Oklahoma High School Diploma Requirements

<p>Oklahoma's graduation requirements for high school students have only slightly been altered in recent years. While Oklahoma has long required 23 credits to graduate, the state has recently added a requirement that students take either computer technology or a world language, reducing the fine arts requirement from two credits to one for the class of 2019 and beyond in order to compensate. The other 22 credits in the core curriculum include four language arts credits, three math credits, three science credits, three history and citizenship credits, one fine arts credit, and eight elective credits. </p> <p>In addition to these basic requirements, there is a college-prep/work-ready curriculum, which is mostly the same, but with two credits of computer technology or world language instead of one. Another credit is up to the student, but must be from a prescribed set of choices, including core subjects, career and technical education, and advanced placement (AP) courses, rather than an elective. The elective requirements are reduced to six to compensate for the extra credits needed elsewhere. </p> <p>For all students, CPR training and personal finance literacy are also required. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td><b>Oklahoma High School Graduation Requirements</b></td><td> 23 credits total</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Language Arts and History Requirements</b></td><td> 4 English credits, 1 credit US history, .5 credits US government, .5 credits Oklahoma history, and 1 additional history/citizenship credit</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Math and Science Requirements</b></td><td> 3 math credits including Algebra I, 3 science credits including Biology I</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Other Credit Requirements</b></td><td> 1 fine arts credit and 1-2 credits in computer technology or world language, depending on chosen curriculum</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Additional Requirements</b></td><td> CPR/AED training, personal financial literacy, state assessment exams</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---WhatLanguageArtsAndHistoryRequirementsDoOklahomaStudentsHaveToMeetToGraduate">What Language Arts and History Requirements Do Oklahoma Students Have to Meet to Graduate?</h3> <p>For the core curriculum, students must achieve four English credits, including grammar and composition as one of them, with the remaining three from various literature and language-arts options. For those on the college-prep/work-ready curriculum, the four credits required are simply English I to IV. History and citizenship requirements are the same for both curriculums, with one credit US history, a half credit each for US government and Oklahoma history, and the final credit, which must be chosen from available history, government, economics, civics, geography, or non-western-culture courses. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatAreTheMathAndScienceRequirements">What Are the Math and Science Requirements?</h3> <p>Mathematics requirements for all students consist of three credits, of which at least one must be Algebra I, or higher, if the student took Algebra I prior to entering high school. In the core curriculum, the other two math credits can be obtained from Algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, math analysis, pre-calculus, computer science, or statistics and probability. For students in the core curriculum, it is also possible to fill math requirements with other STEM courses, provided they have been approved for this purpose. Those in the college-prep curriculum may satisfy the requirements with many of the same classes, with the exceptions of pre-calculus, computer science, and STEM. They may also take AP statistics. </p> <p>Three credits are required for science as well, with Biology I taking one credit, and the remaining two credits from life, physical, or earth sciences or from technology. Students on the college-prep/work-ready curriculum will have to take one physical science, such as physics or chemistry, and one credit in physical, life, or earth and space science. These credits must have a lab work component. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatOtherCreditRequirementsDoOklahomaStudentsHaveToMeet">What Other Credit Requirements Do Oklahoma Students Have to Meet?</h3> <p>Under the current graduation requirements, only one fine arts credit is required for either curriculum, which can be chosen from music, visual arts, drama, or speech. All students must also receive at least one credit of either computer technology education, which can be met with any computer course aside from typing classes, or world language. Students on the college-prep/work-ready curriculum must then take a second course in the same subject. In addition to the second computer or language course, those on the college-prep curriculum must also take a course to be drawn from English, math, science, history, computer technology, or career/technical education, among a handful of other choices. The core curriculum leaves students with eight elective credits at this point, while the college-prep/work-ready curriculum students have six. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatAdditionalRequirementsMustBeMetToGraduate">What Additional Requirements Must Be Met to Graduate?</h3> <p>Oklahoma requires that all high school students complete a course on CPR and use of automated defibrillators before graduation. The state also requires students to become literate in the subject of personal finance. Finally, students must take state-required assessments in English language arts, math, and science, as well as US history.</p>