Graduation Requirements

Assessment What Tests Does Each State Require?
Browse the results of Education Week's latest state survey of testing plans and see how the national testing landscape has evolved.
Catherine Gewertz, February 15, 2017
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion College Readiness: Are Different Definitions Driving Inequality?
When "college readiness" is defined differently for different students, our education system may perpetuate the very inequalities it aims to address, writes Marc Tucker.
Marc Tucker, January 19, 2017
9 min read
College & Workforce Readiness State Diploma Requirements Are All Over the Map, Study Says
States conferred 95 kinds of diplomas to high school graduates last year—two more than the year before, according to the group Achieve.
Catherine Gewertz, November 15, 2016
3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Ohio Graduation Rules Spark Protests, State Considers Revisions
Local superintendents are converging on Ohio's state Capitol today to protest graduation requirements that have left up to half of students in some districts at risk of not earning their diplomas.
Catherine Gewertz, November 15, 2016
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness With 95 Kinds of High School Diplomas, What Does 'Graduation' Mean?
A new report finds that there are 95 different kinds of high school diplomas nationwide, and that many fall short of requiring students to complete courses that prepare them for college or good jobs.
Catherine Gewertz, November 3, 2016
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Colorado Expands Students' Options for Earning High School Diplomas
Colorado has established new statewide graduation requirements, but they allow students to choose from a menu of ways to prove they're ready for diplomas.
Catherine Gewertz, August 31, 2016
2 min read
Assessment New Jersey Becomes Second State to Require PARCC Passage for Graduation
New Jersey joins New Mexico as the only other state in the country to require students to pass the PARCC exam to graduate from high school.
Catherine Gewertz, August 4, 2016
2 min read
Social Studies Thirteen States Now Require Grads to Pass Citizenship Test
Since Arizona added the citizenship-test requirement in 2015, 12 additional states have followed suit. The Joe Foss Institute is hoping to reach all 50 states.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, June 7, 2016
2 min read
Kevin Pineda, 18, is due to graduate from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles in June. After years of struggling to master English, Pineda credits a course taught by Joel Miller for helping him achieve proficiency in English and putting him on track to earn his diploma.
Kevin Pineda, 18, is due to graduate from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles in June. After years of struggling to master English, Pineda credits a course taught by Joel Miller for helping him achieve proficiency in English and putting him on track to earn his diploma.
Emile Wamsteker for Education Week
Federal For Stalled ELL Students, Graduation Is Often an Elusive Goal
Long-term English-learners—those who are not considered proficient for five or more years—are at a great risk of dropping out of school. What can schools do to keep these students on track to graduate?
Alyson Klein, May 11, 2016
11 min read
Assessment New Jersey Settles Lawsuit Over Graduation Rules
Attorneys took the state to task for enacting new testing requirements by memorandum, instead of through a process that includes public notice and comment.
Catherine Gewertz, May 9, 2016
2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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College & Workforce Readiness Opinion The NCAA's Hidden Influence on High Schools
The NCAA's onerous eligibility requirements for student-athletes has a stranglehold on precollegiate schooling, writes James Lytle.
James H. Lytle, January 19, 2016
4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Algebra 1 Creates Graduation Roadblock in New York
Tougher common-core algebra requirements are making it tougher for some students to earn diplomas in New York State.
Liana Loewus, December 1, 2015
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness H.S. Diploma Often Not an Indicator of College and Career Readiness, Report Says
Just four states and the District of Columbia require students to complete college- and career-ready level courses in math and English/language arts to graduate, according to a new report.
Liana Loewus, October 19, 2015
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness UPDATED: California Students Who Failed Exit Exam Since 2004 Can Graduate Anyway
The new law exponentially expands the reach of an earlier move by lawmakers who exempted only this year's graduating class from the exit exam.
Catherine Gewertz, October 8, 2015
3 min read