Graduation Requirements

Each student is required to earn 21 credits to be eligible for graduation, 19 of which are in major subjects.  In grades 9-12 each student is required to take a minimum of 5 major courses and physical education each year.  In addition, health and driver education are required to graduate.  Students must pass the required courses and accumulate sufficient additional full credit electives to satisfy the minimum requirements listed below.

Academic Course Area                     Credits

English                                                         4
Social Studies                                              4
Mathematics                                                 3
Science                                                        3
Health & Physical Education                         2
Driver Ed.                                                   0.2
Electives                                                    2.8
Humanities Elective*                                     2
Total Credits                                               21

*Partial or full credit courses whose content is not science or math based.  Examples include art, music, language, family & consumer science, business, social studies, and technology education.

In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires "The Culminating Project" for graduation.  Pursuant to the purpose of the culminating project - "to assure that students are able to apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and communicate significant knowledge and understanding" - all Upper Dublin seniors are required to successfully produce a research-based report and to present key findings of that process to an audience of their teachers and peers.  Project guidelines follow.

All grade 12 students, in conjunction with the required course in American Government and Economics will:

1.  Select a topic reflective of the Upper Dublin Social Studies theme:  "Connections, Culture and Change."  The topic may relate to any aspect of our culture of interest to the student (potential career, college major, Community Study site, avocation, volunteer service, technical skills, work experience placement, or hobby) so long as it has connections to "government."  The body of each report will address change by dealing with the past, the present and the future;

2.  Demonstrate higher-level thinking skills - application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation - in both the written report and the oral presentations;

3.  Adhere to the process and product regulations of the U.D. Research Guide; and

4.  Incorporate technology in the development of the project and in the presentation of key findings.

Adjustments and accommodations will be made for each instructional level, in terms of project scope, standards and assessment.