Graduation Requirements

Two teen girls, one is a person of color and the other is white, building something in a science robotics class.
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Science One Change That Can Get More Girls, Students of Color Taking Computer Science
Making computer science classes a graduation requirement can be a powerful strategy.
Alyson Klein, October 22, 2024
5 min read
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Image of a teacher drawing outside of the lines of a whiteboard.
<b>Katie Thomas for Education Week</b>
College & Workforce Readiness How Should High School Change? These Districts May Have the Answer
By supporting learning that takes place outside the classroom, districts—and states—are starting to rethink an age-old institution.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 30, 2024
12 min read
Image of books, money, calculator, and graduation cap.
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States Why This State Will Take a Class Requirement Off the Ballot—And Why It Matters
Asking voters to decide on a curriculum issue could set a tricky precedent, experts say.
Evie Blad, July 1, 2024
2 min read
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Social Studies What the Research Says Civics Is About Skills, Not Just Facts. How Do Schools Measure Students' Readiness?
Most state assessments aren't testing how students civically engage in their communities, a new report finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 19, 2023
4 min read
Image of attributes of a graduate.
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States More States Are Creating a 'Portrait of a Graduate.' Here's Why
A portrait of a graduate is a guiding document outlining a vision of what it means to be a successful student.
Libby Stanford, December 11, 2023
8 min read
A student looks at questions during a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 17, 2016. The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission.
A student looks at questions during a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 17, 2016. More states are looking to abandon high school exit exams as support for standardized testing cools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Assessment More States Could Drop Their High School Exit Exams
There's movement afoot in nearly half the states that still mandate high school exit exams to end the requirement.
Libby Stanford, November 30, 2023
4 min read
Photograph of diverse group of primary school students using laptops in a bright classroom.
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Curriculum Computer Science Courses Are on the Rise—But Girls Are Still Half as Likely to Take It
Schools expanded the availability of foundational computer science classes, but stubborn gaps in access to those courses persist.
Alyson Klein, November 1, 2023
4 min read
Photo of boy in classroom with U.S. flag.
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Social Studies This Popular High School Civics Requirement Doesn’t Boost Voting Habits
More than a dozen states require students to take the U.S. Citizenship exam, but it doesn't seem to boost turnout.
Sarah Schwartz, September 20, 2023
5 min read
Conceptual image of a blackboard with chalk drawings of questions marks to look like lightbulbs and a crumpled piece of paper to signify a lightbulb, idea.
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States The Steps Some States Are Taking to Redefine Student Success
"We can’t go back to the way it’s always been done," says the head of the group that represents state education chiefs.
Libby Stanford, August 3, 2023
7 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Assessment Letter to the Editor State Exams Offer Pathways for Some—Not All—Learners
A parent writes a letter to the editor detailing her child's experience with state exams in New York.
April 25, 2023
1 min read
A mastery-based learning program was implemented at Haddam-Killingworth High School in Higganum, Conn., by Principal Donna Hayward. Ms. Hayward was named the 2023 National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary Principals. The vision of the program, created for graduating seniors, is to ensure all students are prepared for college, career, and civic life through multiple and flexible pathways for learning, including mastery-based systems of accountability for student growth. Principal Hayward, center, stands in the school library with four seniors who completed the program (from left), Abby Jones, 17, of Killingworth, Jack Fergusson, 17, of Haddam, Callen Powers, 17, of Haddam, and Anadalay Garcia, 18, of Higganum.
Principal Donna Hayward, center, and graduating seniors (from left), Abby Jones, Jack Ferguson, Callen Powers, and Anadalay Garcia, said they all learned something from the their state's graduation assessment project. They gathered at Haddam-Killingworth High School in Higganum, Conn., on April 20, 2023.
Christopher Capozziello for Education Week
Assessment Fighting Senioritis? This New Requirement Kept a Graduating Class Engaged
These seniors were the first to test a new state requirement to reflect on what they had learned over four years of high school.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 21, 2023
6 min read