Graduation Requirements
The high school diploma awarded by the Denver Public Schools represents a high standard of quality in curriculum content, instruction, and student learning. It should be maintained as a document that reflects substantial effort by the students and the school district in preparation for the world of work or higher education. Students have the opportunity to earn 280 hours in four years; therefore, the goal should be a comprehensive education that could include more than the minimum 220 hours.
General Information
The graduation requirements outlined in this publication became effective for freshmen students entering high school in the fall of 1999. At least four years (eight semesters) of attendance is required for students to complete grades 9, 10, 11, 12 with two exceptions:
- Students with a 3.O GPA who have completed all core curriculum/elective requirements and 220 hours (22 Carnegie Units) may graduate in seven semesters. Students are ranked in the class with which they entered as freshmen.
- Students with a 3.5 GPA who have completed all core curriculum/elective requirements and 220 credit hours (22 Carnegie Units) may graduate in six semesters. Students are ranked in the class with which they entered as freshmen.
A high school diploma from the Denver Public Schools certifies that a student has fulfilled all graduation requirements in one of the five Course of Study areas:
- General (available to all students)
- APEX (Achieving Personal Excellence)
(APEX is available to students completing APEX in 2003) - Combined General and Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Work Experience and Study
The Combined General and Individualized Education Program (IEP), Individualized Education Program (IEP), and the Work Experience and Study are available only to students with identified special education needs. A student’s course of study is not reflected in a differentiated diploma, but rather in the student’s transcript.
General Course of Study Diploma Requirements |
||
|
Semester |
Carnegie |
|
|
Course |
(Years)
|
|
Language Arts 40 semester hours (4 units) shall be earned including ten semester hours (1 unit) of the courses Introduction to Literature and Composition 1 & 2 and ten semester hours (1 unit) of American Literature 1 & 2 |
40 |
4.0 |
Mathematics 30 semester hours (3 units) shall be earned including ten hours (1 unit) of algebra or its integrated equivalent and ten hours (1 unit) of geometry or its integrated equivalent are required, except that the high school algebra requirement will be waived for a student who successfully completes one year of algebra in middle school. Such students will be required to complete only 20 semester hours (2 units) of mathematics in high school, including ten semester hours (1 unit) of geometry. In no case will students receive high school credit for courses completed in middle school. |
30 |
3.0 |
Science 30 semester hours (3 units) shall be earned including ten semester hours (1 unit) of Biology 1 & 2, which must include study of the nature of alcohol and narcotics, their effects upon the human system and environmental concerns. |
30 |
3.0 |
Social Studies 25 semester hours (2.5 units) shall be earned including ten semester hours (1 unit) in American History, five semester hours (.5 units) in American Government and five semester hours (.5 units) in Geography are required. |
25 |
2.5 |
Physical Education/Dance, Citywide Marching Band, or ROTC 10 semester hours (1 unit) shall be earned. |
10 |
1.0 |
|
Elective Curriculum |
||
Electives 85 semester hours (8.5 units) shall be earned. Classroom-based Instruction Within the 220 semester hours (22 units) required for graduation, 85 semester hours (8.5 units) are available for electives. An extensive elective program is offered in the core curriculum subjects. In addition, students may choose electives in art, business/marketing, consumer and family studies, foreign languages, industrial/technology, music, physical education/dance, or special offerings. Community-based Experience Within the 220 semester hours (22 units) required for a diploma, a minimum of 190 semester hours (19 units) shall be earned in classroom-based instruction. Students may, therefore earn and apply a maximum of 30 semester hours (3 units) of community-based experience toward graduation requirements. These experiences may include, but are not limited to, field or service experiences, work experience, and internships. All experiences must be approved and supervised by a certified Denver Public Schools teacher. |
85 |
8.5 |
|
Total |
220 |
22.0 |
A complete set of high school course offerings with descriptions is available for review in each high school.