CREDIT INFORMATION

Local vs. State Credits

State credit means the state of Texas recognizes the course as a credit towards graduation requirements. Local credit is awarded to students taking courses that are locally approved but not recognized by the state of Texas for graduation. 

Transfer of Credits

Dickinson ISD recognizes and accepts credits from state accredited public and private high schools. Students entering Dickinson High School from non-accredited public, private, or parochial schools, including home schools, shall validate high school credits for transfer by testing. A student who falls into this category will work with his/her counselor to validate transfer credits.

Credit Opportunities 

The following opportunities require counselor’s approval, may not be included in the GPA, and may require a fee for enrollment. 

• Correspondence Course: Students may take courses through distance learning options such as Texas Virtual School Network, Texas Tech, or other approved program. These grades are not calculated into the GPA. Counselor approval is required prior to enrollment.

• Credit by Exam with Prior Instruction: This exam is for students who have had prior instruction and failed the class. A score of 70 or above on the exam is required for credit. Each exam is equivalent to a semester course. These grades are not calculated in the GPA. See counselor for more information.

• Credit by Exam without Prior Instruction: Students may earn credit for a course in which they have received no prior instruction in the subject by taking an exam in December, March, June or July. A grade of 80% is required to receive credit for the respective course. These grades are not calculated in the GPA. See counselor for registration form.

• Summer School Now- Online Credit Recovery & Initial Credit: An online credit recovery program is available at DHS. Students may also work on the online courses from home. Courses are self- paced and require students to be self- motivated. Counselors recommend students for the course. Students receive credit for the courses successfully completed. The grades are not calculated in the GPA. Note to Student Athletes: Online credit recovery courses cannot be used to reinstate UIL eligibility nor are they recognized by the NCAA Eligibility Center.

• Summer School: See counselor for information on approved summer school programs. Classes must meet all TEA guidelines. These grades are not calculated in the GPA.

STUDENT GRADE LEVEL

Grade Classification:

Grade classification is based on the total number of credits a student has accumulated:

Criteria For Valedictorian And Salutatorian

Additional criteria for determining and recognizing the valedictorian and salutatorian are as follows:

• Must have been enrolled in Dickinson High School for at least three consecutive years.
• Must be a full time student at Dickinson High School during his/her entire senior year.  Students graduating through the Collegiate High School program, DCC program, or other alternative programs are not eligible for recognition as valedictorian or salutatorian of Dickinson High School. 
• No distinction will be made between four-year and three-year graduates when determining which students to recognize. 
• The eligible student having the highest grade point average resulting from the 7th semester calculation only shall be recognized as the valedictorian.
• The eligible student with the second highest GPA resulting from the 7th semester calculation only shall be recognized as the salutatorian. 
• Should a tie develop for valedictorian or salutatorian, the GPA of the students involved will be recalculated based on the numerical grades earned in each course.  

Honor Graduates

Students will be designated the following honor graduate status based on their 7th semester cumulative GPA:

Magna Cum Laude: Top 5%

Cum Laude: Top 6-15%

Top 10%

Senate Bill 510 C §51.803 requires that each Texas public institution of higher education automatically admit students who graduated from high school in the top 10% of students in the graduating class based on grade point average. (University of Texas will be limiting their automatic admissions to the top 5% effective 2026). To be considered for admission, one must complete the application process to the intended college. Students must complete Algebra 2 and complete an endorsement to be eligible for automatic admissions.

TRANSCRIPTS and REQUESTS

Students have access to the most recent transcript on their Skyward account beginning with the second semester of 9th grade. Students who need an official transcript sent to an educational institution or scholarship committee must make a request on Parchment. All students have a Skyward and access to create a Parchment account. Students may go to the College and Career Center for assistance with these accounts. Transcripts are processed within 5 business days.

Student fees must be cleared in order to fulfill transcript requests.

Here is a video explaining how to create your Parchment account: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9672793/video/729325658

Here is a video explaining how to request a transcript through parchment: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9672793/video/730504159

EXIT LEVEL ASSESSMENT

Students will be required to take the STAAR EOC assessments as part of their graduation requirement. Students must meet the approaches level score for each subject area in order to graduate. Students may take the STAAR EOC assessments as many times as they need in order to achieve the required passing score. Required STAAR assessments are:

• English Language Arts I
• English Language Arts II
• Algebra I
• Biology
• US History

REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GRADUATION CEREMONY

Only those students who have met all requirements for graduation, including passing all required STAAR assessments (or met IGC requirements) and attended mandatory graduation practices shall be allowed to participate in graduation exercises.  Students who have passed all course requirements with the exception of STAAR/ IGC requirements, may participate in graduation upon request. Students must write a letter to the principal committing to taking the needed STAAR tests until requirements are met.

All students participating in the graduation ceremony must attend all mandatory graduation practices set by the Principal. Students who do not participate in practices will not participate in the ceremony.

Students who have a parent who is also an employee of Dickinson ISD may request to have their parents present their diploma to them during graduation. These requests must be made in writing by the student and submitted to the Principal by May 1 or the first business day in May. Parents are asked to follow the protocol outlined by the campus administration so that the ceremony is not interrupted or delayed.  

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION REQUIREMENT

Each high school senior in a Texas public school district or open enrollment charter school must complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) as a state requirement for graduation. This code, Texas Education Code §28.0256, allows a student to opt out of the financial aid application graduation requirement by submitting a signed form that authorizes the student to decline.

To authorize a student to opt out of the financial aid application graduation requirement, the Financial Aid Application Opt-Out Form must be signed by one of the following: 

OPTION I: A student age 18 years or older or emancipated minor under Chapter 31, Texas Family Code

OPTION II: The student’s parent or guardian and the student. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

§74.38. Requirements for Instruction in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

§74.38. Requirements for Instruction in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). (a) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school shall provide instruction to students in Grades 7-12 in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The instruction: (1) may be provided as a part of any course; and (2) must be provided to each student at least once before graduation from high school. (b) CPR instruction must include training that has been developed: (1) by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross; or (2) using nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines for emergency cardiovascular care and incorporating psychomotor skills to support the instruction. (c) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school may use emergency medical technicians, paramedics, police officers, firefighters, representatives of the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross, teachers, other school employees, or other similarly qualified individuals to provide CPR instruction and training under this section. Except as specified in subsection (d) of this section, an instructor of this training is not required to be certified in CPR. (d) Instruction provided under this section is not required to result in certification by a student in CPR. If instruction is intended to result in certification in CPR, the course instructor must be authorized to provide the instruction by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or a similar nationally recognized association. (e) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school may waive the requirement under this section for a student, who due to a disability, is unable to complete the requirement. The determination regarding a student's ability to complete the CPR requirement will be made by: (1) the student's ARD committee if the student receives special education services under the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 29, Subchapter A; or (2) the committee established for the student under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 United States Code, §794) if the student does not receive special education services under the TEC, Chapter 29, Subchapter A, but is covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (f) This section applies to any student who entered Grade 7 in the 2010-2011 school year and thereafter. Statutory Authority: The provisions of this §74.38 issued under the Texas Education Code, §28.0023. Source: The provisions of this §74.38 adopted to be effective August 25, 2014, 39 TexReg 5384.

§74.39. Requirements for Instruction on Proper Interaction with Peace Officers. §74.39. Requirements for Instruction on Proper Interaction with Peace Officers. (a) A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall provide instruction in one or more courses to students in Grades 9-12 on proper interaction with peace officers during traffic stops and other in-person encounters. The required instruction: (1) may be provided as a part of any course or courses; and (2) must be provided to each student at least once before graduation from high school. (b) The instruction must include all of the following information: (1) the role of law enforcement and the duties and responsibilities of peace officers; §74.C. Other Provisions Page 18 March 2020 Update (2) a person's rights concerning interactions with peace officers; (3) proper behavior for civilians and peace officers during interactions; (4) laws regarding questioning and detention by peace officers, including any law requiring a person to present proof of identity to a peace officer, and the consequences for a person's or officer's failure to comply with those laws; and (5) how and where to file a complaint against or a compliment on behalf of a peace officer. (c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall use materials developed through a memorandum of understanding among the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the State Board of Education, and the Texas Education Agency. (d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may tailor the instruction developed under this section as appropriate for the district's or school's community. In tailoring the instruction, the district or school shall solicit input from local law enforcement agencies, driver training schools, and the community. (e) In accordance with §74.5 of this title (relating to Academic Achievement Record (Transcript)), a school district or an open-enrollment charter school shall clearly indicate on the transcript or academic achievement record the year in which the instruction was provided to the student. (f) This section applies to any student who enters Grade 9 in the 2018-2019 school year and thereafter. Statutory Authority: The provisions of this §74.39 issued under the Texas Education Code, §§7.102, 28.012, and 28.025. Source: The provisions of this §74.39 adopted to be effective August 27, 2018, 43 TexReg 5523.  

https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/flashing-lights-senate-bill-30

STUDENT SCHEDULES

Schedule Process

During the second semester, students register for classes they will need the following year. It is important for students to plan their choices carefully since class size and staffing decisions will be determined from their choices.

January- March: Students are given access to the updated Academic Handbook online and sample course selection sheet during a class presentation from their counselors. Students meet with counselors in groups to complete course requests based on endorsement pathways. 

March-April: Parents and students can view course requests in Skyward. Parents may request updates/ changes by emailing the student’s counselor. It is the expectation that all courses meet the approval of both the student and parent if the counselor is not notified of any changes.

June: All changes will be reflected in Skyward. Students and parents may see changes in requested courses based on data the campus receives in the summer including: EOC test scores, final grades from prerequisite courses, classes that did not “make” due to too few requesting students.  

August: Schedules will be made available in Skyward approximately one week before the start of school. Concerns over schedule issues from the list of reasons for a schedule change (below) can be emailed to your counselor at that time. 

Schedule Changes

Once school starts, schedule changes will only be made for the following reasons by using the Schedule Change Request Form.  

• Data entry errors, such as missing classes or too many classes scheduled (will receive immediate attention).

• Student needs remedial coursework for state assessment.

• Student already received credit for a class on schedule.

• Student is scheduled in an inappropriate course i.e. male in female PE class.

• Student is enrolled in a course for which they have not completed the appropriate prerequisite 

  • i.e. in Spanish II without earning credit in Spanish I. 

• Student is a senior and needs particular courses for graduation.

• Student has a duplicate course on schedule i.e. PE and Athletics.

• Student has been accepted or dismissed from a program i.e. athletics, fine art, CTE, etc.

Teacher Change Request

Per Texas Education Code Sec. 26.003. A parent is entitled to reasonable access to the school principal, or to a designated administrator with the authority to reassign a student, to request a change in the class or teacher to which the parent's child has been assigned, if the reassignment or change would not affect the assignment or reassignment of another student. The Dickinson High School procedures to request a teacher change is as follows:

1. Parent, teacher, and student must conference to discuss concerns and possible resolutions. Parents requesting a change also need to request the conference with the teacher. 

2. If the problem is not resolved after a reasonable amount of time and effort, you can petition the student’s assistant principal for a schedule change.  

3. Assistant principal will determine if the teacher change is needed based on situation, space, and availability of course/ teacher as stated in TEC Sec 26.003.

4. A class change must be for the same credit/course. 

Final Exam Exemptions

Final Exam Exemptions
Students can be eligible for final exam exemptions in all courses for the spring semester based upon the following guidelines. There will be no final exam exemptions for the fall semester. 

Criteria/ Guidelines for Exemption Qualification:
Course Spring Semester Average & Attendance Requirements per course:

• 90-100 Semester average and no more than 4 absences for the spring semester
• 80-89 Semester average and no more than 3 absences for the spring semester
• 75-79 Semester average and no more than 2 absences for the spring semester
• For AP Courses the student need to be passing the AP Course and registered for that AP exam
  ALL absences count against exemption qualifications except for school related business (field trips, competitions, performances, ect).
•  5 tardies is equivalent to 1 absence.

Discipline Requirements:

• ISS/OSS during Spring Semester = exemption denied for all exams
• DAEP placement or continuation of prior placement during the semester of the exam = exemption denied for all exams that semester
• Discipline referral in a class = exemption denied for that class 
  
  Any student who is eligible for a final exam exemption may elect to take their final exam to improve their grade. If the exempt student elects to take the semester exam the semester exam can only improve the student’s grade. The exempt final cannot lower the student’s semester grade. 
  
  The student who is eligible for final exam exemption is not excused from attendance on the day of the exam. The student must arrive to class on the day of the exam.