Kentucky

Recognized Rigorous Secondary School Programs of Study

The eligibility options for a student graduating from secondary school in Kentucky during the
2007 calendar year are:

• The Kentucky Commonwealth Diploma

• Kentucky Scholars. This program, part of the State Scholars Initiative currently and
patterned after the recommendations of the National Commission on Excellence in
Education, requires at least:
o Four credits of English (English I-V)
o Three credits of math (including Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry)
o Three credits of science (biology, chemistry, physics)
o Three credits of social studies (chosen from U.S. History/1.0, World History/1.0,
World Geography/1.0, Economics/0.5, Government/0.5)
o Two credits of the same foreign language.

• A set of courses similar to the State Scholars Initiative. This program of study requires
passing grades in the following:
o Four years of English;
o Three years of math (including Algebra I and a higher level course such as
Algebra II, geometry, or data analysis and statistics);
o Three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry or
physics);
o Three years of social studies; and
o One year of a foreign language.

• Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and test scores.
This program requires a minimum of two Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB) courses in high school and a minimum passing score on the exams for
those classes. Students must score 3 or higher on AP exams and 4 or higher on IB exams.

• Kentucky PreCollege Curriculum. This program requires:

1
 o History and Appreciation of Visual, Performing Arts – 1 credit required – History
and Appreciation of Visual and Performing Arts or another arts course that
incorporates such content
o Foreign Language – 2 credits required – or demonstrated competency
o Electives – 5 credits required – (3 rigorous)

• High Schools That Work (HSTW) Award of Educational Achievement. Students must
complete the HSTW-recommended curriculum in at least two of the three subject areas;
complete a concentration in a career/technical field, mathematics/science, or the
humanities; and meet all three of the performance goals on the HSTW assessment.
o The recommended curriculum consists of:
• English: Four credits in college-preparatory level courses
• Math: Four credits in college-preparatory level courses, including Algebra
I, geometry, Algebra II, and a higher-level mathematics course, such as
trigonometry, statistics, pre-calculus, calculus, or Advanced Placement
mathematics.
• Science: Three or more credits in science, including at least two credits in
college-preparatory biology, chemistry, anatomy/physiology, or
physics/applied physics.
o The concentrations consist of:
• Career/Technical: Four or more credits in a coherent sequence in a
career/technical field or major.
• Mathematics/Science: Four college-preparatory courses each in
mathematics and science. At least one higher-level course in either
mathematics or science must be at the Advanced Placement level.
• Humanities: Four college-preparatory courses each in English/language
arts and social studies and four courses in an area of the humanities, such
as foreign language, fine arts, or additional English and social studies
courses. At least one course in either English or social studies must be at
the Advanced Placement level.
o Performance Goals:
• The performance goals on the HSTW assessment are a 279 in reading, a
297 in mathematics, and a 299 in science on a scale of 0-500.