Marion County Public Schools"Helping Every Student Succeed"

Graduation

Diploma Requirements

Requirements	24-Credit Diploma	18-Credit Diploma (ACCEL)	CTE Diploma
4 Credits in English	ELA 1, 2, 3, 4 ELA honors, Advanced Placement (AP), AICE, IB and dual enrollment courses may satisfy this requirement	ELA 1, 2, 3, 4 ELA honors, Advanced Placement (AP), AICE, IB and dual enrollment courses may satisfy this requirement	ELA 1, 2, 3, 4 ELA honors, Advanced Placement (AP), AICE, IB and dual enrollment courses may satisfy this requirement
4 Credits in Math	One of which must be Algebra 1 One of which must be Geometry Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to two mathematics credits (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one mathematics credit (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry)	One of which must be Algebra 1 One of which must be Geometry Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to two mathematics credits (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one mathematics credit (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry)	One of which must be Algebra 1 One of which must be Geometry Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to two mathematics credits (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one mathematics credit (except for Algebra 1 and Geometry)
3 Credits in Science	One of which must be Biology 1, two of which must be equally rigorous science courses Two of the three required course credits must have a laboratory component Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1)	One of which must be Biology 1, two of which must be equally rigorous science courses Two of the three required course credits must have a laboratory component Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1)	One of which must be Biology 1, two of which must be equally rigorous science courses Two of the three required course credits must have a laboratory component Industry Certifications that lead to college credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1) An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one science credit (except for Biology 1)
3 Credits in Social Studies	1 credit in World History 1 credit in U.S. History 0.5 credit in U.S. Government 0.5 credit in Economics 0.5 credit in Financial Literacy and Money Management	1 credit in World History 1 credit in U.S. History 0.5 credit in U.S. Government 0.5 credit in Economics 0.5 credit in Financial Literacy and Money Management	1 credit in World History 1 credit in U.S. History 0.5 credit in U.S. Government 0.5 credit in Economics
1 Credit in Performing Arts or Career and Technical Education	Eligible courses are specified in the Florida Course Code Directory	Eligible courses are specified in the Florida Course Code Directory	Not Required
1 Credit in PE	To include the integration of health	Not Required	Not Required
Elective Courses	7.5 Electives (Course selections vary by school)	2.5 Electives (Course selections vary by school)	2 CTE Courses: Complete two credits in career and technical education. The courses must result in a program completion and an industry certification. 2 Credit in work learning: A student may substitute up to two credits of electives including one-half credit in financial literacy, for work-based learning program courses to fulfill this requirement. For a student who enters grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year and thereafter, complete one and one-half credits in electives or work-based learning programs.
Other Requirements	Students must earn a 2.0-grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 Scale for all cohort years Pass statewide assessments or earn a concordant score(unless a waiver of assessment results is granted by the IEP team for students with disabilities)	Students must earn a 2.0-grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 Scale for all cohort years Pass statewide assessments or earn a concordant score(unless a waiver of assessment results is granted by the IEP team for students with disabilities	Students must earn a 2.0-grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 Scale for all cohort years Pass statewide assessments or earn a concordant score(unless a waiver of assessment results is granted by the IEP team for students with disabilities

Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma
To complete this diploma option, students must successfully pass seven AICE courses and sit for the corresponding exams. The courses must fall in the following categories:
(1) Core: Global Perspectives
(2) Group 1: Mathematics and Science
(3) Group 2: Languages
(4) Group 3: Arts and Humanities
(5) 3 other courses and exams in any category
(6) In addition to required curriculum/testing, AICE diploma option students must have a 2.0 GPA and pass required state assessments.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
The components of the IB curriculum that meet this requirement are as follows:
(1) All prerequisite courses identified in the school’s IB program
(2) A total of six subjects must be studied, with a combination of standard and higher levels (SL and HL). Students must also complete the “core”, which is made up of Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Extended Essay (EE).
Each subject is graded 1–7, with 7 being the highest grade. These grades are also used as points (that is, 7 points for a grade 7, and so on) in determining if the diploma can be awarded. TOK and the EE are graded A–E, with A being the highest grade. These two grades are then combined in the diploma points matrix to contribute between 0 and 3 bonus points to the total. CAS is not assessed in this way, but must be completed successfully in order to earn the diploma. The overall maximum points from subject grades and TOK/EE is therefore 45 ((6 × 7) + 3). The minimum threshold for earning the diploma is 24 points.

Walking At Graduation

Home Education Students

Students who have completed their graduation requirements through Florida Virtual School or home education are not eligible to enroll in MCPS schools for the sole purpose of participating in commencement exercises or receiving a diploma. Home education students transferring to MCPS must be enrolled with classes scheduled for at least half of the student day and earn credits at an MCPS high school to participate in commencement exercises.

To be eligible for valedictorian or salutatorian, students must have been in attendance at that school for at least their entire previous and current years, with classes scheduled for at least half of the student day.

Marion Virtual and Collegiate Academy

Students enrolled in the full-time MVS instruction program or in the Collegiate Academy via CF will earn a diploma from their base school upon completion of all graduation requirements and will be entitled to participate in their base school commencement exercises. MVS and Collegiate Academy students may not participate in commencement exercises if they have not met all state graduation requirements for a standard diploma.

Alternative Placement

A student who has been alternatively placed and has met all state graduation requirements will receive a diploma from the base school and may complete an application to participate in commencement exercises with permission of the school’s principal.

A student who has been alternatively placed and will receive a Certificate of Completion may not participate in commencement exercises.