Graduation Requirements

Introduction

Encore has adopted the A-G college admission requirements for Encore’s standard graduation requirements. These requirements have been in effect since Encore’s opening in 2008. Encore believes that it is imperative that upon graduation, students have the most tools available to them to be able to succeed in life after high school.

In this document, junior high promotion requirements, Encore’s standard graduation requirements, California state minimum requirements (and when they are used), SPED Certificate of Completion requirements, and the transition of graduation requirements to include the college and career ready CTE component that Encore is implementing will be covered.

Junior High Promotion Requirements

Encore has a specific academic path for junior high students (grades 7 and 8). While Encore will generally not make a student repeat a class or “hold a student back” from entering the next grade level in any grade (except actual graduation from 12th grade), there are certain requirements a student must fulfill in junior high in order to participate in 8th grade promotion ceremonies.

8th grade promotion ceremony participation requires the student to have at least “Ds” in all academic classes at the time of promotion. Encore’s junior high counselor starts meeting with students that are in danger of not meeting these requirements in January. Follow up emails, meetings, and action plans created with parents and students continue through promotion ceremony day. When a student is ineligible to participate in junior high promotion, they miss the ceremony and the celebration trip to the amusement park that has become customary for 8th grade promoters.

High School Graduation Requirements

Standard High School Graduation Requirements

The majority of graduating seniors are required to have completed the admissions minimums from the UC/CSU systems to graduate. While Encore does begin working with the students in their second semester of their ninth grade year to get all of the courses to a minimum grade of “C” toward graduation, Encore requires only a “D” to have a course count toward graduation requirements. It is Encore’s goal to have students graduate from Encore with the A-G minimum courses with a "C" or better completed upon graduation.

Encore will guide you on how to correctly choose your classes to get the best, personalized education that you can. Each semester, most courses are worth 5 units. There are two compulsory semesters each year. Summer school is not required unless you are making up classes.

The high school years at Encore are a journey to prepare students for college, career, and life. There are a variety of opportunities for academic, artistic, and professional growth. Encore’s high school program is created on a four year track. Students wishing to complete high school early should meet with counseling early (9th grade) to appropriately plan for an early graduation. If students are on a professional artist track that may require times of extended leave and independent study, students should make an appointment with counseling.

Encore has adopted the University of California admissions requirements as the graduation requirements for Encore. All students will be enrolled in courses that satisfy California University admissions requirements (A-G requirements). If your student does not plan on attending a CSU or UC after high school, they should research admissions requirements to make sure that they will have completed the appropriate courses for admission to the university of choice. While A-G is the most common worldwide, this is not an exact admissions requirement for every college.

Only students that pass the classes with a “C” or better will qualify as completed A-G courses. Students scoring less than a “C” will be put on a path to retake or makeup the course before or during their senior year.

High school students are required at minimum to complete the A-G course requirements by graduation.

This graduation plan accounts for about 96% of all graduating seniors from Encore. Students completing this course of study will receive a traditional Encore Diploma.

California State Minimum Diploma Requirements

For students that struggle with meeting the Encore minimum graduation requirements, Encore’s counseling department can create a specialized academic plan for a student based on tailored needs. This is not a common route for students at Encore and this four year plan is not advertised to the student population. The California State Minimum Graduation Requirements account for one or two students each year.

Certificate of Completion (Special Education Services)

Within Encore’s Special Education Services Department, and with conference with Encore’s SELPA, students with special needs as designated with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) can have a school completion track that the does not satisfy either diploma track plan. These students can be placed on a Certificate of Completion track at any time after entry into ninth grade. Working specifically with counseling, the SPED Director, SELPA, the SPED teacher, and teachers (the IEP team); student plans for a certificate of completion will be developed on an individual student basis and will work with the California state minimum requirements for graduation. The IEP team will create the most rigorous plan for completion for the individual student based on the special needs of the student that will include as many of the CA minimum courses as the IEP team has deemed the student being able to complete successfully. Students completing this course of study will receive a certificate of completion from high school. This track accounts for 2% or less of Encore’s overall graduating class each year.

College & Career Readiness Dashboard

Encore High School is working to improve college & career readiness Dashboard results by working to alter the Encore traditional graduation plan. It was originally planned that starting with 9th grade students in the 20/21 school year, Encore would place all students into a CTE Completer pathway for them to finish by their senior year. Due to the distance learning closure created by COVID-19, Encore is delaying this inclusion to start in the fall of 2021. In the fall of 2021, all freshman and sophomores will choose a CTE Completer pathway that they will be tasked to complete by graduation. The goal of this change in the course requirements is that by the 2023/2024 school year, 98% of Encore’s graduating seniors will be enrolled and completing the coursework to be College & Career ready on Dashboard.

This will, coupled with the remediation and credit recovery efforts from the counseling department will help Encore to improve college & career readiness in all subgroups.

For students that complete the CTE Completer pathway prior to their senior year, they will be required to complete one of four online/independent project courses during their senior year to gain distinction as Career readiness:

• House Cord Certification – This course requires the student to complete 300 hours of a career readiness project that is used as a CTE capstone or refresher. This course can only be completed in their senior year. When a senior completes this project course, they earn a specific graduation cord that they receive and wear during graduation.

• Masters Certification – This course requires the student to complete 300 hours of a career readiness project that is used as a CTE capstone or refresher. This course requires that the student has completed a minimum of 70 course credits within a specific CTE/Arts pathway prior to graduation. When a senior completes this project course, they earn a specific graduation stole and a plaque that they receive and wear during graduation.

• Career Readiness Certification – This course requires the student to complete 300 hours of a college or career program that is not tied into a specific arts strand. This course is used as a refresher/capstone of the pathway that was completed prior to their senior year. When a senior completes this project course, they earn a specific graduation cord that they receive and wear during graduation.

• College Readiness Certification – Students that are either dually enrolled (pending completed contract with VVC) or concurrently enrolled with a college that complete two or more college courses prior to graduation will receive this distinction with a certificate and cord that they receive and wear during graduation.

Encore’s goal is that 96% of all high school students will be enrolled in a college & career readiness program by 2022, with 96% of all high school seniors graduating with the completion of the courses required to be recognized as college & career ready by the state of California. The number of students designated as college & career ready will depend on the completion of credit recovery and courses with a grade letter of “C” or better.