March 14, 2007 – Putnam County – Putnam County School District staff and teachers are taking steps to prepare the county’s eighth-grade students for the state’s new graduation requirements that go into effect next school year.

The new graduation requirements come under former Gov. Jeb Bush’s A++ Plan for Education and start with ninth graders entering high school in the 2007-2008 school year.
Those students are required to earn 16 core academic credits and eight elective credits in order to graduate with a standard high school diploma. Core requirements consist of four credits of English and math; three credits of social studies and science; one credit of fine arts; and one credit in physical education and health.

Out of the eight elective credits, students must choose a major area of interest that includes four credits in a common area, such as sequential courses in a career and technical program, fine and performing arts, or academic content area, as part of the student’s education plan.

Students do not have to be in the same major all four years to graduate, but they must complete a major each year with a passing grade. Students can only change their major at the end of the school year when they register for their next year’s classes. However, students who do complete four credits in one major will receive special recognition at graduation. This includes a platinum seal on their diploma, a platinum cord to wear with their cap and gown, and a ready-to-work certificate that states they are prepared for entry into an occupational field related to their major.

“Our staff has been told by Florida Department of Education staff that Putnam County is among several counties who are in the forefront of getting out the information about the new major areas of interest that next-year’s ninth graders will have to declare to meet the new requirements,” said David Buckles, superintendent of Putnam County Schools. “Our guidance counselors and career education teachers have been working with our career education specialists to explain the new graduation requirements to our eighth graders.”

According to the FDOE, in April, eighth-grade students will be able to select their major area of interest through Florida’s online student advising system, the Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students or FACTS.org. Eighth-graders will go to FACTS.org, locate the high school they plan to attend and review the majors that will be available at that school.

Currently on FACTS.org, middle and high school students can create an electronic Personal Education Planner (ePEP), an interactive course planner for students based on their educational goals for high school and beyond. Middle and high school students, college students and parents can use the services provided on the Website to plan and track the students’ educational progress. When students create an ePEP, they will be able to see their transcripts (grades and credits earned in past courses). They will also be able to see their grade point average (GPA) and Bright Futures scholarship GPA. Students can compare their transcripts to requirements for graduation, Bright Futures eligibility, and state university admissions.

The state is also requiring that, starting next year, all students in the eighth grade and up have ePEPs. “We are encouraging all students to get an early start in creating their educational planners on FACTS.org in order to take charge of their education and to prepare for their future after they graduate, whether that means college, career or technical school, or entering the workforce,” Buckles said.

# # #

For more information, contact Kirk Collier at (386) 937-9346 or kcollier@putnamschools.org.