Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 74 - CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS
Subchapter G - GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, BEGINNING WITH SCHOOL YEAR 2012 - 2013
Section 74.71 - High School Graduation Requirements

(a) Graduates of each high school program are awarded the same type of diploma. The transcript or academic achievement record (AAR), rather than the diploma, records individual accomplishments, achievements, and courses completed and displays appropriate graduation seals.

(b) All credit for graduation must be earned no later than Grade 12.

(c) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, a student entering Grade 9 in the 2012-2013 school year and thereafter shall enroll in the courses necessary to complete the curriculum requirements for the recommended high school program specified in § 74.73 of this title (relating to Recommended High School Program) or the advanced program specified in § 74.74 of this title (relating to Distinguished Achievement High School Program--Advanced High School Program) unless the student, the student's parent or other person standing in parental relation to the student, and a school counselor or school administrator agree in writing signed by each party that the student should be permitted to take courses under the minimum high school program specified in § 74.72 of this title (relating to Minimum High School Program) and the student:

(d) If an admission, review, and dismissal committee makes decisions that place a student with a disability on a modified curriculum in a subject area, the student will be automatically placed in the minimum high school program.

(e) To receive a high school diploma, a student entering Grade 9 in the 2012-2013 school year and thereafter must complete the following:

(f) A maximum of three credits of reading (selected from Reading I, II, or III) may be offered by districts for state graduation elective credit for identified students under the following conditions.

(g) An out-of-state or out-of-country transfer student (including foreign exchange students) or a transfer student from a Texas nonpublic school is eligible to receive a Texas diploma, but must complete all requirements of this section to satisfy state graduation requirements. Any course credit required in this section that is not completed by the student before he or she enrolls in a Texas school district may be satisfied through the provisions of § 74.23 of this title (relating to Correspondence Courses and Distance Learning) and § 74.24 of this title (relating to Credit by Examination) or by completing the course or courses according to the provisions of § 74.26 of this title (relating to Award of Credit).

(h) Elective credits in all three graduation programs may be selected from the following:

(i) College Board advanced placement and International Baccalaureate courses may be substituted as appropriate for required courses in all three high school graduation programs. College Board advanced placement and International Baccalaureate courses may be used as electives in all three high school graduation programs.

(j) Courses offered for dual credit in the core curriculum of an institution of higher education that provide advanced academic instruction beyond, or in greater depth than, the essential knowledge and skills for the equivalent high school course required for graduation may satisfy graduation requirements in the foundation curriculum and for languages other than English in all three high school graduation programs.

(k) A student may not be enrolled in a course that has a required prerequisite unless:

(l) A district may award credit for a course a student completed without having met the prerequisites if the student completed the course in an out-of-state, an out-of-country, or a Texas nonpublic school where there was not a prerequisite.