Graduation Requirements & Transitioning to College

Lake Oswego School District offers multiple pathways toward graduation, all of which support a student’s ability to achieve their post-secondary goals. Many of the accommodations that a student receives in high school will remain available to them in college.

Graduation Requirements

Diploma Types

Students enter high school working toward a Lake Oswego District Diploma. This diploma has all of the same requirements as the Oregon State Standard Diploma, plus it requires one semester (.5 credits) of Advanced Communication Skills, two semesters of Fine Art, and two years (2.0 credits) of a world language. Many four-year universities require students to enter with two years of a world language, and Lake Oswego School District wants students to graduate college-ready. Currently, the school district offers classes in Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese. Some students with language-based disabilities such as dyslexia choose to take American Sign Language (ASL). Since each child is different, there is no clear “best” path for students with dyslexia to meet world language requirements. What works well for one student may not work as well for another student with the same diagnostic label.

Some families may elect to forego the world language requirement and work toward an Oregon State Standard Diploma instead. This diploma requires 4 credits of English, 3 credits of Math at the Algebra level and beyond, 3 credits of History, 3 credits of Science, 1 credit of Physical Education, 1 credit of Health, 3 credits of a combination of World Language, The Arts, and/or Career/Technical Education, and 6 credits of electives (24 total credits). This option may be appropriate if:

The student intends to attend a university that does not have a world language requirement.
The student intends to begin their post-secondary education at a community college or trade school.
The student does not intend to pursue a post-secondary education.

Occasionally, special circumstances may lead a student to graduate with a Modified Diploma, Extended Diploma, or Alternative Certificate. A decision to move to one of these options would be made as a team including the student, parents, school counselors, teachers, and administrators. In all cases, students who graduate would be eligible to attend community college. Trade school admission requirements vary and would need to be researched individually to determine whether these types of diplomas would be accepted.

Essential Skill Requirements

Graduating seniors are required to demonstrate proficiency in the essential skills of reading, writing, and math. For students graduating with a modified diploma, the requirements may be modified depending on the circumstances. There are several ways to meet this requirement.

1. Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA): Students will have the opportunity to take the Smarter Balanced Assessments in English language arts and math each year from 3rd through 8th grade. They will not take these tests during 9th or 10th grade. During their junior year of high school (11th grade), they will take the Smarter Balanced Assessments for the final time. Scores of “3” (on a 4-point scale) indicate proficiency. If a student does not demonstrate essential skill proficiency on these tests, they will need to fulfill this requirement through one of the options listed below.

2. College Admission Tests: Lake Oswego School District provides at least two opportunities for students to take the PSAT: once during their sophomore year and once during their junior year. Additionally, students may choose to take the SAT, ACT, or the community college placement tests. Each of these tests provides an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in reading and math. The ACT and SAT provide an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in Writing if the student takes this portion of the exam. Some Advanced Placement exams can also be used to demonstrate proficiency in reading or math. For a complete list of tests that can be used for essential skill requirements, please consult the Oregon Department of Education website.

3. Work Samples: Students who have not met the essential skills requirements in reading, math, or writing will have an opportunity to complete work samples. These work samples are administered at each high school and scored by staff trained in the state’s scoring rubric.

Accommodations

If a student has been using a testing accommodation in their high school classes, they may use the same accommodation on the essential skills assessments. Their use of the accommodation must be documented by school staff, whether through universal accommodations or on 504 Plans or IEPs. If you have questions about accommodations, please contact your school test coordinator.

SBA: Accommodations must be arranged with school staff ahead of time for the SBA. School counselors are responsible for ensuring that students on 504 Plans are offered testing accommodations on the SBA. Case managers are responsible for ensuring that students on IEPs are offered testing accommodations on the SBA. For students who have consistently received testing accommodations without a formal plan of accommodations, families will need to work with school staff to ensure that appropriate accommodations are offered. These tests are offered during the second half of the school year.

College Admissions Tests: Students must apply for accommodations on the PSAT, SAT, or ACT through the testing agencies. Requests for accommodations take time to process, so accommodations for a fall test should be made in the spring of the prior school year. For example, to receive testing accommodations for the PSAT during the junior year of high school, the student’s application should be sent to the college board during the spring of their sophomore year. School counselors can apply on students’ behalf and are the best resource for helping families through this process.

Work Samples: Any testing accommodation that a student has consistently used in their classes will be offered when completing work samples.

Career-Related Learning Experiences

Career-Related Learning Experiences (CRLEs) are structured educational experiences that connect learning to the world beyond the classroom. Some CRLEs happen at school and are arranged by the teacher. Community organizations and industry groups sponsor career days, mentor, and internship programs too. Many students arrange their own half or full day job shadows by asking a neighbor, family friend or a friend’s family member to host them. Graduating seniors must complete two career-related learning experiences during their four years of high school. Each experience must last a minimum of five hours.

Transitioning to College

Age of Majority

The age of majority refers to the age at which an individual is no longer a minor, and is officially considered to be an adult. In the state of Oregon, this age is 18. When a student reaches the age of majority, they become responsible for their own educational decision-making. At the college level, students are responsible for registering themselves for classes, applying for and accepting financial aid, contacting the Office for Students with Disabilities, and generally managing their own education. While it is hoped that parents will continue to be a source of support and consultation far beyond high school, college staff cannot talk to parents about their students. Preparing their children for the responsibilities that accompany the age of majority is one of the most important tasks for parents to tackle during the high school years.

Post-Secondary Options
Many Lake Oswego graduates choose to pursue post-secondary education. This education can take the form of trade school, community college, or a four-year university. While some colleges have programs specifically designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities, all public colleges are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities such as dyslexia.

Some options that families of students with dyslexia may want to consider when preparing for college include the following:

Colleges designed for students with language-based learning disabilities
Colleges that do not require the SAT or ACT
Colleges that do not require two years of a world language for admission
Colleges with summer transition programs before the fall of Freshman year
Taking classes at a community college before transitioning to a four-year university

Disclosing a Disability

Colleges will not be aware of a student’s disability unless the student chooses to tell them. Students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia will need to decide whether, and under what circumstances, to disclose their disability. The decision of whether to disclose a disability may arise through the application process, when deciding whether to request accommodations, and when interacting directly with their professors. While the decision to disclose a disability is a personal one, there are some questions to ask yourself that may help you make that decision.

Disclosing a disability through the application process: Ask yourself, “Will disclosing my disability help explain something that may not be clear to the admissions counselors?” For example, if your grades suffered because you worked your way through the first two years of high school without accommodations, but then you began to receive accommodations and your grades improved, it may make sense to talk about that in an essay response. If your grades are solid and you want to highlight your strong ethic, you may want to explain that you earned those grades in spite of your diagnosis. If you don’t have a specific reason for disclosing your disability, it may not be worth mentioning during the application process.

Disclosing a disability to obtain accommodations: If you know that you will need accommodations in college, you must disclose your disability to the Disabilities Services Office. In order to do this, you will need to bring documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office. This may take the form of a recent evaluation, a current IEP, or a current 504 plan. If you are approved for accommodations, the Disability Services Office will write a letter dictating the accommodations for which you are approved. Most colleges will give the letter only to the student, but some may send it to the student’s professors. The letter will NOT state the nature of the disability nor provide a diagnostic label; it will merely list the approved accommodations.

Disclosing a disability to professors: If you want to use approved accommodations in a particular class, you will need to present your accommodation letter to your professor. You will NOT need to tell them what your disabling condition is; you will merely need to disclose that you have a disabling condition that warrants classroom accommodations. If you do not feel like you will need to use accommodations in a particular class, you do not need to present your accommodation letter or disclose a disability.

Accommodations

Students who receive accommodations in high school for a documented disability will be able to receive accommodations in college. The accommodations may look different, but they will act to mitigate the negative impacts of a disability in the same way that high school accommodations do. High school accommodation plans do not transfer to college. Instead, the student must initiate the request for accommodations by contacting the disabilities services office. If accommodations are approved, it is up to the student to decide whether to use them. Unlike high school, where teachers are obligated to offer accommodations to students with 504 plans or IEPs, in college it is up to the student to approach professors in order to access approved accommodations.

When it comes to planning for graduation and beyond, the school counselors at Lake Oswego and Lakeridge High Schools are the most valuable resources available to students and families. They can provide roadmaps to graduation, help students apply for testing accommodations, provide specific information about graduation requirements, recommend questions that families should ask when selecting colleges, and provide tips and insights to families as they navigate the college application process. For students with IEPs, the school transition specialist is an additional resource that can help ease the transition from high school to post-high. The transition specialist works with the IEP team to support IEP transition goals. These goals may include identifying personal preferences, strengths and challenges, matching their profiles with possible careers, and learning about resources available to students with disabilities on college campuses.