Graduation and Academic Requirements

As established by the Board of Directors of the Spring Grove Area School District and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, each candidate for graduation shall have earned at least 25 required credits. Spring Grove Area High School will follow all state mandates regarding assessments and graduation requirements.

All students must successfully complete the following minimum requirements to qualify for a diploma:

• Four (4) non-elective courses of Social Studies, which will include American Society or approved college/university equivalent.
   
• Four (4) non-elective courses of English.
   
• Three (3) non-elective courses of Mathematics taken in high school.
   
• Three (3) non-elective courses of Science.
   
• Four (4) courses in Health/Wellness, which will include Health Education and three elective Physical Education courses.
   
• Four (4) courses in any combination of the Arts and Humanities and Practical Arts (Art, Business, Family and Consumer Science, Music, Technology Education, World Language), which will include Career Skills.
   
• Completion of Act 158 Requirements: As mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, beginning with the Class of 2022, students must demonstrate success in one of the five Graduation Pathway Options per Act 158.
  • Pathways to Graduation Guide
  • Pathways to Graduation Infographic
  • Pathways to Graduation Toolkit

An important component of Pennsylvania’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan is the creation of the Future Ready PA Index, a comprehensive, public-facing school progress report that includes a wide range of meaningful, evidence-based indicators. The Future Ready PA Index moves beyond a single, summative score to increase transparency around school and student group performance.

Each indicator within the Future Ready PA Index was selected based on extensive feedback from stakeholders across the commonwealth, along with careful evaluation of the practices and systems that tie to continuous school improvement.

Indicators fall into three main categories:

• Statewide Assessment Measures
• On-Track Measurements
• College and Career Ready Measures

For the 2018-19 school year and beyond, school entities must demonstrate that students have met the full continuum of career readiness expectations as defined for each grade span. Specifically, evidence shall be collected in a matter that validates all four strands of the Career Education and Work standards have been meaningfully addressed.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has established academic standards that define what students should know and do in a core set of subjects. Standards give students a solid foundation in the basics and provide consistent targets for students, teachers, and parents. Four proficiency levels illustrate students’ achievement of Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards as measured by the Keystone Assessments. The four proficiency levels are as follows:

• Advanced: superior academic performance
• Proficient: satisfactory academic performance
• Basic: marginal academic performance
• Below Basic: inadequate academic performance

As mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, beginning with the Class of 2022, students must demonstrate success in one of the five Graduation Pathway Options per Act 158. 

Students who score “Basic” or “Below Basic” on the Keystone Literature or Algebra 1 Assessment will be required to take the course Enhanced Reading Skills 12 or Enhanced Math Skills 12 respectively. Spring Grove Area High School will follow all state mandates regarding assessments and graduation requirements. In order for a student to receive a Spring Grove Area High School diploma, he/she must have fulfilled the graduation requirements established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Board of Directors of the Spring Grove Area School District.