Timeline

Overview, 2015-2020

Since the State Board of Education first approved the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options in 2015, districts have established local graduation requirements and implementation strategies that are aligned with Graduation Guidelines and that empower students to demonstrate Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR).

The Class of 2021 is first class required to graduate according to the Menu of Options.  However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Board of Education approved flexibility for the Class of 2021. Local Education Providers (LEPs) now have options for graduating students in 2021 and/or 2022.

Please note that districts and LEPs must report the measure by which students graduate in 2020-21.  See information below and in this link: Graduation Guidelines Reporting. 

The State Board of Education approved flexibility for Graduation Guidelines for the Class of 2021. For 2020-2021, Local Education Providers (LEPs) may graduate students according to district-determined graduation requirements that include the Menu of Options and/or local options, such as courses. LEPs can decide if they would like to implement Graduation Guidelines for the Class of 2021 or delay full implementation until the class of 2022.

• Review your local, district graduation requirement policy to allow for flexibility for the Class of 2021.  
  • See Sample Policies on the CDE website and from the Colorado Association of School Boards
  • See Graduation FAQs for the Class of 2021

• Communicate to students, families, and the community about your plans for meeting Graduation Guidelines, in general, and for the class of 2021, in particular
  • Find websites, sample letters, and other communication strategies in the Graduation Guidelines Promising Practices section

• Continue to build implementation strategies for the Class of 2021 and 2022, and for students in 9th – 12th grades
  • Review Promising Practices of other schools and districts
  • Continue to involve students and families in the process

• Empower each high school student to take ownership of a meaningful Individual Career and Academic Planning (ICAP) process
  • Engage them in Meaningful Career Conversations
  • Review the PWR Practices, Tools, and Resources available as part of the PWR Playbook, the How-To-Guide for ICAP implementation
  • Consider incorporating the ICAP process in all classes, and within all grade levels

• Graduate the first students under revised graduation guidelines and/or according to local graduation requirements

• Report the graduation pathway of all students in the required Graduation Guidelines Student Interchange 
  • This collection is required for all graduates, beginning with the class of 2021
  • It is flexible:  LEPs may graduate students according to the Menu of Options and/or local measures
  • It is part of the Student End of Year data collection
  • Please direct questions to, and/or learn about digital training sessions from Jesse Cooper, Senior Data Analysts with CDE's Data Services team

Students in Roaring Fork School District talk about Capstone

Full implementation of the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options is expected to go into effect for the class of 2022.

• Continue to communicate with students and families about your district requirements for graduation, for the class of 2022, and for all grades, 9-12
• Continue to build on the implementation strategies that you have in place
• Continue to track data internally
• Graduate the Class of 2022 according to the Menu of Options
• Report the measures by which each student in the class 2022 graduated in the required Graduation Guidelines Student Interchange File - which is part of the End of Year Collection
  • LEAs must report the Graduation Guidelines measure(s) by which each student graduated according to the Menu of Options
  • Accountability is linked to the interchange file through the Exit Code of each student.

• Continue to align local graduation requirements with the state’s graduation guidelines.  Graduation Guidelines begin with the ICAP process (Individual Career and Academic Plan), Colorado Academic Standards, including embedded Essential Skills - for all students
• Reflect on your current practice.  Consider adjustments to your implementation strategy based on local graduation statistics
• Continue to report the graduation pathway of all students in the required Graduation Guidelines Student Interchange 
  • This collection is required for all graduates, beginning with the class of 2021
  • It is part of the Student End of Year data collection
  • Please direct questions to, and/or learn about digital training sessions from Jesse Cooper, Senior Data Analysts with CDE's Data Services team
• Empower each student to develop a meaningful Individual Career and Academic Planning (ICAP) process
  • Review the PWR Practices, Tools, and Resources available as part of the PWR Playbook, a How-To-Guide for ICAP implementation
  • Consider incorporating the ICAP process in all classes, and within all grade levels