Graduation Requirements
The Board of Education for the Cabool R-IV School District establishes the following graduation policy and instructs the administration to develop all necessary procedures for proper implementation.
Requirements (9-12)
A student must meet the following requirements in order to graduate from the Cabool R-IV School District, unless the stated exceptions apply. The student must:
Complete a total of 26 credits, including credits required by the State Board of Education.
1. Communication Arts (English I, II and III required) 4 Credits
2. Social Studies (Am. History and Am. Government required) 3 Credits
3. Mathematics 3 Credits
4. Science (Ecology and Biology required) 3 Credits
5. Fine Arts 1 Credits
6. Practical Arts 1 Credits
7. Physical Education 1 Credits
8. Health ½ Credits
9. Personal Finance ½ Credits
10. Electives 9 Credits
Total 26 Credits
2. Pass proficiency exams concerning American History, American Institutions, and the Missouri and U.S. Constitutions. Pass the US and MO Constitution Tests
3. Successfully complete a course of instruction of at least one (1) semester in length on the institutions, branches and functions of the government of the state of Missouri, including local governments, the U.S. government and the electoral process.
4. Have earned credit in the Cabool R-IV School District's educational program between the ninth and twelfth grades.
Exceptions
1. Graduation requirements for a student with a disability receiving special education services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) may be determined according to the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP).
2. Students transferring from another accredited Missouri school as a junior or senior who cannot reasonably complete the district's requirements may be permitted to graduate based on the successful completion of a program of studies that would have met the graduation requirements at the school formerly attended, including the requirements of (2) and (3) above.
3. The district will waive the requirement to pass proficiency exams concerning American History, American Institutions, and the Missouri and U.S. Constitutions for students who transfer from another state if they can document the successful completion of a course of instruction in the institutions, branches and functions of state government, including local governments, the U.S. government and the electoral process.
Such instruction must have been completed in grades nine through twelve.
4. Students who transfer from another state or country or an unaccredited private, public or home school and who are placed in the ninth grade will be required to meet all established graduation requirements. If such a student is placed in the tenth grade or higher, the district will work with the student and the parents/guardians to develop a program of studies that will result in graduation if successfully completed.
5. Eligible students who successfully complete the Missouri Option Program (formerly the GED Option Program) will be awarded a high school diploma.
Earning Credit
1. The superintendent or designee is directed to assign credit values for courses offered by or through the school district and to develop formulas and procedures for awarding credit to transfer students who transfer from a district that uses a different standard for awarding credit.
2. The Cabool R-IV School District recognizes units of credit obtained through accredited schools, including credits earned through correspondence courses or courses delivered primarily through electronic media, such as satellite video, cable video or computer-driven or online courses. For the purposes of this policy, an "accredited school" is the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP); a private agency where students with disabilities are placed by a public school; or any school accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) or the University of Missouri Committee on Accredited Schools Non-Public (CAS). If a school is located in another state or country, that school must be accredited by that state's or country's department of education, NCA, ISACS or the equivalent agencies.
3. Students may earn advanced-standing credit by successfully completing high-school level courses prior to entering the ninth grade. For students in the graduating class of 2010 and beyond, this advanced-standing credit may be counted toward meeting all graduation requirements, including state minimum requirements. Students graduating prior to 2010 may use advanced-standing credit to meet subject-area requirements and district graduation requirements, but may not count the credit toward meeting the minimum number of credits required by the State Board.
4. The district will waive one (1) unit of academic credit in communication arts, math, science or social studies, whichever is most appropriate, for students who successfully complete an eligible three-unit career/technical program.
5. Students may earn credit for a subject that has been embedded into another subject-area course in accordance with guidelines established by DESE.
6. The district will award credit to students who can demonstrate mastery of competencies for a particular course by successfully completing a district-approved mastery assessment tool.
7. Students may earn credit by other means as approved by the Board and in accordance with law.
Diplomas
Students will be awarded either a diploma or certificate of attendance in accordance with this policy and as permitted by law. A student in the household of an active duty member of the military, including some veterans who are deceased or injured as defined by law, who transfers to the Cabool R-IV School District from another state at the beginning of or during his or her senior year who will not meet the graduation requirements of the district by the end of the senior year will receive a diploma from the sending school district if the student is able to meet the graduation requirements of the sending district. Representatives from the Cabool R-IV School District and the sending district will work with the student to facilitate this alternative. If the sending district refuses to cooperate, the Cabool R-IV School District will use best efforts to allow the student to graduate by the end of the senior year. Students who complete the district's graduation requirements while under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court will be awarded a high school diploma even if the student completes the requirements in a different school district.
Additional Graduation Guidelines and Requirements
A. Students will take the required courses during the regular school year or may take them during the summer for credit recovery.
B. Seniors will not be allowed to walk at graduation until all attendance problems are resolved, all credits have been completed, and all fees and fines have been paid. Tests and academic grades must be completed and approved by the principal and/or superintendent prior to the graduation exercises.
C. All Independent Study and Summer School classes will be on a Pass/Fail basis.
D. Seniors who have completed the prescribed course of studies with a grade average of 9.65 or more will graduate with honors and be awarded a gold tassel. Seniors who have completed requirements with a grade average of 8.25 to 9.64 will graduate with distinction and will be awarded a white tassel.
E. A student may substitute three (3) units of Secondary Vocational Agriculture courses for one (1) unit of biological science. The three units must by selected from the following list of six specific courses:
Agricultural Science I (DESE Core Data course code 016710), Agricultural Science II (016760), Crop Science (016761), Greenhouse Operation and Management (016765), Animal Science (016711), and Conservation of Natural Resources (016759).
F. Three (3) units of social studies. The Vocational Agriculture course in Agricultural Management and Economics (DESE Core Data course code 016730) will be accepted as a substitute for one (1) unit of social studies for partial fulfillment of this requirement.
G. Summer school Conditioning or Physical Education classes may be counted toward the minimum physical education graduation requirement.
H. Seniors must pay all fees and fines in full before they will be permitted to participate in graduation activities.