Graduation Requirements

The+Office+of+Superintendent+of+Public+Instruction+Graduation+Requirements.%0ACredit%3A+www.wa.gov

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Graduation Requirements. Credit: www.wa.gov

Naomi Fifita, Staff Writer

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has raised the graduation requirements this past year to have the students meet the requirements with the universities in Washington. The class of 2021 and the future graduating classes in Washington now must complete twenty-four credits instead of twenty-two credits to graduate.

Freshman are questioning why this is and asking why must be them.

“I think it’s stupid because they keep making the curriculum harder. Now the classes that are required to do twenty-four credits won’t be able to have a free period senior year,” Maia Adams said.

Students have been sharing their feelings and explained why this might or might not be a good thing.

“Kids can’t take the classes they want if they want to take on extra class. They must be perfect and have no room to make mistakes. School is already stressful, now they are just adding onto that,” Taylor Wight said.

Students have noted that new students with the twenty-four requirement must pass every single class in order to graduate.

“I guess this just means that everyone but the freshman has more leeway to make mistakes. The kids with a twenty-two credit requirement can still fail a class and graduate,” Heidi Johnson said.

Jonathan Gerig, one of our counselors, explained a bit about why the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction raised the graduation requirements.

“The standards for high school are twenty-two. If you’re looking for standards for entrance into college, it’s higher. Most of our seniors graduate with more than twenty-two credits. They don’t necessarily need that, but if they’re applying to a four year school they actually do kind of need that. Washington State was trying to align themselves with what the universities in Washington were asking of their students,” Gerig said.

Gerig went on to explain that the new requirement has the students trying harder in class so that they won’t have to take anything online or over the summer. The students will take their classes more seriously knowing they have to graduate with at least twenty-four credits.