The State of Michigan requires all students to earn one-half unit of credit in United States Government during grades nine-through twelve.

The grade-level requirements contained in this policy shall not apply to Community High School, Stone High School or to the Roberto Clemente Student Development Center. Due to the unique nature of these alternative schools, the sequence of courses in the curriculum may vary. However, the curriculum of these schools must be directed toward student acquisition of the Michigan Curriculum Framework and fulfillment of the established graduation requirements.

Total Credits

Each student shall be required to earn a total of at least 21 credits.

Class of 2009 and Class of 2010  = 21 credits

Class of 2011, 21012, and 2013  = 22 credits

Exceptions

In general, special education students who are enrolled in the regular instructional program shall be expected to meet the preceding requirements.  The State Standards apply to ALL students in public schools.  Special Education students must satisfy these same standards to receive a high school diploma with the Individual Education Plan [IEP] determining the appropriate courses of course of study.  Parents may request a Personal Curriculum that modifies certain standard requirements.  However, Personal Curricula have strict guidelines and all other options must be exhausted before a Personal Curriculum will be considered for a student.  It is expected that Personal Curricula will be rare.

Requirements for Foreign Exchange

International exchange students who qualify for senior status may be granted a diploma if they earn 4.0 credits distributed as follows:

So…you would like to go to college???

Since we know that just meeting the minimum requirements is not adequate to gain entry to four-year universities around the country, we have excerpted material from Designing Your Future published by the President’s Council which is an organization representing all of the public universities in the State of Michigan. While all of the public universities have agreed to these general standards, each university has the final say in granting admission to their institution.

It is important to note that fulfilling these recommendations for Michigan public universities does not imply adequate preparation for admission to all universities. However, this is a good place to start. Visit the Pioneer Career Center, see your counselor, or visit the web site of each university that interests you for more information.