie units), 2008												High school exit exams, 2011						Other completion credentials, 2011
	Total required credits for standard diploma, all courses		Required credits in selected subject areas										Exit exam required for standard diploma		Characteristics of required exams				Advanced recogni- tion for exceeding standard require- ments	Alternative credential for not meeting all standard require- ments
	Total required credits for standard diploma, all courses		English/ language arts		Social studies		Science		Mathematics		Other credits		Exit exam required for standard diploma		Subjects tested¹		Exam based on standards for 10th grade or higher	Appeals or alternative route to standard diploma if exam failed
1	2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10	11	12	13
Alabama	24.0		4.0		4.0		4.0		4.0		8.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Alaska	21.0		4.0		3.0		2.0		2.0		10.0		Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Arizona	20.0		4.0		3.0		2.0		3.0		8.0		Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Arkansas	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		8.0		Yes		M		No	Yes	No	No
California	13.0		3.0		3.0		2.0		2.0		3.0		Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Colorado	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	No		†		†	†	No	No
Connecticut	20.0		4.0		3.0		2.0		3.0		8.0		No	³	†		†	†	No	No
Delaware	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	No	Yes
District of
Columbia	24.0		4.0		4.0		4.0		4.0		8.0		No		†		†	†	No	Yes
Florida	24.0 or 18.0	⁴	4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0 or 3.0	⁴	10.0 or 5.0	⁴	Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Georgia	23.0		4.0		3.0		4.0		4.0		8.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hawaii	22.0		4.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		8.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	Yes
Idaho	42.0	⁵	9.0	⁵	5.0		4.0		4.0		20.0	⁵	Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	No	No
Illinois	18.0		3.0		2.0		1.0		3.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	No	No
Indiana	40.0	⁵	8.0	⁵	6.0	⁵	6.0	⁵	6.0	⁵	14.0	⁵	Yes		EM		No	Yes	Yes	No

Iowa	†	²	†	²	1.5		†	²	†	²	†	²	No		†		†	†	Yes	No
Kansas	21.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		8.0		No		†		†	†	No	No
Kentucky	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	Yes
Louisiana	23.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		10.0		Yes		EMSH	⁶	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maine	16.0		4.0		2.0		2.0		2.0		6.0		No		†		†	†	No	Yes

Maryland	21.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		8.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Massachusetts	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	Yes		EMS		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Michigan	†	²	4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		†	²	No		†		†	†	No	Yes
Minnesota	21.5		4.0		3.5		3.0		3.0		8.0		Yes		EM	⁷	Yes	Yes	No	No
Mississippi	20.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		7.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Missouri.	22.0	⁸	4.0	⁸	2.0	⁸	2.0	⁸	2.0	⁸	12.0	⁸	No		†		†	†	Yes	No
Montana	20.0		4.0		2.0		2.0		2.0		10.0		No		†		†	†	No	No
Nebraska	200.0	⁹	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	No		†		†	†	No	No
Nevada	22.5		4.0		2.0		2.0		3.0		11.5		Yes		EMS		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
New Hampshire	20.0		4.0		2.5		2.0		3.0		8.5		No		†		†	†	Yes	Yes

New Jersey	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		Yes		EM		Yes	Yes	No	No
New Mexico	24.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		10.0		Yes		EMSH		No	Yes	No	Yes
New York	22.0		4.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		8.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
North Carolina	20.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		6.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	Yes
North Dakota	21.0		†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	†	²	No		†		†	†	No	No

Ohio	20.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		7.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Oklahoma	23.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		10.0		No	¹⁰	†		†	†	Yes	No
Oregon	22.0		3.0		3.0		2.0		2.0		12.0		No		†		†	†	No	Yes
Pennsylvania	†	^2,8	†	^2,8	†	^2,8	†	^2,8	†	^2,8	†	^2,8	No		†		†	†	Yes	No
Rhode Island	20.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		6.0		No	¹¹	†		†	†	No	Yes

South Carolina	24.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		4.0		10.0		Yes		EM		Yes	No	Yes	Yes
South Dakota	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	No
Tennessee	20.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		7.0		Yes		EMS		Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Texas	24.0		4.0		5.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		Yes		EMSH		Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Utah	24.0		3.0		2.5		2.0		2.0		14.5		No		†		†	†	No	Yes

Vermont	20.0	⁸	4.0	⁸	3.0	⁸	3.0	⁸	3.0	⁸	7.0	⁸	No		†		†	†	No	No
Virginia	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		Yes		EMSH	¹²	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Washington	20.0		3.0		2.5		2.0		3.0		9.5		Yes		E	¹³	Yes	Yes	No	No
West Virginia	24.0		4.0		4.0		3.0		4.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	Yes
Wisconsin	21.5	¹⁴	4.0		3.0		2.0		2.0		10.5		No		†		†	†	No	Yes
Wyoming	22.0		4.0		3.0		3.0		3.0		9.0		No		†		†	†	Yes	No

†Not applicable.

¹ Exit exam subjects tested: E = English (including writing), M = Mathematics, S = Science, and H = History/social studies.

² Graduation requirements are determined locally.

³ Requirement takes effect for class of 2018.

⁴ Florida offers three graduation programs: one 4-year, 24-credit program, and two 3-year, 18-credit programsThe 4-year program requires 4 credits of mathematics, and both 3-year programs require 3 credits of mathematics.

⁵ Expressed in semester credits instead of Carnegie units.

⁶ Students must pass either the science or social studies components of the Graduation Exit Examination (GEE) to receive a standard diploma.

⁷ For the graduating classes of 2010 through 2014, students can graduate by passing statewide reading and writing assessments and either passing mathematics assessments or meeting other requirements.

⁸ State did not participate in the 2008 online survey; data are from 2006.

⁹ Expressed in credit hours instead of Carnegie units.

¹⁰ Requirement takes effect for class of 2012.

¹¹ Requirement takes effect for class of 2014.

¹² To receive the standard diploma, students must earn at least six verified credits by passing end-of-course assessmentsOne of those credits may be earned by passing a student-selected test in computer science, technology, career and technical education, or other areas.

¹³ For the graduating class of 2011, students must pass an exit exam in reading and writingStudents in the class of 2013 will be required to pass reading, writing, math, and science assessments.

¹⁴ Determined locally, but state encourages school boards to adopt this requirement.

NOTE: Local school districts frequently have other graduation requirements in addition to state requirements. The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a 1-year course.

SOURCE: Council of Chief State School Officers, Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education, 2008, table 7, retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2008/Key_State_Education_Policies_2008.pdf; Education Week and Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, Diplomas Count 2008, Graduation Briefs, retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/06/05/index.html; and Diplomas Count 2011, "Graduation Policies" table, retrieved July 19, 2011, from http://www.edweek.org/media/dc11-graduationpolicies.pdf. (This table was prepared July 2011.)

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