More Ways to Graduation

WANIC Skills Center offers high school programs that serve multiple school districts and delivers industry-defined Career and Technical Education programs in fields ranging from firefighting and police work to computer game design and healthcare. Courses are available to prepare for careers in Agriculture, Science & Natural Resources; Art, Media, Communication & Design; Business, Marketing & Management; Engineering, Science & Technology; Health & Human Services; Information Technology. Some courses may also be available in the summer.

• Consult with your high school counselor for application instruction and program approval.
• Take literacy and mathematics assessments at the community or technical college, which the student must schedule.
• Have junior or senior standing in high school before taking courses through Running Start. For juniors in the Lake Washington School District, this includes completion of 10th grade required course sequence, and meeting state test graduation requirements. For seniors this includes satisfactory completion of 11th grade course sequences.
• Meet all LWSD graduation requirements through course work in the high school or through Running Start.

Some CTE courses help students meet core academic graduation requirements. If a CTE course is determined to be fully equivalent with academic standards of the core requirement, it can be recorded on a student’s transcript using equivalent academic high school designation and title. If a CTE course has designated equivalency, credit for one of the courses will be placed on the student’s transcript. Students generally choose which course they want placed on the transcript, and this choice is driven by their High School and Beyond Plan. The second course, which is not placed on the transcript, may be “checked off” as a “met requirement” by local counseling staff. Which course is put on the transcript and which one is “checked off” is determined by the student, based on their post high school goals as outlined in the High School and Beyond Plan.

CTE Equivalency Courses can be identified by their course code in the CTE section of each school’s course catalog.

The table below shows course codes by subject area:

In addition, students may meet the CTE requirement through a non-CTE course that is determined to be “occupational education,” and equivalent, at a minimum, to a CTE exploratory course. Students who earn a graduation requirement credit in a non-CTE course determined to be equivalent to a CTE course will not be required to earn a second credit in the CTE course subject. The single non-CTE course meets two graduation requirements.

The CTE Equivalency/“Two-for-One” policy does not change the total number of credits the student needs to graduate.

These online courses meet both district and state standards as well as maintain the high standards for content and rigor that are available in all LWSD classes. Students access the online class through an internet-connected computer. Course­work and online instruction may occur outside of the school day. Sections of available classes will be offered based upon spring student enrollment requests. Students who select online classes will need to meet with their school counselor in the spring to discuss class availability as well as to determine whether online learning is right for them.

Courses

• Online Washington History
  Online Washington History is a .5 credit class that pro­vides the knowledge and awareness of the geography, native inhabitants, early settlers, and the forces that drove modernization and statehood. Students will also study Washington’s emergence as a force for economic development and international trade. This class meets the Washington State History graduation requirement.
• Online Health
  Online Health is a comprehensive .5 credit health course that provides students with essential knowl­edge and decision makings skills for a healthy lifestyle. Students will analyze aspects of emotional, social, and physical health and how these realms of health influence each other. Students will apply principles of health and wellness to their own lives. In addition, they will study behavior change and set goals to work on throughout the semester. Other topics of study include substance abuse, safety and injury prevention, environ­mental health, and consumer health. This class meets the Health graduation requirement.

If you are thinking about taking a class for credit in a non-district school and applying that credit for graduation, check with your school. Your school must approve the course before you enroll to allow it to be applied towards graduation.

The principal may accept credits for high school graduation from a non-district public high school; or an accredited private school; or from a post-secondary institution providing non-college credit. Acceptance of such credit is limited to three credits for courses offered by the district high school. In addition, classes may also be accepted if the student is not able to take the class in his/her high school because of scheduling conflicts, or because the class is not available in his/her high school. To apply for out of district credit, fill out and submit this form before you enroll: Request for Acceptance of Out of District Credit.

The professional judgment of the building principal or designee will determine whether a credit meets the district's standard for recognition and acceptance.

If high school has not gone smoothly for you for whatever reason, you may need to look into ways to catch up on your credits earned. Some of the options listed in this section, like online courses or outside courses, may be options you can use to get the credits you need to graduate.

In addition, summer school may be an option to take and pass courses you need for graduation.

Contact your counselor to discuss options for credit retrieval: don’t give up on graduation!