Graduation Requirements

 

 

The Individual Student Path 

 

Pursuit of the Individual Student Path is rigorous and important work for each student at New Vista; "Path" requirements make up nearly half of the credits needed for graduation.  

 

Individual Student Path Credits Needed for NVHS Graduation: 20
How are Path credits earned?	Credits earned over and above Common Learning requirements Community Experiences (CEs) and Workshops Successful completion of Independent Study Contracts  Work Experience credit “C” grades in NVHS classes Transfer credits from non-accredited programs or non-accredited classes; credits from home school programs

 

    Serious pursuit of an Individual Student Path involves careful consideration of all the related knowledge and skills it might take to be successful on that path and in life in general.   As students identify potential paths, they work to find concrete information about what a person needs to do in order to pursue those paths.

    What are the requirements for a job as a Nordic ski instructor, and what other areas of study are relevant to this path?  How do you get to Nicaragua, and what might you need to know to live there?  Where do you get an application for the Rhode Island School of Design, Stanford, or Colorado State University, and what are the entrance requirements?  How much money does one need to start a small business, and what business skills are necessary to be successful in running one?  

Students entering New Vista High School are in Stage I.  During this stage they work with their Advisors to select classes and educational experiences that help identify their unique areas of interest and curiosity, as well as their strengths and areas for growth.  During Stage I, students begin taking courses which will meet the Common Learning requirements.  All learning experiences are intended to balance student interest and passion with growth and exploration and the attainment of genuine competence across a range of knowledge.  

Questions that focus a student’s planning during Stage I include:  "What are my strengths, preferences and interests?  What will life after high school look like for me?  What are my goals now and in the future?  What are some things I need to work on or improve about myself as a student?  What do I need to learn?"  

This first stage of exploration ends with a commitment to the requirements of Stage II, which lead directly toward graduation. All of these experiences are the basis for identifying an Individual Student Path during the transition to Stage II.

Stage II is characterized by greater focus and specific preparation for accomplishing the goals of the Individual Student Path and completing Common Learning requirements.  The student and their Advisor select and identify courses, Community Experiences, a Culminating Project and other learning experiences that help meet all graduation requirements.

In order to earn a diploma from New Vista, a student must successfully complete:

• the required Common Learning Units;

• the Individual Student Path learning units; and

• The approval and successful completion of the Culminating Project at a grade of B or better

Demonstrate competence in English & Math:  Starting with the Class of 2021, BVSD has implemented additional requirements for graduation.  Students must complete at least one of the following measures in English and at least one in Math as well as meet or exceed the measure’s corresponding cut score or criteria to demonstrate college and career readiness in English and Math.

PLEASE NOTE: The state’s graduation guidelines were scheduled to be implemented for the first time for the class of 2021. However, the menu of options for demonstrating readiness for graduation includes the SAT, ACT, Accuplacer and IB assessments, some of which were cancelled or limited last spring because of the pandemic. Because of the disruption to learning and the cancellation or limited availability of several of the tests last spring, the requirement has been pushed to be implemented with the class of 2022. 

For details, please visit the BVSD website.

Coming Soon!

Graduation Handbook

Every student must undertake a Culminating Project during the Stage II process in order to graduate.  This project must be approved by the student’s Panel Team after it is presented at Culminating Project Proposal Panel Days.  After the Panel Team has approved the proposed Culminating Project and rubric, the project may only be revised with the approval of the Panel Team. Definitions, descriptions and details about this process are found in the link below.

The Culminating Project