File:  IKF - Graduation Requirements

In pursuit of its mission to ensure that all students reach their learning potential, the Board of Education has established the following graduation requirements.

District academic standards

To receive a high school diploma from the District, students must meet or exceed state and District academic standards.

Graduation from high school is a culminating event that results from the foundations built at the elementary and middle levels.  Graduation is a collaborative effort among levels in a student's public school career.  Each level of school and each staff member or parent/guardian who instructs or counsels a student shares responsibility for the ultimate ability of that student to demonstrate proficiency of academic standards and to meet the expectations of a prepared graduate (SSD Graduate Profile).

Requirements for graduation from the District will be specified in the course catalog and must reflect the requirements relative to accreditation and local student needs.  All such policies must be set upon recommendation of administration and superintendent and shall be approved by the Board.

Summit High School Graduation Requirements

Credits must be earned at the rate of one per class, per semester with a 1.5 or higher.  A total of 50 credits must be acquired to graduate from Summit High School including the successful completion of Pathways to the Profile Courses (Grades 9-12) that include social emotional competency building, completion of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Personal Project, career exploration, post-secondary planning, personal financial education, and a 12th grade capstone project outlining ongoing demonstration of the SSD Graduate Profile. 

No student may participate in graduation exercises until all graduation requirements are met.

Students who complete the Higher Education Admission Recommendations and who have completed, or is on schedule to complete, at least 9 credits of transcripted, credit-bearing, college-level postsecondary coursework* prior to completing their 12th grade year will graduate *with distinction.

Students planning to attend a four-year college or university in Colorado should complete the following classes in order to fulfill the Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR). HEAR is one factor of many that public four-year institutions consider in the admission decision process.

Credit requirements in various areas must be as follows:

Snowy Peaks High School Graduation Requirements

Students will attend school and earn .25 credits for each academic class that is successfully completed during a quarter.  Students will earn at least 18 credits.  The required credits for graduation are as follows:

All students will be proficient in math and reading at the 10th grade level.  A nationally normed test will be used to assess levels of proficiency.  All students will be enrolled in math and literacy while attending our school.  Students who have passed their proficiency will be expected to take higher level classes in the respective subject area.

All students will put together a portfolio that demonstrates their skills and knowledge in:  academics, character, community, and nature.  Students will include their nationally normed scores for math and reading in their portfolio.  Each portfolio component will be assessed by rubric.

-  Academic content includes:

•  Literacy

•  Mathematics

•  Science

•  Social Sciences (includes civics)

•  Arts, Culture and Humanities (including world language)

•  Health (physical and emotional wellbeing) and Physical Education

-  Demonstration of Character:  Students will create a culture of dignity and respect, and demonstrate these values in both school and our community.

-  Commitment to Community:  Students will develop an awareness of issues and make positive contributions to our school and the community at large.

-  My Place in Nature:  Students will work to foster a connection with nature via experiential education, understand their impact in the world and learn to incorporate principles of sustainability into their lives.

All students will complete a personal project.  It is a culminating project that will also be assessed by rubric and incorporated into the portfolio.

Credit from other institutions and home-based programs

All students entering from outside the District must meet the District graduation requirements.  The principal must determine whether credit toward graduation requirements will be granted for courses taken outside the District.  Students who are currently enrolled in the District and wish to obtain credit from outside institutions, or through "online" programs, must have prior approval from the principal.

The District must accept the transcripts from a home-based educational program.  In order to determine whether the courses and grades earned are consistent with District requirements and District academic standards, the District must require submission of the student's work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward graduation is sought.  In addition, the District may administer testing to the student to verify the accuracy of the student's transcripts.  The District may reject any transcripts that cannot be verified through such testing.

When transcripts of transfer students show grades such as pass or satisfactory, such grades may not be counted in determining class rank or grade point average.  Students entering from home-based education programs must submit student work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward class ranking or grade point average is sought.

Independent study

Independent study, work experience and experienced-based programs approved in advance by the principal may be taken for high school credit.  Students must submit a request for approval that includes a summary of the educational objectives to be achieved and monitored by a faculty member.

Student course load

The course load for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors must be a minimum of 6 credits per school year.  Students who wish to take less credits in any given school year must obtain advance permission from the principal.

Years of attendance

The Board of Education believes that most students benefit from four years of high school experience and are encouraged not to graduate early.  However, in some cases, students need the challenge provided by postsecondary education or other opportunities at an earlier age.  Therefore, the principal may grant permission to students wishing to graduate early, provided the student has met all District graduation requirements.

Adopted September 14, 1982
Revised August 22, 1995
Revised April 28, 2004
Revised:  May 10, 2011
Revised:  March 25, 2014
Revised:  June 28, 2016
Revised:  December 17, 2020
Revised:  June 27, 2023

LEGAL REFS.:  C.R.S. 22-1-104 (teaching history, culture and civil government)

C.R.S. 22-1-104.7 (2)(a) (requirement to incorporate Holocaust and Genocide studies standards into existing course required for graduation)

C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(kk) (board to establish graduation requirements that "meet or exceed" state graduation guidelines)

C.R.S. 22-32-132 (discretion to award diploma to honorably discharged veterans)

C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 (home-based education law)

C.R.S. 22-35-101 et seq. (Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act)

CROSS REFS.:  AE, Accountability/Commitment to Accomplishment

AEA, Standards Based Education

IHBG, Home Schooling

IHBK, Preparation for Postsecondary and Workforce Success

IHCDA, Concurrent Enrollment

IK, Academic Achievement

IKA, Grading/Assessment Systems