Each school shall integrate the study of economics and | 79 |
financial literacy, as expressed in the social studies academic | 80 |
content standards adopted by the state board of education under | 81 |
division (A)(1) of section 3301.079 of the Revised Code and the | 82 |
academic content standards for financial literacy and | 83 |
entrepreneurship adopted under division (A)(2) of that section, | 84 |
into one or more existing social studies credits required under | 85 |
division (C)(7) of this section, or into the content of another | 86 |
class, so that every high school student receives instruction in | 87 |
those concepts. In developing the curriculum required by this | 88 |
paragraph, schools shall use available public-private partnerships | 89 |
and resources and materials that exist in business, industry, and | 90 |
through the centers for economics education at institutions of | 91 |
higher education in the state. | 92 |
(8) Five units consisting of one or any combination of | 100 |
foreign language, fine arts, business, career-technical education, | 101 |
family and consumer sciences, technology, agricultural education, | 102 |
a junior reserve officer training corps (JROTC) program approved | 103 |
by the congress of the United States under title 10 of the United | 104 |
States Code, or English language arts, mathematics, science, or | 105 |
social studies courses not otherwise required under division (C) | 106 |
of this section. | 107 |
Ohioans must be prepared to apply increased knowledge and | 108 |
skills in the workplace and to adapt their knowledge and skills | 109 |
quickly to meet the rapidly changing conditions of the | 110 |
twenty-first century. National studies indicate that all high | 111 |
school graduates need the same academic foundation, regardless of | 112 |
the opportunities they pursue after graduation. The goal of Ohio's | 113 |
system of elementary and secondary education is to prepare all | 114 |
students for and seamlessly connect all students to success in | 115 |
life beyond high school graduation, regardless of whether the next | 116 |
step is entering the workforce, beginning an apprenticeship, | 117 |
engaging in post-secondary training, serving in the military, or | 118 |
pursuing a college degree. | 119 |
The Ohio core curriculum is the standard expectation for all | 120 |
students entering ninth grade for the first time at a public or | 121 |
chartered nonpublic high school on or after July 1, 2010. A | 122 |
student may satisfy this expectation through a variety of methods, | 123 |
including, but not limited to, integrated, applied, | 124 |
career-technical, and traditional coursework. | 125 |
Stronger coordination between high schools and institutions | 133 |
of higher education is necessary to prepare students for more | 134 |
challenging academic endeavors and to lessen the need for academic | 135 |
remediation in college, thereby reducing the costs of higher | 136 |
education for Ohio's students, families, and the state. The state | 137 |
board and the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents shall | 138 |
develop policies to ensure that only in rare instances will | 139 |
students who complete the Ohio core curriculum require academic | 140 |
remediation after high school. | 141 |
School districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic | 142 |
schools shall integrate technology into learning experiences | 143 |
across the curriculum in order to maximize efficiency, enhance | 144 |
learning, and prepare students for success in the | 145 |
technology-driven twenty-first century. Districts and schools | 146 |
shall use distance and web-based course delivery as a method of | 147 |
providing or augmenting all instruction required under this | 148 |
division, including laboratory experience in science. Districts | 149 |
and schools shall utilize technology access and electronic | 150 |
learning opportunities provided by the eTech Ohio commission, the | 151 |
Ohio learning network, education technology centers, public | 152 |
television stations, and other public and private providers. | 153 |
(D) Except as provided in division (E) of this section, a | 154 |
student who enters ninth grade on or after July 1, 2010, and | 155 |
before July 1, 2014, may qualify for graduation from a public or | 156 |
chartered nonpublic high school even though the student has not | 157 |
completed the Ohio core curriculum prescribed in division (C) of | 158 |
this section if all of the following conditions are satisfied: | 159 |
(1) After the student has attended high school for two years, | 160 |
as determined by the school, the student and the student's parent, | 161 |
guardian, or custodian sign and file with the school a written | 162 |
statement asserting the parent's, guardian's, or custodian's | 163 |
consent to the student's graduating without completing the Ohio | 164 |
core curriculum and acknowledging that one consequence of not | 165 |
completing the Ohio core curriculum is ineligibility to enroll in | 166 |
most state universities in Ohio without further coursework. | 167 |
The department of education, in collaboration with the | 185 |
chancellor, shall analyze student performance data to determine if | 186 |
there are mitigating factors that warrant extending the exception | 187 |
permitted by division (D) of this section to high school classes | 188 |
beyond those entering ninth grade before July 1, 2014. The | 189 |
department shall submit its findings and any recommendations not | 190 |
later than August 1, 2014, to the speaker and minority leader of | 191 |
the house of representatives, the president and minority leader of | 192 |
the senate, the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the | 193 |
standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate | 194 |
that consider education legislation, the state board of education, | 195 |
and the superintendent of public instruction. | 196 |
(F) A student enrolled in a dropout prevention and recovery | 214 |
program, which program has received a waiver from the department, | 215 |
may qualify for graduation from high school by successfully | 216 |
completing a competency-based instructional program administered | 217 |
by the dropout prevention and recovery program in lieu of | 218 |
completing the Ohio core curriculum prescribed in division (C) of | 219 |
this section. The department shall grant a waiver to a dropout | 220 |
prevention and recovery program, within sixty days after the | 221 |
program applies for the waiver, if the program meets all of the | 222 |
following conditions: | 223 |
(6) The program requires the student and the student's | 245 |
parent, guardian, or custodian to sign and file, in accordance | 246 |
with procedural requirements stipulated by the program, a written | 247 |
statement asserting the parent's, guardian's, or custodian's | 248 |
consent to the student's graduating without completing the Ohio | 249 |
core curriculum and acknowledging that one consequence of not | 250 |
completing the Ohio core curriculum is ineligibility to enroll in | 251 |
most state universities in Ohio without further coursework. | 252 |
Each high school shall record on the student's high school | 275 |
transcript all high school credit awarded under division (G) of | 276 |
this section. In addition, if the student completed a seventh- or | 277 |
eighth-grade fine arts course described in division (K) of this | 278 |
section and the course qualified for high school credit under that | 279 |
division, the high school shall record that course on the | 280 |
student's high school transcript. | 281 |
(J) The state board, in consultation with the chancellor, | 291 |
shall adopt a statewide plan implementing methods for students to | 292 |
earn units of high school credit based on a demonstration of | 293 |
subject area competency, instead of or in combination with | 294 |
completing hours of classroom instruction. The state board shall | 295 |
adopt the plan not later than March 31, 2009, and commence phasing | 296 |
in the plan during the 2009-2010 school year. The plan shall | 297 |
include a standard method for recording demonstrated proficiency | 298 |
on high school transcripts. Each school district and community | 299 |
school shall comply with the state board's plan adopted under this | 300 |
division and award units of high school credit in accordance with | 301 |
the plan. The state board may adopt existing methods for earning | 302 |
high school credit based on a demonstration of subject area | 303 |
competency as necessary prior to the 2009-2010 school year. | 304 |
(K) This division does not apply to students who qualify for | 305 |
graduation from high school under division (D) or (F) of this | 306 |
section, or to students pursuing a career-technical instructional | 307 |
track as determined by the school district board of education or | 308 |
the chartered nonpublic school's governing authority. | 309 |
Nevertheless, the general assembly encourages such students to | 310 |
consider enrolling in a fine arts course as an elective. | 311 |
Beginning with students who enter ninth grade for the first | 312 |
time on or after July 1, 2010, each student enrolled in a public | 313 |
or chartered nonpublic high school shall complete two semesters or | 314 |
the equivalent of fine arts to graduate from high school. The | 315 |
coursework may be completed in any of grades seven to twelve. Each | 316 |
student who completes a fine arts course in grade seven or eight | 317 |
may elect to count that course toward the five units of electives | 318 |
required for graduation under division (C)(8) of this section, if | 319 |
the course satisfied the requirements of division (G) of this | 320 |
section. In that case, the high school shall award the student | 321 |
high school credit for the course and count the course toward the | 322 |
five units required under division (C)(8) of this section. If the | 323 |
course in grade seven or eight did not satisfy the requirements of | 324 |
division (G) of this section, the high school shall not award the | 325 |
student high school credit for the course but shall count the | 326 |
course toward the two semesters or the equivalent of fine arts | 327 |
required by this division. | 328 |
(L) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, | 329 |
the board of education of each school district and the governing | 330 |
authority of each chartered nonpublic school may adopt a policy to | 331 |
excuse from the high school physical education requirement each | 332 |
student who, during high school, has participated in | 333 |
interscholastic athletics, marching band, or cheerleading for at | 334 |
least two full seasons or in the junior reserve officer training | 335 |
corps for at least two full school years. If the board or | 336 |
authority adopts such a policy, the board or authority shall not | 337 |
require the student to complete any physical education course as a | 338 |
condition to graduate. However, the student shall be required to | 339 |
complete one-half unit, consisting of at least sixty hours of | 340 |
instruction, in another course of study. In the case of a student | 341 |
who has participated in the junior reserve officer training corps | 342 |
for at least two full school years, credit received for that | 343 |
participation may be used to satisfy the requirement to complete | 344 |
one-half unit in another course of study. | 345 |
(M) It is important that high school students learn and | 346 |
understand United States history and the governments of both the | 347 |
United States and the state of Ohio. Therefore, beginning with | 348 |
students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July | 349 |
1, 2012, the study of American history and American government | 350 |
required by divisions (B)(6) and (C)(6) of this section shall | 351 |
include the study of all of the following documents: | 352 |