Requirements for College Prep Certificate for the Class of 2010
by Vicki Baker
April 02, 2009
The Missouri State Board of Education awards the College Preparatory Studies Certificate to Missouri students who successfully complete a rigorous academic program in high school. This certificate is awarded in addition to the regular high school diploma granted by local school districts. Requirements to earn this certificate will change for 2010 graduates.
The requirements for the Class of 2010 are:
- Earn at least a 3.0 GPA in the combined subject areas of English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. The GPA may be calculated at the end of the seventh or eighth semester of high school. (Miller calculates at the end of the seventh semester.)
- Score above the prior year's national composite average mean on the American College Test (ACT) or on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). This criterion is revised annually to reflect the latest national averages from the ACT and SAT. (An ACT score of 21 or SAT score of 1,511 has been the average for the last several years.)
- Maintain a 9-12 attendance rate of at least 95 percent. (This requirement is new.)
- Complete a strong academic program as specified below:
- Communication Arts--At least four units, one of which may be speech or debate, and two units of which must be in courses emphasizing composition or writing skills.
- Mathematics--At least four (new requirement) units from the following: Algebra I, Plane Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Analytic Geometric, Calculus, Math Analysis, and Statistics. Applied Math may be counted only if the student successfully completes a standard Algebra II course. Algebra I taken at the eight-grade level will count.
- Science--At least three (new requirement) units (not including general science) selected from Biology, Chemistry, or Physics, one of which is a lab course.
- Social Studies--At least three units, including American History, World History, and at least one semester of government.
- Fine Arts--At least one unit of fine arts courses including the visual arts, music, dance, and theatre.
- Specified Core Electives--At least three core electives from foreign language (two units of the same foreign language are strongly recommended) and/or combinations from two or more of the following course areas: English, mathematics, social studies, science, and fine arts.
- General Electives--At least four units sufficient to meet state and local graduation requirements, including physical education, health and personal finance.
