USD 220 - GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Requirements for graduation from an accredited school in Kansas are governed by the State Department of Education and the local Board of Education.
1. ENGLISH - 4 Units
2. AMERICAN HISTORY - 1 Unit
3. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT - 1 Unit
4. LABORATORY SCIENCE - 3 Units
5. PHYSICAL EDUCATION - 1 Unit
6. MATHEMATICS - 3 Units
7. GENERAL SOCIAL STUDIES - 1 Unit
8. COMPUTER I - 1 Unit
9. Three additional units must be taken in at least two of the following areas:
• FINE ARTS (1 required)
• INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
• GENERAL STUDY ....Math, Science, Business, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Language Arts
10. All students will need a total of 25 units in order to graduate. Of these 25 units, 18 are
required courses.
STUDENTS MUST MEET ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION IN ORDER TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE GRADUATION EXERCISES. (Exchange students are exempt)
U.S.D. 220 WILL NOT ACCEPT G.E.D. COMPLETION OR UNAPPROVED ONLINE CLASSES IN EXCHANGE FOR AN ASHLAND HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
DIPLOMA OF EXCELLENCE
1. ENGLISH - 4 Units
English 1, English 2, English 3, English 4
2. SOCIAL SCIENCE - 4 Units
World History, American History, Government,
3. MATH - 4 Units
Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, College Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus
4. SCIENCE - 4 Units
General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
5. FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND COMPUTER - 3 Units
Spanish I, Spanish II, French I, French II, Yearbook, Technology
A student must take at least one unit of foreign language and one unit of computers. The third unit can be either foreign language or computers.
6. FINE ARTS - 2 Units
Art, Band, Media, Vocal, Speech
7. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH - 1 Unit
8. The Diploma of Excellence is a suggested curriculum for the college-bound student. In order for
students to graduate with this special honor, they must successfully complete the 22 required
units and attain a minimum of 25 total units.
9. A student must meet the requirements for the Diploma of Excellence in order to be considered
for Valedictorian or Salutatorian.
10. If a student is not able to take a required class due to a scheduling conflict and has demonstrated
a sincere effort and desire to enroll in the required class, that student will remain in good
standing to complete the stipulations set forth for the Diploma of Excellence. The counselor will
note the circumstances in the student's folder as evidence. However, if a student chooses to take
an elective class in place of a required class that would fit into his/her class schedule, that student
would forfeit his/her privilege to receive the Diploma of Excellence. The administration must
approve any deviation from the required policy.
11. Transfer students must meet the requirements of the Diploma of Excellence in order to receive
this privilege.
12. Any student that graduates with a Diploma of Excellence will have it noted on their high school
transcript.
REGENTS QUALIFIED ADMISSIONS - KANSAS RESIDENTS
Five of the six state universities in Kansas, including Emporia State University, Fort Hays State
University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, and Wichita State University, use
the standards below to review applicants for undergraduate admission. The University of Kansas
has different admission standards from those listed below, visit admissions.ku.edu for more
information. Standards are set by the Kansas Board of Regents.
ACCREDITED HIGH SCHOOL
If you are a Kansas resident who will graduate from an accredited high school during the
2015-2016 academic year or later, you can guarantee admission to five of the state’s universities
by completing the Qualified Admissions or Kansas Scholars curriculum with a 2.0 GPA and by
meeting one of the following requirements:
- ACT score of at least 21; OR
- SAT score of at least 980; OR
- Graduate in the top 1/3rd of your class.
If you enroll in college courses while you are in high school, it is also required that you achieve a
2.0 GPA or higher in those courses.
QUALIFIED ADMISSIONS PRECOLLEGE CURRICULUM
Kansas Course Codes are used to identify courses that fulfill Qualified Admissions curriculum
requirements. A complete list of courses is available at the Kansas Board of Regents website:
kansasregents.org/qualified_admissions. Additionally, your high school counselor has a list of
courses at your high school that fulfill these requirements.
One unit is equivalent to one year, or two semesters. Dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment,
and online courses may be used to fulfill the Qualified Admissions curriculum requirements. All
courses must appear on your high school transcript, and courses completed in middle school or
junior high do not fulfill the Qualified Admissions Math requirements.
Qualified Admissions Approved Curricula at High Schools:
English (4)
Math (3 units and meet ACT college readiness or 4 units)
Social Science (3)
Natural Science (3 units, one of which must be Chemistry or Physics)
Elective (3 units)
KANSAS SCHOLARS CURRICULUM
English - 4 years
One unit to be taken each year. Must include substantial recurrent practice in writing extensive and structured papers, extensive reading of significant literature, and significant experience in speaking and listening.
Mathematics - 4 years
Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and one unit of advanced mathematics-- suggested courses include: Analytic Geometry, Trigonometry, Advanced Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Functions or Calculus. Completion of Algebra I in 8th grade is acceptable for the Kansas Scholars Curriculum, but not for Qualified Admissions.
Science - 3 years
One year each in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, each of which include an average of one laboratory period a week. Applied/technical courses may not substitute for a unit of natural science credit.
Social Studies - 3 years
One unit of U.S. History; minimum of one-half unit of U.S. Government and minimum of one-half unit selected from: World History, World Geography or International Relations; and one unit selected from: Psychology, Economics, U.S. Government, U.S. History, Current Social Issues, Sociology, Anthropology, and Race and Ethnic Group Relations. Half unit courses may be combined to make this a whole unit.
Foreign Language - 2 years
Two years of one language. Latin and Sign Language are accepted.