Section 3313.61. Diploma or honors diploma

(A) A diploma shall be granted by the board of education of any city, exempted village, or local school district that operates a high school to any person to whom all of the following apply:

(1) The person has successfully completed the curriculum in any high school or the individualized education program developed for the person by any high school pursuant to section 3323.08 of the Revised Code, or has qualified under division (D) or (F) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code, provided that no school district shall require a student to remain in school for any specific number of semesters or other terms if the student completes the required curriculum early;

(2) Subject to section 3313.614 of the Revised Code, the person has met the assessment requirements of division (A)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, as applicable.

(a) If the person entered the ninth grade prior to July 1, 2014, the person either:

(i) Has attained at least the applicable scores designated under division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code on all the assessments required by that division unless the person was excused from taking any such assessment pursuant to section 3313.532 of the Revised Code or unless division (H) or (L) of this section applies to the person;

(ii) Has satisfied the alternative conditions prescribed in section 3313.615 of the Revised Code.

(b) If the person entered the ninth grade on or after July 1, 2014, the person has met the requirement prescribed by section 3313.618 of the Revised Code, except to the extent that the person is excused from an assessment prescribed by that section pursuant to section 3313.532 of the Revised Code or division (H) or (L) of this section.

(3) The person is not eligible to receive an honors diploma granted pursuant to division (B) of this section.

Except as provided in divisions (C), (E), (J), and (L) of this section, no diploma shall be granted under this division to anyone except as provided under this division.

(B) In lieu of a diploma granted under division (A) of this section, an honors diploma shall be granted, in accordance with rules of the state board, by any such district board to anyone who accomplishes all of the following:

(1) Successfully completes the curriculum in any high school or the individualized education program developed for the person by any high school pursuant to section 3323.08 of the Revised Code;

(2) Subject to section 3313.614 of the Revised Code, has met the assessment requirements of division (B)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, as applicable.

(a) If the person entered the ninth grade prior to July 1, 2014, the person either:

(i) Has attained at least the applicable scores designated under division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code on all the assessments required by that division;

(ii) Has satisfied the alternative conditions prescribed in section 3313.615 of the Revised Code.

(b) If the person entered the ninth grade on or after July 1, 2014, the person has met the requirement prescribed under section 3313.618 of the Revised Code.

(3) Has met additional criteria established by the state board for the granting of such a diploma.

An honors diploma shall not be granted to a student who is subject to the requirements prescribed in division (C) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code but elects the option of division (D) or (F) of that section. Except as provided in divisions (C), (E), and (J) of this section, no honors diploma shall be granted to anyone failing to comply with this division and no more than one honors diploma shall be granted to any student under this division.

The state board shall adopt rules prescribing the granting of honors diplomas under this division. These rules may prescribe the granting of honors diplomas that recognize a student's achievement as a whole or that recognize a student's achievement in one or more specific subjects or both. The rules may prescribe the granting of an honors diploma recognizing technical expertise for a career-technical student. In any case, the rules shall designate two or more criteria for the granting of each type of honors diploma the board establishes under this division and the number of such criteria that must be met for the granting of that type of diploma. The number of such criteria for any type of honors diploma shall be at least one less than the total number of criteria designated for that type and no one or more particular criteria shall be required of all persons who are to be granted that type of diploma.

(C) Any district board administering any of the assessments required by section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code to any person requesting to take such assessment pursuant to division (B)(8)(b) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code shall award a diploma to such person if the person attains at least the applicable scores designated under division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code on all the assessments administered and if the person has previously attained the applicable scores on all the other assessments required by division (B)(1) of that section or has been exempted or excused from attaining the applicable score on any such assessment pursuant to division (H) or (L) of this section or from taking any such assessment pursuant to section 3313.532 of the Revised Code.

(D) Each diploma awarded under this section shall be signed by the president and treasurer of the issuing board, the superintendent of schools, and the principal of the high school. Each diploma shall bear the date of its issue, be in such form as the district board prescribes, and be paid for out of the district's general fund.

(E) A person who is a resident of Ohio and is eligible under state board of education minimum standards to receive a high school diploma based in whole or in part on credits earned while an inmate of a correctional institution operated by the state or any political subdivision thereof, shall be granted such diploma by the correctional institution operating the programs in which such credits were earned, and by the board of education of the school district in which the inmate resided immediately prior to the inmate's placement in the institution. The diploma granted by the correctional institution shall be signed by the director of the institution, and by the person serving as principal of the institution's high school and shall bear the date of issue.

(F) Persons who are not residents of Ohio but who are inmates of correctional institutions operated by the state or any political subdivision thereof, and who are eligible under state board of education minimum standards to receive a high school diploma based in whole or in part on credits earned while an inmate of the correctional institution, shall be granted a diploma by the correctional institution offering the program in which the credits were earned. The diploma granted by the correctional institution shall be signed by the director of the institution and by the person serving as principal of the institution's high school and shall bear the date of issue.

(G) The state board of education shall provide by rule for the administration of the assessments required by sections 3301.0710 and 3301.0712 of the Revised Code to inmates of correctional institutions.

(H) Any person to whom all of the following apply shall be exempted from attaining the applicable score on the assessment in social studies designated under division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code, any American history end-of-course examination and any American government end-of-course examination required under division (B) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code if such an exemption is prescribed by rule of the state board under division (D) (3) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code, or the test in citizenship designated under former division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to September 11, 2001:

(1) The person is not a citizen of the United States;

(2) The person is not a permanent resident of the United States;

(3) The person indicates no intention to reside in the United States after the completion of high school.

(I) Notwithstanding division (D) of section 3311.19 and division (D) of section 3311.52 of the Revised Code, this section and section 3313.611 of the Revised Code do not apply to the board of education of any joint vocational school district or any cooperative education school district established pursuant to divisions (A) to (C) of section 3311.52 of the Revised Code.

(J) Upon receipt of a notice under division (D) of section 3325.08 or division (D) of section 3328.25 of the Revised Code that a student has received a diploma under either section, the board of education receiving the notice may grant a high school diploma under this section to the student, except that such board shall grant the student a diploma if the student meets the graduation requirements that the student would otherwise have had to meet to receive a diploma from the district. The diploma granted under this section shall be of the same type the notice indicates the student received under section 3325.08 or 3328.25 of the Revised Code.

(K) As used in this division, "limited English proficient student" has the same meaning as in division (C)(3) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code.

Notwithstanding division (C)(3) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code, no limited English proficient student who has not either attained the applicable scores designated under division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code on all the assessments required by that division, or met the requirement prescribed by section 3313.618 of the Revised Code, shall be awarded a diploma under this section.

(L) Any student described by division (A)(1) of this section may be awarded a diploma without meeting the requirement prescribed by section 3313.618 of the Revised Code provided an individualized education program specifically exempts the student from meeting such requirement. This division does not negate the requirement for a student to take the assessments prescribed by section 3301.0710 or under division (B) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code, or alternate assessments required by division (C)(1) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code, for the purpose of assessing student progress as required by federal law.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 487, §1, eff. 9/17/2014.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.91, SB 165, §1, eff. 6/29/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 08-15-2003; 09-16-2004; 06-30-2006; 04-04-2007