Canada Each province issues their own high school diploma. As in the US, there is no federal control of education in Canada; each province is responsible for its own education system.
Alberta In
Alberta, the diploma is known as an Alberta High School Diploma. The Alberta High School Diploma is issued in either English or French. Under current regulations from the Government of Alberta, students must earn a minimum of 100 Credits to obtain an Alberta High School Diploma. The 100 credits required have to include 40 credits from Grade 10, 35 from Grade 11 and 30 from Grade 12. Individual components of the 100 Credit requirement are English Language Arts - 30 Level, Social Studies 30 Level, Mathematics 20 Level, Science 20 Level, Physical Education 10, Career and Life Management and 10 Credits in any combination from: Career and Technology Studies, Fine Arts, Second Language Courses, Physical Education 20 and/or 30 as well as 10 Credits in any 30-level course (in addition to a 30-level English Language Arts and 30-level Social Studies as above). These 30-Level courses may include 30-level locally developed courses, advanced level (3000 series) in Career and Technology Studies, 30-level Work Experience courses, 30-level Registered Apprenticeship Program courses, 30-level Green Certificate Specialization courses, Special Projects 30. Alberta is one of three provinces or territories that requires grade 12 examinations as part of the high school diploma requirement: See
Standardized testing in Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut British Columbia In
British Columbia, the diploma is known as the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation. The province of BC has two distinct graduation programs: the BC Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma) and the BC Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood). Students also have the opportunity to meet their educational goals (other than graduation) through the BC School Completion Certificate (Evergreen Certificate). The current Dogwood requirements have been in place since July 1, 2004. Under current regulations, students must earn a minimum of 80
credits to graduate, which must include 48 credits for required courses, a minimum of 28 elective credits, and 4 credits for "graduation transitions", a standards-based assessment evaluated by schools under BC Ministry of Education guidelines. Most schools' individual graduation requirements far outweigh the state's minimum standards. Beginning in 2005–06, all students must pass the California High School Exit Examination prior to graduation, which is normally first administered in the 10th grade. Since the 2015–16 school year, passing the California High School Exit Examination is no longer a condition of graduation from high school.
Illinois In
Illinois, students are required to take
English,
mathematics,
science,
social science,
world language,
fine arts,
physical education, and elective classes meeting selected criteria as part of the program of study for the High School Diploma. Electives may include advanced courses,
career and technical education (CTE),
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), dual-enrollment, or additional classes in the required subjects that meet school board requirements. An additional requirement was a passing grade on the
Prairie State Achievement Examination which was typically taken in Grade 11, prior to being discontinued in 2014. Accommodations are made for select students with unique needs.
English Language Learner (ELL) students may substitute
English as a Second Language for
English to meet the graduation requirements. Students receiving
special education services may complete modified requirements according to an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
North Carolina In
North Carolina high school students are required to obtain 24 high school credits, comprised: 4
English credits (English 1, English 2, English 3, and English 4), 4
Math credits (Math 1, Math 2, Math 3, and an elective math course), 3
Science credits (
Physics,
Biology, and
Chemistry), 4 Social Studies credits (
Political Science,
Economics,
History,
Geography), and 1
Health or
Physical education credit. Foreign language credits are not generally required for graduation, but a minimum of two credits are required for admission to a UNC system university. The state offers "foundations" courses for students struggling academically, standard classes, honors and seminar classes for academically advanced students, and
Advanced Placement classes, which allow motivated and academically gifted students to obtain college credit while in high school. The state has 133
Early college high schools which enable students to graduate from high school with an associate degree in a career of their choosing offered by the college which is offering said college courses, or to transfer as juniors to a NC university or possibly earn transferable credit to an out of state or private university.
New York In
New York State, the high school diploma awarded is known as the Regents Diploma, which is earned upon successful completion of the
Regents Exams in the required subjects. Two levels are offered: the standard Regents Diploma and the Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. As a result, the highest level of a New York State Regents diploma is with Honors, Advanced Designation, Mastery of Science, Mastery of Mathematics, with a Technical Endorsement, and both the Seal of Biliteracy and the Seal of Civic Readiness.
Texas In
Texas, there are three programs offered for graduation: the Minimum High School Program (MHSP), the Recommended High School Program (RHSP), and the Advanced (Distinguished) High School Program (AHSP/DHSP). The Recommended and Distinguished programs are the streams typically chosen by most students, and are expected of students who are college-bound. Also required for graduation is successful completion with passing grades on the Exit Level examination of the
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), which is typically taken in Grade 11. Multiple re-takes for the exam are available, in case of failure on a previous attempt. Students in the Recommended and Distinguished programs must take four years of
English,
mathematics,
science, and
social studies classes as part of their program of study. Students in the Distinguished program must also take a minimum amount of advanced-level coursework, which could include
Advanced Placement or
International Baccalaureate classes or university classes taken as dual-enrollment. Students in the Minimum program have less stringent requirements to complete their diploma than students in the other diploma programs. By Texas state law, completion of the Recommended or Distinguished programs or a program with an equivalent curriculum and level of rigor, along with suitable scores on the
SAT or the
ACT, is required for a student to be eligible to be considered for admission to a four-year public institution of
higher education in Texas. ==Alternatives==