High School
Competency Diploma
Questions and Answers for
students and parents
The Kenosha Unified School District is offering a program designed to
provide another option to students who are unable to meet the credit
requirements for receiving their high school diploma. The District believes the
Equivalency KUSD High School Diploma option will serve to decrease the number
of dropouts and increase the number of high school graduates.
Students who are unable to meet the credit requirements to graduate
with their cohorts are likely candidates to drop out of school and not
graduate. With that in mind, the KUSD is offering an Equivalency Diploma that
gives students an opportunity to graduate and to further their respective
educational and career opportunities.
Frequently asked questions and answers follow.
WHAT IS THE EQUIVALENCY KUSD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA?
- It
is an alternate route to graduation in which a diploma is issued for a small
percentage of students who meet all requirements and take and pass the Iowa
Tests of Educational Development (ITED).
- With
this diploma, graduates can continue their education at the post-secondary
level, join the military, or go directly to work. However, the diploma may not
be accepted by all colleges, trade schools, businesses, apprenticeship
programs, or branches of the military.
HOW DO STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR THE EQUIVALENCY KUSD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA?
-
Students
must be at least 18 years old and credit deficient.
-
Students
must be current residents of the Kenosha Unified School District.
-
Students
must be continuously-enrolled members of a KUSD cohort group.
-
Students
must meet the requirements for the writing and employability components.
-
Students
must have completed consumer education/economics, health, and government and politics,
or comparable courses.
HOW DOES THE
PROGRAM WORK?
-
Interested
students ages 17 and over who are credit deficient will meet with a counselor
to determine credit status and feasibility of graduating through credit
acquisition. Eligible students will fill out an application form, sign a
consent, and be given information regarding the Equivalency KUSD High School
Diploma option.
-
Students
will be offered an opportunity to attend school to prepare for the ITED.
-
Students
who attend school for test-preparation will be subject to all classroom,
school, and District rules and policies.
-
Eligible
students who complete all course requirements and pass the ITED can graduate
with the Equivalency Diploma. Those not
satisfying both conditions prior to their twenty-first birthday are ineligible
for this Diploma.
-
Students
receiving the Equivalency Diploma will be allowed to participate in the
Equivalency Diploma graduation ceremony.
WHAT IS REQUIRED OF STUDENTS WHO WISH TO TAKE THE
ITED?
-
Eligible
students must have on file with the alternate diploma teacher a signed Equivalency KUSD High School Diploma
Student Participation Form and transcript showing that course requirements
have been met (health, consumer education/ economics, and government and
politics/civics).
-
Students
who did not test at a proficient or advanced level in writing on the WKCE as a
10th grader must complete a writing component prior to testing.
-
Students
must verify work experience or complete an employability skills component prior
to testing.
-
Eligible
students must have paid in full all fees required prior to testing.
-
Students will take the ITED, which measures knowledge
in the areas of expression, reading, literature, social studies, science,
sources of information, and mathematics.
-
Prior
to taking the graduation ITED, students may be required to demonstrate their
readiness by passing ITED practice tests.
-
ITED
candidates shall present at the testing site a valid Wisconsin driver’s license
or Wisconsin identification card that includes the applicant's photograph,
legal name, birth date, address, and signature.
-
Students
must pass the ITED by achieving a minimum stanine score of four in each of the
subject areas. Until their twenty-first
birthday, students who fail one or more tests may re-test during each testing
cycle.
-
The
tests are administered in English.
-
Students
with documented specific learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, or physical or emotional disabilities may be
eligible for special testing
accommodations.
WHAT IS REQUIRED OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS?
-
Students
will be fully apprised of each diploma's potential value in terms of getting a
job, entering post-secondary education, or joining the military.
-
Informational
fliers/letters will also include the contact information of the student's
guidance counselor or principal’s designee, who will provide more detailed
information regarding the program.
-
Schools
will provide opportunities for preparatory work to increase the likelihood of
success for students who choose the Equivalency KUSD Diploma option.
-
Principals
or their designees will oversee testing accommodations and will monitor student
eligibility and identification for this option.
-
Principals
will provide written notification to students who have not passed the
graduation ITED.
WHAT IS THE PARENT'S/GUARDIAN'S ROLE?
- The school district has
developed a parent notification letter and a parent signature letter. The parent/guardian signature is required
prior to participation by students who are under the age of 18.
- Parents/guardians are
encouraged to meet with their student’s counselor or teacher to be fully
informed about the Equivalency KUSD Diploma option.
WHEN WILL STUDENTS RECEIVE THE EQUIVALENCY KUSD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND
WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?
- Students successfully
completing the program will be awarded the Equivalency KUSD High School Diploma
at an Equivalency Diploma graduation ceremony.
- The Equivalency KUSD High
School Diploma will look similar to a regular high school diploma but will
indicate that the student tested out.
WHAT PROVISIONS ARE MADE FOR STUDENTS WHO SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETE COURSE REQUIREMENTS BUT DO NOT PASS THE GRADUATION ITED THE FIRST
TIME?
- Principals are responsible
for providing written notification to exited students who have not passed the graduation ITED.
- Until their twenty-first
birthday, students who have not passed all tests will be allowed to retake the
tests they failed.
WHERE CAN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE KENOSHA
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S EQUIVALENCY KUSD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA BE OBTAINED?
- Information can be obtained
through the high school’s guidance office or teachers in
