There are 2 different routes to meet high school graduation requirements - traditional and non-traditional (formerly Senate Bill 2). Traditional graduation requirements are specific to the year a student first enters the ninth grade. Completion of these requirements does not necessarily qualify students for the HOPE Scholarship Program or for college admission. Please be certain to reference the correct set of requirements prior to planning course requests for the coming year. Students and parents, along with school personnel, have the responsibility for keeping a record of students’ progress toward graduation. School counselors will assist in keeping students and parents informed of students’ progress toward graduation. Students who entered ninth grade for the first time during the 2008-2009 school year or later (i.e., first-time freshmen) must have 23 units to graduate. For this group of students only, there is one common set of graduation requirements for all students.

• English Language Arts – 4 core units, including one unit of Ninth Grade Literature and Composition and one unit of American Literature and Composition

• Mathematics – 4 core units, including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II or their equivalents. Remaining units must come from GSE/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment courses

• Science – 4 core units, including one unit of Biology, one unit of Physical Science or Physics, and one unit of Chemistry, Earth Systems, Environmental Science, or AP course, and one additional science unit

• Social Studies – 3 core units, including one unit of World History, one unit of United States History, one-half unit of Economics, and one-half unit of American Government/Civics. **Griffin Spalding County Schools operate on a block schedule; therefore, students will receive a full unit of Civics and a full unit of Economics

• Health and Physical Education – 1 unit, including one-half unit of Health and one-half unit of Personal Fitness (3 units of JROTC may be used to meet this requirement)

• Programs of Study in Career Tech and/or world languages & or Fine Arts – 3 units (students planning to enter the University System of Georgia or most other post-secondary institutions must take 2 units of the same world languages)

• Additional Electives – 4 units from any area

Dual Enrollment High School Graduation Option B (formally known as SB2) offers qualified students an alternate path to high school graduation. Students choose to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a college Associate Degree, or a Technical Diploma, or two (2) Technical Certificates of Credit in a specific career pathway. Qualified students may take some of the high school required classes under the Dual Enrollment Program.

Complete 9 required high school courses: 2 English/Language Arts, 2 Math, 2 Science, 2 Social Studies, 1 Health/PE and all required Milestone/EOC Exams associated with those courses. Option B Dual Enrollment Brochure

Our high schools operate on a 4x4 Block Schedule format; therefore, students can earn up to 32 unit credits.

Students are required to take the Georgia Milestones End-of-Course assessments in core classes as prescribed by the Georgia Department of Education. These EOC Assessments count as a percentage of a student’s grade for the course. Students are also tested on the PSAT in tenth grade.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PROMOTION (GRADE PLACEMENT) Regulation IHE-R(1)

Beginning with students enrolling in 9th grade in 2014 - 2015 and subsequent years, students must earn 85% of the possible units of credit to be promoted to the next grade. Examples:

Block Schedule

9th grade - promotion from 8th grade

10th grade - 7 credits (8 possible)

11th grade - 14 credits (16 possible)

12th grade - 20 credits (24 possible)

Graduation Requirements - 23 credits (32 possible)