Arts Education Graduation Requirement & Endorsement
Please visit our Arts Education Graduation Requirement and Endorsement FAQ Links to an external site. for quick answers!
Arts Education Graduation Requirement
Introduction
S681 passed in June of 2020 and became Session Law SL2020-78 Links to an external site. in July.
This law directed the State Board of Education (SBE) to modify graduation requirements, which previously included an option to include an arts education credit, to require one credit of arts education to be completed at any time during grades six through twelve. The new requirement. begins with students entering Grade 6 in 2022-23 and, subsequently, in Grade 9 in 2025-26.
To provide the clearest guidance on the SBE’s recent passage of the new graduation policy language and what that means for K-12 education, we have compiled the most current information.
Updated SBE Policy (GRAD-004)
The NC Department of Public Instruction has been working diligently to ensure the systems are in place to support districts and schools with the implementation of this legislation.
The updated language for NC SBE Policy GRAD-004 Links to an external site. is reprinted below. Please note: The total number of credits required to graduate is not changing. The new requirement is embedded as part of the 6 elective credits of the 22 required credits for graduation.
8. Beginning in fall 2022, students entering Grade 6 and subsequently entering Grade 9 for the first time in 2025-26 shall have at least one arts education course in grades 6-12.
- Students must complete the standard course of study (no local electives) for a given arts education course in its entirety to satisfy this requirement. After school activities or partial courses do not fulfill this graduation requirement.
- Students who transfer into a public school unit beginning in the ninth grade or later may be exempt, if such a requirement would prevent a student from graduating with the graduation cohort to which the student was assigned when transferring.
NC-SIS: PowerSchool
At this time, a NCDPI working group is engaged in ensuring that every student’s completion of the arts education graduation requirement will be followed through course codes in PowerSchool as part of the established graduation plan process (NCSBOE Policy GRAD-004 Links to an external site.).
Students will be able to complete this graduation requirement at any time within their grades 6-12 education. Arts Education courses in grades 6-8 that follow the SCOS for their assigned grade level will count towards the graduation requirement.
It is Imperative to code courses correctly: Only those courses with officially recognized course codes will be automatically tracked in PowerSchool. DO NOT use course codes beginning with “9”. You can learn more about the NCDPI Arts Education Course Coding structure at bit.ly/NCArtsEdCourseManual Links to an external site..
The NC Standard Course of Study must be taught: Only those courses which teach the entire Standard Course of Study in an Arts Ed subject will satisfy the Arts Education Graduation Requirement. There are no requirements about the length or duration of a course. Local courses which do not teach the entire Standard Course of Study in an Arts Ed subject would not satisfy the Arts Ed Graduation Requirement and should be coded as local electives.
For more information, you can visit the NCDPI SIS Resources Links to an external site. webpage or visit the Arts Ed Course Manual Links to an external site..
Exceptions
Students moving from another state to North Carolina in the ninth grade or later may be exempt from the arts education graduation requirement if requiring them to do so would keep them from graduating with the cohort to which they are assigned.
Arts Education Proficiency Endorsement
ARTS EDUCATION PROFICIENCY
In June 2024, the State Board of Education approved the Arts Education Proficiency Diploma Endorsement. The requirements are based on legislation. The Arts Education Quick Guide provides direction for LEAs implementing procedures for the 2024-25 school year. The document includes a student form for documenting the 40 hours of arts-related extracurricular activities as well as clarification on what activities can be approved by the local school board.
