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Graduation Pathways
Access current information at OSPI on their Graduation webpage. To earn a high school diploma, students must meet the credit, Graduation Pathway, and High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) requirements that serve to demonstrate preparation for their plans after high school. Graduation Pathways offer a broad array to meeting standard. OSPI Graduation Pathways webpages help students and families navigate these changes. The State Board of Education provides additional materials.
State Assessment: The most convenient way for your child to meet their high school graduation pathway requirement is to meet a graduation pathway with state assessments by the end of their 10th grade year.
- To meet a graduation pathway option with Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), the graduation score is 2548 for English Language Arts (ELA) and 2595 for math.
- If determined to be appropriate by their Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, students with an IEP may meet the graduation pathway option with WA-AIM (Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement; the graduation score is 104 for English Language Arts (ELA) and 103 for math.
All high school students are scheduled to take state assessments in grade 10 and the student’s postsecondary goals, as articulated in their HSBP, should guide the student’s choice of graduation pathway option (WAC 180-51-230). Requirements for academic interventions and supports were established by ESHB 2224 (Chapter 31, Laws of 2017). School districts must provide students who have not met the state assessment standard before the beginning of eleventh grade with the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both, designed to the enable students to meet the high school graduation standard. The interventions, supports, or courses must be rigorous and consistent with the student's educational and career goals identified in his or her High School and Beyond Plan, and may include Career and Technical Education equivalencies in English Language Arts or mathematics. In addition, school districts must update the High School and Beyond Plan for each student who has not earned a level 3 or 4 score on the middle school mathematics assessment by the ninth grade. The purpose of this update is to ensure that the student takes a mathematics course in the ninth and tenth grades. These courses may include Career and Technical Education equivalencies in mathematics.
Combination: Meet any combination of at least one ELA and one math option of those options listed below except for ASVAB or CTE. Students who meet either the ASVAB standard or the CTE pathway requirements has met the graduation pathway requirement for both ELA and math.
AP/IB/Cambridge: For both ELA and/or math, earn a 3 or higher on certain Advanced Placement (AP) exams or a 4 or higher on certain International Baccalaureate (IB) exams or an E on certain Cambridge International exams, or pass the course each term with a C+ (2.3) grade or higher.
PSAT/NMSQT® scores are strong predictors of AP® Exam results. The AP Potential Report helps identify students with the potential to succeed in Advanced Placement® courses. AP Potential Report includes data from the entire SAT® Suite of Assessments. Data from the SAT (October and November 2019 administrations) and PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT™ 8/9 (September to November 2019 administrations). Data from additional administrations will be added when available.
Students can view their detailed AP Potential feedback in the SAT Suite of Assessments student portal. Note: Ninth-grade students who took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 8/9 will only see AP Potential feedback for AP Art History, AP Computer Science Principles, AP European History, AP Human Geography, and AP World History: Modern. AP Potential is not available for students in eighth grade and lower grades.
In addition to score reports for the SAT Suite of Assessments and SAT Subject Tests™, students have access to free, personalized SAT practice on Khan Academy® and college and career planning resources.
ASVAB / PiCAT: Meet standard on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) by scoring at least the minimum established by the military for eligibility to serve in a branch of the armed services. This year, a Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score of 31 or above is needed; this score value may change after September 1, as it is annually reviewed. Students are not required to release their score to the military for recruitment purposes, enlist, or to meet physical or other military enlistment requirements.
Students who plan on joining the military may take the ASVAB through their local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Spokane, Seattle, or Portland, but this option is only appropriate for students who are seriously planning on the military after high school. The military also offers a Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computer Adaptive Test (PiCAT), which may yield ASVAB scores later. PiCAT scores must be verified with an in-person, proctored verification test at a MEPS. Once a PiCAT ASVAB AFQT verified-score is obtained, students may use this score for meeting their graduation pathway option. The use of the PiCAT for obtaining an ASVAB AFQT score to meet a graduation pathway option is appropriate for students who are planning on joining the military following high school. The student will be provided a form with confirmed score that can be shared with school or district personnel for use to communicate the score to OSPI as a met graduation pathway.
Note: unless a student is certain they want to enlist in the military, students are encouraged to meet this pathway option through taking the ASVAB test at a high school. A student probably would not be able to access the ASVAB immediately by visiting a recruitment office. Learn more here and at the ASVAB CEP Program website..
CTE Sequence: A student may meet this graduation pathway option by completing a sequence of CTE courses, which align with the student’s High School and Beyond Plan. Satisfying this graduation pathway option meets requirements in both English and math. A course that is used as part of a CTE sequence may also be used to meet subject area graduation requirements in CTE or in other subject areas through CTE course equivalencies.
Dual Credit: Earn at least one high school credit in ELA and at least one high school credit in math in dual credit courses (Running Start, College in the High School, and/or Career and Technical Education dual credit courses). Dual credit courses that qualify for this pathway are courses that meet core high school graduation credit in English and math, and that allow students to earn college credit at the 100-level or higher (the college course number must be 100 or higher). Dual credit programs include: College in the High School, Running Start. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit.
In 2023, the Legislature passed House Bill 1308 establishing a performance-based graduation pathway. Here's a one-pager overview and here's the SBE webpage.
The performance-based pathway allows students to show what they know and can do in real-world, hands-on ways that align with their individual goals for life after high school. This student-centered pathway is intended to be customizable, with the aim of being relevant and engaging to the student.
There is a lot of flexibility as the learning experience:
- May take a variety of forms. Examples: project, practicum, work-related experience, community service, cultural activity.
- May result in a variety of student work that can be evaluated. Examples: performance, presentation, portfolio, report, film, exhibit.
- May, or may not, be completed as part of a class where the student also earns credit
The performance-based pathway is combinable with other the ELA and math pathway options, meaning the student can complete one pathway in ELA and another pathway in math. For example, a student could pass the state assessment in ELA and then focus their performance-based pathway in math.
SAT/ACT: Meet or exceed the graduation scores set by SBE in the math and ELA portions of the SAT or ACT. Please contact your counseling office to learn about local test events.
Transition Course: Pass a transition course in ELA and math (for example, a Bridge to College course) which allows a student to place directly into a credit-bearing college level course. The college course number must be 100 or higher.
Requesting a High School Diploma from a Community College Upon Completion of a Two-Year Degree: The passage of HB 1714 allows any student between the ages of 16 and 21 who completes an Associate of Arts, Technical Arts, Applied Science or Science degree to obtain a high school diploma by written request to the College. Prior to the passage of HB 1714 only students who earned an Associate of Arts, Technical Arts, Applied Science or Science degree funded through Running Start were able to obtain a high school diploma by written request to the College. Students who are funded through Open Doors and complete an associate degree will now have the same opportunity to request a diploma as other students who complete associate degrees. Students who request their diploma from the community college may be recorded as graduates in the same manner as students who earn their diploma from a college through completion of an associate degree through Running Start.
This page last updated on August 7, 2024. Please contact Karen Allen with comments.
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