Graduation Requirements

 

Review the (click here) ZHS Graduation Requirements and compare them to your Graduation Requirement Report on Skyward. On the webpage you will find the Basic Washington State Diploma, the regular ZHS Diploma and the Honors Diploma for your projected graduation date.  Here is a sample copy of what the Graduation Report document looks like.

Download Printable Copies Zillah High School Graduation Requirements 2009-2012 Zillah High School Graduation Requirements 2013 and Beyond Zillah Alternative Program Basic High School Graduation Requirements   Zillah High School Honors Diploma Requirements

 

Zillah High School Graduation Requirements 2009-2012   English (A)                                                                           4 Credits                       Mathematics (B)                                                                  3 Credits           Science (C) (Total Requirement 3 Credits)                                  Lab Science                                                                  1 Credit        Science Choices                                                           2 Credits Social Studies (Total Requirement 3 Credits)                                                                   WA History & Government (Civics)                          1 Credit        US History                                                                    1 Credit        CWP                                                                              1 Credit Career & Technical Education (D)                                     2 Credits           Health & Fitness (E) (Total Requirement 2 credits)                    Health                                                                           .5 Credit        Health & Fitness Choices                                           1.5 Credits Fine, Visual, or Performing Arts (F)                                  1 Credit            PEARLS Senior Culminating Project (P)                          1 Credit ______________________________________________________________ Total Required Classes                                                                      19 credits Elective Choices                                                                 10 credits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Credits to Earn a ZHS Diploma*                                               29 Credits   *Washington Test Competency Testing Requirements for a diploma:  Students must meet requirements in Reading, Writing  and Math  in order to earn a high school diploma.   Notations & Options:   A. English: Applied Business Communications may meet local graduation requirements for one semester of Senior English for a non-college bound student.    B. For students who did not pass the State Math required testing, they may still earn a diploma  by completing an additional 1.0 credit in Math for the senior year and  must attempt to pass the state test during the senior year.  Alternative such as  ACT, SAT, and COE) to show proficiency are also options.   C. Science: At least 2 semesters of science must be in a lab science such as courses in: Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.  Some Agriscience courses may count towards general science credit and a few advanced Agriscience courses may count towards lab science credit.      D. Career & Technical Education (CTE): This requirement may be completed by passing courses in: Agriculture, Business Education, Future Teachers, Work Based Learning, and Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center (YVT).           Note: If any of these courses are taken as a cross credit option for another graduation requirement such as science, it cannot also be counted towards meeting the CTE graduation requirement.    E. Health & Fitness: Required course class: .5 credit in HEALTH.  Other Health/Fitness courses may be chosen by the student.  Completing a sport season may be substituted for the Fitness graduation requirement at a .5 credit per season/sport for up to a maximum of 1.5 credits.   F. Fine Arts: This requirement may be completed with courses in: Art, Band, Choir and/or Drama.   P. 1.0 credit will be granted upon successful completion of the PEARLS project during the Senior year. This will satisfy the state requirement of a culminating project and the 13th year “High School and Beyond” Plan and will be documented on the official transcript as requirements "MET".   Graduation Year Placement: As per Washington State requirements the students graduation year is identified once they enroll in high school with the opportunity to earn credits.  The following number of credits (pre-PEARLS credits) indicate satisfactory progression towards graduation in September of each school year:   Senior Class                          20.5- or greater credits (1 year until graduation)                         Junior Class                          13-20.0  credits (2 years until graduation)                         Sophomore Class                  5.5-12.5 credits (3 years until graduation) Freshman Class                    5 or less credits (4 years until graduation) Zillah High School Graduation Requirements 2013 and Beyond   English (B)                                                                           4 Credits                       Mathematics                                                                        3 Credits           Science (C) (Total Requirement 3 Credits)                                  Lab Science                                                                  1 Credit        Science Choices                                                            2 Credits Social Studies (Total Requirement 3 Credits)                                                                   WA History & Government (Civics)                           1 Credit        US History                                                                     1 Credit        CWP                                                                               1 Credit Career & Technical Education (D)                                      2 Credits           Health & Fitness (E) (Total Requirement 2 credits)                    Health                                                                            .5 Credit        Health & Fitness Choices                                            1.5 Credits Fine, Visual, or Performing Arts (F)                                   1 Credit            PEARLS Senior Culminating Project (P)                           1 Credit ______________________________________________________________ Total Required Classes                                                                      19 credits Elective Choices                                                                 10 credits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Credits to Earn a ZHS Diploma (A)*                                        29 Credits   Notations & Options:   A. *Washington Test Competency Testing Requirements for a diploma:  Students must meet requirements in Reading, Writing , Math  and Science in order to earn a high school diploma.   B. English: Applied Business Communications may meet local graduation requirements for one semester of Senior English for a non-college bound student.    C. Science: At least 2 semesters of science must be in a lab science such as courses in: Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.  Some Agriscience courses may count towards general science credit.  Washington State HECB standards define 2 semesters of Agriscience = 1 semester of general science.   D. Career & Technical Education (CTE): This requirement may be completed by passing courses in: Agriculture, Business Education, Future Teachers, Work Based Learning, and Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center (YVT).           Note: If any of these courses are taken as a cross credit option for another graduation requirement such as science, it cannot also be counted towards meeting the CTE graduation requirement.    E. Health & Fitness: Required course class: .5 credit in HEALTH.  Other Health/Fitness courses may be chosen by the student.  Completing a sport season may be substituted for the Fitness graduation requirement at a .5 credit per season/sport for up to a maximum of 1.5 credits.   F. Fine Arts: This requirement may be completed with courses in: Art, Band, Choir and/or Drama.   P. 1.0 credit will be granted upon successful completion of the PEARLS project during the Senior year. This will satisfy the state requirement of a culminating project and the 13th year “High School and Beyond” Plan and will be documented on the official transcript as requirements "MET".   Graduation Year Placement: As per Washington State requirements the students graduation year is identified once they enroll in high school with the opportunity to earn credits.  The following number of credits (pre-PEARLS credits) indicate satisfactory progression towards graduation in September of each school year:   Senior Class                          20.5- or greater credits (1 year until graduation)                         Junior Class                          13-20.0  credits (2 years until graduation)                         Sophomore Class                 5.5-12.5 credits (3 years until graduation) Freshman Class                    5 or less credits (4 years until graduation) Zillah Alternative Program Basic High School Graduation Requirements   Basic Washington State Graduation Requirements are used to earn a Zillah Alternative Diploma   English:                                                                                   3 Credits   Math: (Depending on Competency Testing)                        3-4 Credits   Science: (1 General, 1 Lab)                                                   2 Credits   Social Studies:                                                                        2.5 Credits (Washington History & Government 0.5 US History 1.0 and CWP 1.0)   Career/Technical (Occupational) Education:                       1 Credit   Health & Fitness Education:                                                 2 Credits   Fine Arts:                                                                               1 Credit   PEARLS (Culminating Project)                                          1.0 Credit   Electives (Varies)                                                                2.5-3.5 Credits   Minimum Total Credits Required                          19.0 Credits   In addition to these Washington State Requirements Basic Diploma requirements students must meet Washington Test Competency Testing Requirements for their graduating class in Reading, Writing , Math  and/or Science in order to earn a high school diploma.   Zillah High School Graduation Requirements Honors Diploma   English (Total Requirement 4 credits)                             English Courses                                                              2 Credits        Honors English Courses (Minimum)                             2 Credits   Mathematics: Choose from Algebra 1, Geometry,              4 Credits                       Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, or Calculus      Science (Total Requirement 4 credits)                                        General Science Electives                                              1 Credit        Lab Science Choices                                                       3 Credits   Social Studies (Total Requirement 4 credits)                                                        Social Studies Electives                                                  1 Credit        WA History & Government (Civics)                              1 Credit        US History                                                                       1 Credit        CWP                                                                                 1 Credit   Career & Technical Education                                              2 Credits             Health & Fitness (C) (Total Requirement 2 credits)                    Health                                                                              .5 Credit        Health & Fitness Choices                                              1.5 Credits   Fine, Visual, or Performing Arts                                           1 Credit              PEARLS Senior Culminating Project (P)                              1 Credit ______________________________________________________________ Total Required Classes                                                                          22 credits Elective Choices                                                                       9 credits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Credits to Earn a ZHS Honors Diploma (A)*                              31 Credits   Notations & Options:   A. *Washington Test Competency Testing Requirements for a Honors Diploma:  Students must meet requirements in Reading, Writing , Math  and Science in order to earn a high school diploma.   B. Students must have a minimum 3.5 accumulative GPA at time of application.   C. Health & Fitness: Required course class: .5 credit in HEALTH.  Other Health/Fitness courses may be chosen by the student.  Completing a sport season may be substituted for the Fitness graduation requirement at a .5 credit per season/sport for up to a maximum of 1.5 credits.   P. 1.0 credit will be granted upon successful completion of the PEARLS project during the Senior year. This will satisfy the state requirement of a culminating project and the 13th year “High School and Beyond” Plan and will be documented on the official transcript as requirements "MET".

 

 

Completion of High School, Course Selections

 

Double check the requirements you have left to complete against your schedule of classes.  If you are missing anything use the Add/Drop process as soon as possible.

 

If you are behind in credits, schedule an appointment today with the principal and your parents to confirm your plan for making up credits.

 

Yes, plan to graduate from High school, but also go beyond the minimums.

 

                   Four year High School Plan The ZHS Faculty recommends all students complete at least the following:

 

1.      English -8 semesters

2.      Mathematics-8 semesters

3.      Social Studies-8 semesters

4.      Science -8 semesters

5.      Career-Technical Education-4 semesters

6.      Foreign Language-4 semesters

7.      Health-Fitness-4 semesters

8.      Fine Arts-2 semesters

 

The chart below gives students and parents an outline for course completion during their 4 years at Zillah High School.  Each year 2 semesters of English, Math, Science are required in grades 9-10-11 and  2 semesters of Social Studies are required  in grades 9, 10 and 12. These recommendations will allow students the greatest flexibility in post secondary education and career choices.

 

4 Year Sample Plans

 

 

NOTE: 2 semesters (1 Credit) is required in Fine Arts for college entrance and graduation requirements.  These may be taken at any time that the student chooses.  All students are encouraged to develop keyboarding and microcomputer skills prior to graduation.

Words of Caution from College Admissions

 

College bound students and parents: Please take note of this letter when planning course selections and making enrollment choices especially for the junior and senior year.  The courses you take are very significant in your opportunity to be accepted at and attend a 4 year college. (Reprinted with permission)

 

Dear Colleague:

 

     I write in anticipation of a lot of disappointed students knocking on your door in the next few weeks. Given the fact that many will be holding letters of denial from WWU.  We hope this information can also be used to motivate younger students when planning their schedules.

 

     Western expects more than 7400 freshman applications for 2260 enrollment spaces available for fall. This compares with 6,862 freshman applications for 2,240 spaces available last fall. With much of that increase coming from very well prepared Washington residents, we find ourselves forced to deny admission to many applicants who would have gained admission in the past. True to what we've said for years, the most significant factor considered when reviewing applications was cumulative academic performance -including grade point average, nature and difficulty of courses, grade trends, and a student's willingness to pursue the most rigorous academic route available. Leadership, contributions to the community, and individual circumstances were additionally considered.

 

     The difficulty we faced this year was distinguishing hundreds of students whose applications looked pretty much the same on the surface. While we've worked hard to inform students about our review process, it appears that many do not understand that the following factors weigh strongly in the application review.

 

* Junior and/or senior schedule lacking academic courses beyond core

* Taking the easier course when more rigorous options were available

                        * Taking less than a full load each semester in high school, numerous TA and non-academic offerings

* Failing to fulfill core, including Western's unique Chemistry/Physics requirement

* Sporadic or negative grade trends

* Waiting until the last "minute" to complete core classes

* Poor performance in Running Start or other college credit options programs

* Poor presentation in application; not taking the time to put the best foot forward

* Failure to help us understand academic choices and decisions

* Missing deadlines; failing to follow-up on requests; cutting corners

 

Thank you for being our partners in the process.

 

From the Director of Admissions

Western Washington University

 

The above recommendations will allow students the greatest flexibility in post secondary education and careers. It is better to have an easier freshman year in college, than a fun senior year in high school!

Continue on with Graduation Requirements with more detailed information on WASL Testing by selecting the link below

Washington State Testing Information (HSPE/EOCA/WASL)