Department issues clarification on administrative waivers

Earlier this spring, the South Dakota Department of Education learned that some school districts have been allowing 8^th-grade students to take waivered high school courses, but 1) have not been granting the students high school graduation credit or 2) have not been figuring the grades the students earn in these courses into the students’ GPAs.

While both of these procedures go against the intent of the waivers issued by the Department of Education, current district policy regarding how credit was granted and how the GPA was figured for waivered courses will be honored for students who graduate in the years 2006-2010.

However, beginning with students who are in the 8^th grade during the 2006-07 school year (the high school graduates of 2011), the following requirements will apply to administrative rule waivers that allow school districts to teach high school-level courses to 8^th- grade students:

1.    The course must maintain its original high school-level rigor.

2.    The teacher of the course must be certified to teach high school.

3.    Students taking the course must receive:

·      A letter grade, which must be figured into their cumulative high school GPA and recorded on their high school graduation transcript; and

·      Credit toward their required 22 units of credit for graduation, which must be recorded on their high school graduation transcript.

4.    The school district must record the following on the transcripts of students who take the course:

·      The letter grade the students earned for the course, which must be figured into the students’ cumulative high school GPAs; and

·      The unit of credit for the course, which must be figured into the 22 units of credit required for high school graduation.

Questions regarding this issue can be directed to Nicole Kranzler-Gacke or Jennifer Neuhauser at the South Dakota Department of Education, (605) 773-3553.

Impact on Opportunity Scholarship eligibility

The South Dakota Board of Regents also offered the following clarification regarding waivered courses:

For any student who graduates from high school prior to 2011 and who took high school-level Algebra I in the 8^th grade and wants that course to count toward the Opportunity Scholarship, the 8^th grade course must have a letter grade assigned to it. The grade will be used by the Board of Regents to calculate eligibility for the Opportunity Scholarship. (At the local level, school districts may use the grade toward the cumulative GPA calculation prior to 2011.)

Beginning with the graduating class of 2011, for those students who want the 8^th-grade course to count toward the Opportunity Scholarship, the letter grade for the course must be assigned and figured into the students’ cumulative high school GPAs, and the course must be recorded on the high school transcript with the unit of crediting counting toward the 22 units of credit required for high school graduation.

For information regarding requirements for the Opportunity Scholarship, please contact Janelle Toman, South Dakota Board of Regents, at (605) 773-3455.

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