High School Diploma Endorsements

Students enrolled in North Carolina high schools shall have the opportunity to earn Endorsements to their High School Diploma that identify a particular area of focused study, beginning with the graduating class of 2014-2015.  The earning of endorsements shall be based on the following criteria:

  1. Students shall meet all requirements set forth in State Board Policy, “State Graduation Requirements” related to earning a high school diploma.

  2. Students may earn a Career Endorsement, a College Endorsement, a College/UNC Endorsement, a North Carolina Academic Scholars Endorsement, and/or a Global Languages Endorsement.

  3. The requirements for earning these endorsements are defined below:

Career Endorsement:

  1. Except as limited by N.C.G.S. §115C-81(b), the student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the student’s post-secondary plans.  Acceptable fourth math courses for the Career Endorsement include any math course that may be used to meet NC high school graduation requirements, including applied math courses found in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) domain.

  2. The student shall complete a CTE concentration in one of the approved CTE Cluster areas (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/cte/curriculum/);

 

  • Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

  • Architecture and Construction

  • Arts, A/V Technology and Communications

  • Business, Management and Administration

  • Education and Training

  • Finance

  • Government and Public Administration

  • Health Science

  • Hospitality and Tourism

  • Human Services

  • Information Technology

  • Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security 

  • Manufacturing

  • Marketing, Sales and Service

  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

  • Transportation, Distribution and Logistics

    • The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6.

    • The student shall earn at least one industry-recognized credential. Earned credentials can include Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) at the Silver level or above from WorkKeys assessments or another appropriate industry credential/certification.

College Endorsement:

  1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III; and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the student's post-secondary plans.  The fourth math course must meet University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements or be acceptable for earning placement in a credit-bearing college math class under the North Carolina Community College System’s Multiple Measures Placement policy.

  2. The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6.

     

College/UNC Endorsement

  1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III  or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements that include a mathematics course with either Algebra II, Math III orIntegrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite;

  2. The student shall complete three units of science including at least one physical science with a lab, one life science and  one additional science course;

  3. The student shall complete U.S. History or equivalent coursework;

  4. The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English);

  5. Students shall earn a weighted grade point average of at least 2.5.

North Carolina Academic Scholars Endorsement

  1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Math I, II, III; Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Course Requirements that include a mathematics course with either Math III, Algebra II, or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite.

  2. The student shall complete three units of science including an Earth/Environmental science course, Biology, and at least one physical science course that must include either physics or chemistry.

  3. For students entering ninth grade prior to 2012-13, the student shall complete three units of social studies including U.S. History, World History, and Civics and Economics. For students entering ninth grade in 2012-13 or later, the student shall complete four units of social studies including World History, American History:  Founding Principles, Civics and Economics, American History I and American History II.

  4. The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English).

  5. The student shall complete four elective credits in any one subject area, such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), JROTC, Arts Education, World Languages, or in another content area.

  6. The student shall have completed at least three higher-level courses during junior and/or senior years which carry quality points such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Dual Enrollment courses; Advanced CTE and CTE credentialing courses; honors level courses, or Project Lead the Way courses.

  7. The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 3.50.

Global Languages Endorsement

  1. The student shall earn a combined unweighted 2.5 GPA or above for the four English Language Arts courses required for graduation.

  2. The student shall establish proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English, using one of the options outlined below and in accordance with the guidelines developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

    1. Pass an external exam approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction establishing “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.

    2. Complete a four-course sequence of study in the same world language, earning an overall unweighted GPA of 2.5 or above in those courses.

    3. Establish “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the ACTFL proficiency scale using the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery SBE policy.

  3. Limited English Proficiency students shall complete all the requirements of sections 5a and 5b above and reach “Developing” proficiency per the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) proficiency scale in all four domains on the most recent state identified English language proficiency test.

Additional Notes

  1. Students may earn more than one Endorsement.

  2. Students are not required to earn an Endorsement in order to receive a diploma. (IMPORTANT TO KNOW)

  3. The implementation of this policy is required for all Local Education Agency high schools.  This policy is optional for charter school boards of directors.

     

History Note: Authority G S. 115C-12(40)

Session Law 2013-1