It requires a minimum of 24 units of coursework to graduate from a Denver Public School. At George Washington High School we have outlined the following course of study in which those credits may be earned:
DEPARTMENT | Course Name | Credits |
ENGLISH | English 1 | 1 Unit |
English 2 | 1 Unit | |
Additional English Courses | 2 Units | |
TOTAL ENGLISH UNITS | 4 UNITS | |
MATHEMATICS | Integrated Math 1 | 1 Unit |
Integrated Math 2 | 1 Unit | |
Integrated Math 3 | 1 Unit | |
Upper Level Math Course | 1 Unit | |
TOTAL MATH UNITS | 4 UNITS | |
These are the minimum requirements for math, students may take more advanced courses to satisfy graduation requirements. | ||
SCIENCE | Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, or Physics | 2 Units |
Additional Science Courses | 1 Unit | |
TOTAL SCIENCE UNITS | 3 UNITS | |
SOCIAL STUDIES | Civics | 0.5 Units |
US History | 1 Unit | |
Additional Social Studies Courses | 1.5 Units | |
TOTAL SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS | 3 UNITS | |
PHYSICAL EDUCATION | TOTAL PE UNITS | 1 UNIT |
These credits may be waived by successfully participating in an athletic sport season (one season would waive 0.5 units). The waivers may only be earned in grades 9-11. | ||
FINE ARTS | TOTAL FINE ART UNITS | 1 UNIT |
ELECTIVES | Academic Electives | 1 Unit |
Additional Electives | 7 Units | |
TOTAL ELECTIVE UNITS | 8 UNITS |
Students will continue to work with their counselors, teachers and families to develop, update, and complete their Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs). Through this personalized career and academic planning tool, students are empowered to evaluate all aspects of their path to college and career, including goal setting, college opportunities, academic planning, financial literacy and financial aid, and 21st-century skills. This framework creates an attainable roadmap for students, so they are able to visualize how exploring possibilities and achieving milestones translates to their future college and career aspirations. At the end of their senior year, they will turn in the completed plan to fulfill the ICAP requirement. To access your ICAP, log in to Student Portal and click on the “My ICAP” button. Learn more information.
In order to graduate from DPS, every student will demonstrate competency in English, math and/or career readiness by completing one or more items in the competency menu below.
COMPETENCY DEMONSTRATION OPTIONS | ENGLISHQualifying Score | MATHQualifying Score |
ACCUPLACER: Accuplacer is a multiple-choice exam that tests students’ math, reading, writing and computer abilities to ensure they are placed in a college class that matches their skill levels. | 241 ReadingOR236 Writing | 255 AR or230 QAS or245 AAF |
ACT (AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING): The ACT is a national college entrance exam that measures four subjects: English, reading, math and science. The highest possible score for each subject is 36. | 18 | 19 |
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) EXAMS: Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level classes you can take in high school. At the end of the semester, students are encouraged to take the AP exam, which tests how they may perform at the college level. Scores range from 1 to 5. | 2 | 2 |
CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT: Concurrent Enrollment allows students to simultaneously earn college and high school credits. Students are able to enroll in college courses for free, saving them both time and money. Many Concurrent Enrollment credits are transferable to a two- or four-year degree program. | C- | C- |
DPS CAPSTONE: With the Capstone option, students build a portfolio of work throughout their high school experience to show what they’ve learned and how it applies in the real world. For students who elect a Capstone Portfolio to fulfill the competency requirement, schools will help students track their progress. | DPS APPROVED ARTIFACTS | |
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) EXAMS: IB schools focus on international perspectives of learning and teaching, while supporting students in fully exploring their home culture and language. Students enrolled in the IB Diploma Programme will take exams to test competencies. The highest score is 7. | 4 | 4 |
SAT (SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST): The SAT exam shows colleges how prepared you are for college by measuring key skills in math, evidence-based reading and writing, and an optional essay. It is scored on a 200 to 800 point scale, with a “perfect” score being 1,600. | 470 | 500 |
ACT WORKKEYS NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE: ACT WorkKeys is an assessment that tests students’ job skills in applied reading, writing,mathematics, and 21st-century skills. Scores are based on job profiles that help employers select, hire, train, develop and retain a high-performance workforce. | BRONZE OR HIGHER | |
ASVAB (ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY): ASVAB is a comprehensive test that traditionally helps determine students’ eligibility for careers in the military; however, the assessment is an option for students even if they don’t plan to enlist in the military. ASVAB tests arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, and mathematics knowledge. | 31 (COMPOSITE) |