Graduation

Requirements for graduation from public high schools (but not private ones and possibly not some charter school programs) are specified by the California Education Code in terms of yearlong or semester-long courses; individual school districts may add to these requirements. The state requirements are English (3—meaning three year-long courses); mathematics (2); science (2—including both biological and physical science); social studies (3—including U.S. history and geography; world history, culture, and geography); one semester in American government and civics; and one semester in economics; visual or performing arts or foreign language (1); and physical education (2). A four-year program at a traditional public high school typically adds up to 220 credits and includes several elective courses. Public high schools keep "score" by awarding 5 credits per semester for each subject, and in a traditional school this means about 90 hours of class time. The material covered in each of these courses can be seen in Tables of Contents of textbooks and in state guidelines available at high schools, county offices of education, and at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp. Sometimes the subject matter of a course is divided into units of study, so that, in life science, for example, one of several units in a course might be "The Animal Kingdom," and might be worth one credit of the 5 for a semester course or of the 10 for a year-long course. Ways to meet these requirements vary widely among different programs. In one, a set of traditional textbooks is issued, and a series of assignments centered on the books is specified. Completion of a series of assignments can lead to a full 5 credits for a semester of, say, U.S. History, or there may be several shorter series of assignments comprising units that each lead to earning a smaller number of credits. Another program may allow for flexible and individualized ways to meet requirements. For example, a family trip to historic sites on the East Coast, along with a narrated videotape, can be credited as work in U.S. History; additional work completed in different ways leads to a full 10 credits.