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Graduation Guidelines
Graduation Guidelines Implementation Strategies, 2021-22
Town Hall, April 26, 2022: Capstone and Performance Based Assessments. District and school leaders, practitioners, and students from Akron, Aurora, Buena Vista, Sheridan, and The Academy of Charter Schools shared their experiences in a panel format - including what they've put in place, what they've learned, how students have reacted, and how they plan to move forward.
Slides, Practices, Resources Recordings
The PWR of Graduation Guidelines, Jan 28, 2022: Listen to the presentations and conversation, and access shared resources and implementation strategies for: capstone, credit recovery, Concurrent Enrollment and CTE, Accommodating for English Learners and Students with IEPs, ACCUPLACER, ACT WorkKeys, and ASVAB.
Slides, Practices, Resources Recordings
Town Hall, Oct 26, 2021: Find out what's new for Graduation Guidelines, what full implementation means, what implementation strategies districts have in place, and how to report Graduation Guidelines.
Town Hall Slides Town Hall Recording FAQs for 2021-22 Implementation Strategies for 2022
Capstone Workshop for Students with IEPs, Oct 4 and 13, 2021. Access an in-depth conversation and workshop about developing a Capstone process for all students, and how to include students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
What Are Graduation Guidelines?
Colorado Graduation Guidelines are a road map to help students and their families plan for success after high school. In order to graduate from high school, students choose from a Menu of Options - adopted at the local school board level - to demonstrate Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and Mathematics.
Full implementation of the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options goes into effect for students graduating in the 21-22 school year and beyond.
- This includes:
- All students who have an Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG) of 2022 or beyond, including 3 year graduates
- 5th year seniors with an AYG of 2021
- This does not include:
- Students who are still enrolled, but who met Graduation Guidelines competencies in 2021: ASCENT students and Students in Transition
- 6th year (AYG 2020) and 7th year (AYG 2019) seniors
Menu of Options
Local school boards establish high school graduation requirements that meet or exceed the Colorado Graduation Guidelines. Local school boards and districts select from this menu to create a list of options that their students must use to show what they know or can do in order to graduate from high school.
School districts may offer some or all of the state menu options, may raise a cut score on an included assessment and may add graduation requirements in other content areas.
Graduation Guidelines begin with the implementation of: Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP), 21st Century Essential Skills, and Colorado Academic Standards for all content areas, including one course in Civics, and in July 2023, one course that incorporates Genocide and Holocaust Studies.
Print a Copy of the Menu of Options Imprime Una Copia del Menu de Opciones
View Guidance for English Learners, Gifted Students, and Students with Disabilities
Click Menu below to view and print
Guidance, Resources, and Promising Practices
Regional Conversations - PWR Symposia
Join your peers from neighboring schools and districts for a virtual Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Symposium to talk about implementing Graduation Guidelines and other PWR initiatives. Engage in strategic conversations about capstone, work-based learning, industry certifications, and ICAP.
Consider hosting a PWR Symposium with other schools or districts. Contact Robin Russel, 303.866.2908, russel_r@cde.state.co.us.
Resources and Promising Practices from 2018-2020 PWR Symposia
Menu of Options |
Reading, Writing, Communicating |
Mathematics |
|
Classic ACCUPLACER |
62 on Reading Comprehension or 70 on Sentence Skills |
61 on Elementary Algebra |
| Next Generation ACCUPLACER | 241 on Reading or 236 on Writing |
255 on Arithmetic (AR) or 230 on Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS) |
| ACT | 18 on ACT English | 19 on ACT Math |
| ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate | Bronze or higher | Bronze or higher |
| Advanced Placement (AP) | 2 | 2 |
| 31 on the AFQT | 31 on the AFQT | |
| Concurrent Enrollment | Passing grade per district and higher education policy |
Passing grade per district and higher education policy |
| District Capstone | Individualized | Individualized |
| Industry Certificate | Individualized | Individualized |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | 4 | 4 |
| Scores update for new SAT (2016) | 470 | 500 |
|
Collaboratively-developed, standards-based |
State-wide scoring criteria | State-wide scoring criteria |
View Expanded Descriptions and Implementation Strategies
Why Graduation Guidelines?
The guidelines have two purposes, the first is to articulate Colorado’s shared beliefs about the value and meaning of a high school diploma. The second is to outline the minimum components, expectations, and responsibilities of local districts and the state to support students in attaining their high school diploma.
Life beyond high school is different from what it used to be. Most jobs in Colorado now and in the future require training or education beyond high school. Students who graduate and work in Colorado will need in-demand skills that meet business, industry, and higher education standards.
What does this mean for me now?
- Align Graduation Guidelines with your local graduation requirements. See examples of local school board graduation policies.
- Develop implementation strategies for all high school classes. See Promising Practices
- ICAP is the foundation for Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR); review the PWR Playbook and PWR Tools, Resources and Practices.
- Districts must report the measure(s) by which each student from the Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG) 2021 and beyond has graduated, according to the Menu of Options. See Graduation Guidelines Reporting.
Where can I find help?
What is getting in the way?
- Learn from other districts about their plans and practices
- Find out about the Top Jobs in Colorado
- Explore the College Admission website from the CO Dep't of Higher Education
- Join a conversation with the ad hoc Graduation Guidelines Committee, or the NE BOCES Collaborative.
- Attend or host a Regional PWR Symposium.
What's on the horizon?
-
Full implementation of the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options goes into effect for students graduating in the 21-22 school year and beyond:
- This includes: all students who have an Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG) of 2022 or beyond - including 3 year graduates, and all 5th year seniors with an AYG of 2021
- This does not include: 6th year (AYG 2020) and 7th year (AYG 2019) seniors, or ASCENT students and students in transition who met graduation requirements in 2021
- Implementation Practices: Districts have been learning from each other about how to implement Graduation Guidelines. Join your peers and neighbors in regional conversations; consider hosting or attending a PWR Symposium.
Next Steps
These Graduation Guidelines have been a catalyst for excellent conversations – about competencies, postsecondary and workforce readiness (PWR) and local control.
The Colorado Department of Education continues to meet with interested constituents to solicit feedback on the implemetation of Graduation Guidelines and has engaged the expertise of more than 500 contributors. If you or your group is interested in being part of the conversation, we would like to hear from you.
Contact: Robin Russel, 303-866-2908, russel_r@cde.state.co.us
Find it Now
- Legislation (PDF)
- Workgroups
- Graduation Guidelines Engagement Toolkit (PDF) 2014
- Menu of Options (Print a Copy of the Fact Sheet)
- Students with Exceptions: English learners, gifted students and students with disabilities
- Resources
- Promising Practices: Board policies, district plans, rubrics and implementation strategies for capstone and industry certificates.
Note:
Currently, Colorado's only statewide requirement for high school graduation is the satisfactory completion of a civics/government course that encompasses information on both the United States and State of Colorado (C.R.S. 22-1-104). Beginning in July 2023, districts must create a course that incorporates Genocide and Holocaust Studies (HB20-1336).
Regional Conversations - PWR Symposia
Join your peers from neighboring schools and districts for a virtual Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Symposium to talk about implementing Graduation Guidelines and other PWR initiatives. Engage in strategic conversations about capstone, work-based learning, industry certifications, and ICAP.
Consider hosting a PWR Symposium with other schools or districts. Contact Robin Russel, 303.866.2908, russel_r@cde.state.co.us.
Resources and Promising Practices from 2018-2020 PWR Symposia
Financial information on schools and districts throughout Colorado. Learn more about financial transparency.
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