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Grade Classification & Graduation Requirements

Grade Classification

Grade classification for high school students is determined by years in school, not on credit earned. Students will be classified to the next grade level at the end of each school year. Students are allowed four school years to graduate high school based on the date that they first enroll in ninth grade.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

  1. Complete coursework designed around your individual goals and the Core Enrollment Expectations

  2. Take the ACT with Writing in junior year, at no cost (or take the NAA for Alternative Diploma students)

  3. Earn a diploma

1. CORE ENROLLMENT EXPECTATIONS

The Clark County School District (CCSD) strives to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and in the workforce by providing access to a rigorous curriculum. The Core Enrollment Expectations are consistent with Nevada Revised Statute and aligned with the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship minimum core curriculum requirements. If the Core Enrollment Expectations do not align with a student’s academic plan, then a modified course of study must be agreed upon by the student’s parent/guardian and a school administrator or school counselor. 

Core Enrollment Expectations Units

English 4

Mathematics (including Algebra II or higher) 4

Natural Science 3

Social Studies and History 3

Total 14

Students that successfully complete the Core Enrollment Expectations with a weighted grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 may qualify for the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship. Please see your school counselor for more information about the Millennium Scholarship.

SOURCES: NRS 389.018, Nevada Board of Regents, Nevada Treasurer’s Office

2. TESTING

Required: College and Career Readiness Assessment that all students take ACT in the spring of the junior year, as most four-year colleges/universities require test scores for admission. In addition, some colleges/universities and NCAA Division I Initial Eligibility (for student-athletes) require a minimum score on the ACT to determine placement in freshman English and math courses. Finally, some universities determine scholarship eligibility based on ACT and/or SAT results. 

All juniors will take the ACT with Writing exam in the spring. The college and career readiness assessment (ACT with Writing) is a requirement for graduation. Juniors will take the ACT in spring of the junior year at no cost. It is recommended. Students attending college/university in Nevada can earn the Millennium Scholarship after successfully completing the core curriculum and earning at least a 21 composite score on the ACT. For more information, please see the Nevada Scholarships section of this guide.

It may be necessary to retake the ACT and/or SAT to increase scores. This may enable a student to avoid placement in a remedial math and/or English college course. Remedial courses at Nevada System of Higher Education institutions provide no college credit and are not paid for by the Millennium Scholarship program.

SOURCE: CCSD Regulation 5127, NRS 390.610

3. DIPLOMA TYPES

*

To satisfy either the Arts/Humanities/CTE state requirement for the standard diploma or the additional social studies requirement for the other diplomas, CCSD students must:

  • Pass semesters 1 and 2 of World History, or

  • Pass semesters 1 and 2 of Geography, or

  • Pass semester 1 of World History and semester 2 of Geography, or

  • Pass semester 1 of Geography and semester 2 of World History.

**

Flex credits can be: a 2nd or 3rd year CTE concentrator course in one program of study, or a 4th year of math (including Algebra II or higher), or a 3rd year of science, or a 3rd year of social studies.

***

For the College and Career Ready Diploma, students must:

  1. Complete requirements in the table above, including Algebra II or higher, with a 3.25 weighted GPA, and

  2. Demonstrate proficiency in two languages, or two (2) units in AP courses, IB courses, Dual Credit courses, CTE courses, Work Based Learning courses, or a world language course, and

  3. Earn at least one of the following endorsements:

College-Ready endorsement for students who successfully complete a college readiness assessment, and receive not less than remedial scores for initial (non-remedial) placement into college-level English and mathematics courses (use the Infinite Campus Student/Parent to view the Academic Plan Progress Report), or

Career-Ready endorsement for students who successfully complete the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) –level Silver or above, or successfully complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) – score 50 or above, or obtain a Career and Technical Education Skills Attainment Certificate, or

obtain a credential on Nevada’s Industry-Recognized Credentials List (OWINN).

SOURCES: NAC 390, CCSD Regulation 5127, Nevada Board of Regents