The concept of "credits" can be a bit confusing when you're first introduced to it, but it’s essential to understand because it directly affects your academic progress and graduation requirements. The term ‘credit’ will become more familiar as you move from Middle school to High School. In high school, the credits system becomes critical because it contributes to determining if a student is on track to graduate.

 

In simple terms, every subject you pass in a school year earns you 1 credit. For example, if you pass Geometry, you earn 1 credit toward graduation. ​To graduate from high school, you typically need at least 3 credits in Math and a total of 22 credits across various subjects and other required areas.

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Here are some terms commonly used and good to be familiar with:

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1. Core Subjects: Subjects like English, Math, Science, and Social Studies are considered core courses. These courses typically earn a set number of credits each year—usually one credit for each course completed over the school year.
    

2. Electives: These are optional courses that students can take based on their interests. Electives might include subjects like Physical Education, Art, Band, Robotics, or World Languages. Electives are a way for students to explore different interests beyond the core subjects.
    

3. 4 x 4 credits: This refers to students earning (4 core credits per year for 4 years) a total of 16 credits across the four core subjects during their high school years, which is particularly valued by colleges across US. Note that 4 X 4 core credits is not mandatory to graduate high school in Texas (look at the charts below) but it is highly recommended specially if you are planning to apply out of state universities as well.
    

4. Graduation Requirements: In many school districts (ISDs), students need to earn a certain number of credits each year to progress to the next grade. For example, moving from 6th to 7th grade might require 7 credits (4 from core subjects and 3 from electives). The exact number of credits required can vary from one district to another.
    

5. Endorsement: High school endorsements are a set of courses that help students explore areas of interest and prepare for college and careers. For example, students can pick an endorsement of STEM or Business Studies or Arts & Humanities etc., Students must complete specific course requirements, and one set of requirements identified in the endorsement rules to earn the endorsement they are interested in.
   
   ​Example: To graduate with an Endorsement in Business studies, will require students to pick some mandatory subjects such as Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance and/or Business Information Management etc., as part of their four year pathway.

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Click on the images below to see some sample credit wheels and a chart of subjects picked during the 4 year of high school that can lead to an endorsement in STEM :

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The terms and pictures above give an overview about how credits lead to high school graduation.

 

Be sure to review your high school handbook to understand the total number of credits required for graduation and the specific subject areas in which they must be earned.  The handbook will list the core subjects, electives etc., that are specifically available at your location. Sometimes within an ISD that has multiple high schools, one location might have more options and choices than the other. Ex: A location may offer more choices of world languages than the other. This depends on the number of students who enroll and the availability of teacher, infrastructure etc. Also,  each school may have different requirements, so checking ahead ensures you stay on track for graduation.

 

At my high school there are 3 levels of graduation:

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​​​NOTE:
 

• A school year is divided into 4 terms – T1, T2, T3, T4

• 2 Terms equal a semester – S1 => T1 + T2

• 2 Semesters equal a school year.

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• Each Term has 2 Progress Reports -- T1 => PR1 + PR2

• Each Progress Report will have 1 major grade and 2 daily grades.

• A total of 3 major Grades and 6 Daily grades in a single term.

• 50% of Major Grade and 50% of Daily Grade is the final grade for each Term per subject.​

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The following points vary depending on the school. But these should give you an understanding of credits earned, and you can compare them to your school to know the difference.
 

• Core subjects will earn you a .25 credit at the end of each Term. A total of 1 credit per school year.

• Some subjects or electives may only run for a semester and award students 0.5 credit upon completion. This allows students to choose another available elective for the second semester, which can also earn them 0.5 credit. For example, at my school, two mandatory electives required for high school graduation are Health and Speech. Every student must take and pass these courses to earn credits toward graduation. Each of these electives lasts only one semester and provides 0.5 credit.

• Some advanced courses can earn you 2 credits per year. For example, Networking and Security elective. Keep in mind that higher credit courses typically come with increased difficulty.
   

To understand the graduation requirements, subjects offered and credits earned for each subject in your district or school, Google : “School name” + Curriculum.

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