Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020128
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's the way it used to be. All high school graduates got the same kind of diploma, a standard document that certified that the student had completed the necessary courses to graduate from high school.
It's different now.
In some school divisions, students have a choice of four or more diplomas, and there are two seals that create even more diversity.
Early in their high school years, students must decide the type of diploma they will seek so they know the courses to take. The differences in diplomas are mainly in courses and credits.
All school divisions in the Roanoke Valley offer a Virginia Standard Diploma and an Advanced Studies Diploma with the following requirements:
The standard diploma meets the requirements of the state Board of Education. The student must have 21 credits in English, math, government and other courses. Salem also requires an additional one-half credit in computers. A state legislature seal is affixed to the diplomas of students who have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
The advanced-studies diploma prepares students for college. It require 23 credits in English, math, science, history, foreign languages and other courses. A student is required to complete three years of a foreign language or two years each of two foreign languages. A governor's seal is provided for students who have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better in the courses and complete at least one advanced-placement or college-level course.
Roanoke offers two other diplomas, academic and business-technical, which cover more intensive and specialized studies.
The academic diploma requires 24 credits, one more than required for an advanced-studies diploma. The student must complete eight courses in math and science or humanities.
The business-technical diploma requires 23 credits. Students must complete six courses in business and technical subjects.
David Partington, director of secondary education for Roanoke, said the city developed the academic diploma as a local option course of study that is more demanding than the advanced-studies diploma.
Gary Kelly, director of guidance and testing for Roanoke County schools, said that many graduates in the county receive the advanced-studies diploma. He said that nearly 85 percent of the graduates continue their education at four-year colleges or other schools.
Salem also participates in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, a two-year pre-university curriculum. The IB diploma is offered in 505 high schools in 72 countries.
Students take rigorous college-level courses, with examinations and essays that are evaluated by professors worldwide.
The requirements for the IB diploma include oral exams with visiting examiners as well as extended essays and research projects in six college courses.
Students who fulfill the requirements for the IB diploma often receive up to one year or more of advanced-placement credit at some of the top colleges and universities in the country.
A 1993 graduate in the IB program at Salem High School earned 37 hours of credit at Stanford University, and another maintained a 4.0 grade-point average at Duke University.
Betsy McClearn, IB coordinator for Salem, said the program is open to students who live outside Salem.
All school divisions in the Roanoke Valley also offer a diploma for special-education students who do not meet the requirements for a standard diploma. Kelly said the special curriculum diploma certifies that the students have completed the work in their curriculum.
The valley school divisions have different diplomas and different policies on choosing valedictorians.
Roanoke County often has multiple valedictorians at its high schools because all graduates with a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher share the honor.
Because of the weighted grade points for advanced-placement courses and classes at the Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology, some graduates can have a grade-point average of 4.2 or higher.
"To be fair to everyone, we think that everyone with 4.0 or more should be a co-valedictorian," Kelly said.
In Salem, school officials use a combination of several factors to select the valedictorian, said Joe Kirby, director of secondary education. These include grades, difficulty of courses and the number of courses, he said.
Kirby said that it's unlikely that two students would have the same score under the system that is used to select a valedictorian.
In Roanoke, the student with the highest grade-point average is the valedictorian. All students with a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher are classified as distinguished students.
by CNB