The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts identify student learning which should occur by the end of the 9-12 grade levels. All 9-12 English courses will provide students with the skills needed to be college and career ready. 

These standards emphasize that students will: 

• Access a range of diverse and culturally responsive texts 
• Have consistent exposure to complex texts 
• Practice and apply academic vocabulary 
• Read with comprehension 
• Write effectively 
• Listen and communicate successfully 
• Build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction  

The Washington State English Language Arts Requirement for Graduation is:  

• 4 credits of English Language Arts 

*All LWSD comprehensive high schools offer advanced English courses in the form of Honors and Advanced Placement courses.

The OSPI Washington State Social Studies Standards, which are based on the National C3 Standards, identify student learning which should happen by the end of the 9-12 grade levels. These standards are assessed by OSPI assessments, which are given to students in their social studies courses. 

The graduation requirements in Social Studies include: 

• .5 credits of a Social Studies Elective 
• 1 credit of Contemporary World Problems, World Social Studies (10th grade), or AP World History 
• 1 credit of U.S. Social Studies, Decolonizing U.S. History, or AP U.S. History 
• .5 credits of Civics (may also be fulfilled by taking AP Government) 

*In addition to the above requirements, successful completion of Washington State History and Government is required for all students for graduation. Within LWSD this .5 credit is part of the 8th grade year. Talk with a counselor if the student has successfully completed a state history and government course of study in another state or are in eleventh or twelfth grade and have not completed a course of study in Washington’s history and state government because of previous residence outside the state, as this requirement may be waived.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) adopted by Washington State in 2013 identify student learning in science that should occur by the end of the 9th - 12th grades. These standards will be assessed in the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) in spring of the 11th grade year. While all science courses may be used to fulfill the science requirements for graduation, it is strongly recommended that students receive one year each of Biology in the Earth System, Chemistry in the Earth System, and Physics in the Universe to ensure success on the WCAS. 

Graduation requirements include three (3) credits of science: 

• Two (2) credits Laboratory Science*
• One (1) credit may be Non-Laboratory Science 

*Laboratory Science courses involve interacting primarily with data drawn from the real world using the tools, data collection techniques, models, and theories of science.