Farmington Public Schools

Board of Education Report

High School Restructuring - Graduation Requirements
January 6, 2015
Contents:
1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Committee Charge
Committee Members
Recommendations for New Graduation Requirements by Content Area with Rationales
A.
English Language Arts
B.
Mathematics
C.
Science
D.
Social Studies
E.
World Language
F.
Physical Education
G.
Arts
H.
Electives
Graduation Charts
A.
Class of 2016
B.
Class of 2017
C.
Class of 2018
D.
Class of 2019 and beyond
Meeting Agendas and Notes
A.
December 1, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
B.
December 8, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
C.
December 11, 2014 8:00 - 3:00 pm @ HHS
D.
December 15, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
E.
December 17, 2014 8:00 - 3:00 pm @ HHS
Documents developed during the meeting process
A.
Similarities and Differences of Current FPS Graduation Requirements with the
State of Michigan
B.
Current FPS Graduation Requirements vs. Neighboring/similar districts
Survey of Committee Members

Committee Charge:
The charge of this group is to develop a recommendation to the Board of Education of
graduation requirements for Farmington Public Schools.

Committee Members:
Facilitators:
Kristin Weber- NFHS- Math Teacher/Quality Instruction Coach
Allyson Robinson- HHS Assistant Principal
Members:
Polly Bachrouche- HHS IB Coordinator
Mike Bause- NFHS Science
Jennifer Cafarelli- NFHS CTE/Business
Renee Champagne- FCHS Counseling
Christopher DeYonke- NFHS Special Education/UDL Coach
Katie Fauls- DMS Music
Katie Gabrielli- HHS Physical Education
Pat Henderhan- NFHS Math
Naomi Khalil-Director of Instructional Equity
Greg Ososky- FHS Automotive Technology
Kevin Ozar- NFHS English/Quality Instruction Coach
Scott Pinter- FHS Physical Education
Jesse Regiec- FHS Science
Stacey Rosol- FHS Counseling
Lisa Sievert- FHS Social Studies
Teresa Traverso- HHS Counseling
Michael Yoskovich- NFHS Music

Recommendations for New Graduation Requirements

Total Credits Required to Graduate for the Class of 2019 and beyond: 22 Credits

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Current FPS Requirement: 4 Credits

English 9 (A & B)
English 10 (A & B)
English 11 (A & B)
Essay Writing & Literature Elective
Current State of Michigan Requirement: 4 Credits
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 4 Credits
The recommendation is to offer four years of ELA broken into 8 courses, one semester each.
These courses would be:
English 9 Literature, English 9 Language (or Honors)
English 10 Literature, English 10 Language (or Honors)
English 11 Literature, English 11 Language (or AP Language)
English 12 Literature, English 12 Language (or AP Literature)
The numbers designate during which grade students should take the course and these classes
could be taken in any order throughout a year. For example, a 9th grader could take English 9
Literature before or after English 9 Language. The order the classes are taken does not impact
a students ability to be successful within that grade year.
The courses designated Literature would focus on the Common Core ELA standards of
Listening, Speaking and Reading Literature. The courses designated Language would focus on
the Common Core standards of Writing and Language.
Rationale for Recommendation:
This decision was voted on by the committee and the results were unanimous to align with the
State of Michigan requirements for English. This recommendation was developed while a
curriculum steering committee was concurrently working on the ELA curriculum, and that
groups work helped inform this recommendation. We felt that by creating eight courses and
then delineating between the Language standards and the Literature standards, we could
accomplish the following:
1. Help teachers manage the standards and focus on a few at a time.
2. Create courses that would foster rigor and depth instead of breadth.
3. Create flexibility in the scheduling process to enable student choice.
4. Absorb the content of some electives into the core offerings, so all students will
continue to be exposed to a rich experience in ELA.
5. Allow FPS staff to teach to their strengths within the discipline of ELA.
6. Create a structure where courses focus on standards and skills, not specific book
titles or segments of time, geography or genres.

Implications:
If this recommendation is accepted, it will impact the way we currently offer ELA courses in
FPS and some action will be needed.
1. We will need to determine which elective courses will no longer be offered and
incorporate those discontinued courses into the eight required courses (this work is
currently being done by the ELA Curriculum Team).

MATHEMATICS
Current FPS Requirement: 4 Credits
Algebra 1 (A, B & C)
Geometry (A & B)
Algebra 2 (A, B & C) OR Algebra 2 (A, B, C & D)
Statistics
Math Elective*
*This math elective only needs to be fulfilled if a student does not have 4 credits after
completing Algebra 2 and Statistics.
A math course or math elective must be taken during the senior year, per the State of Michigan
graduation requirements.
Current State of Michigan Requirement: 4 Credits
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
alternate OPTION 1: State approved CTE program that teaches the Algebra 2
assessed benchmarks on the MME (Courses To Be Determined)
alternate OPTION 2: Algebra 2 taken over 2 years
Math 4th Credit* (a math course or math elective, including state-approved CTE program, must
be taken senior year)
*The 4th year math course can be Algebra 2, C&D taken as a part of the 2 year Algebra 2
sequence.
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 4 Credits (same courses as the State of Michigan)
This decision was voted on and the results were unanimous to align with the State of Michigan
requirements for math.

Please note the Statistics requirement has been eliminated and these standards will be
embedded within the Algebra 2 requirement for all students (and possibly within Algebra 1 and
Geometry, pending curriculum rewrites).
Rationale for Recommendation:
This change aligns us with the state requirements, and also mirrors the requirements of local
districts currently running semesters with a six-period day. The move from trimesters to
semesters limits the number of choices students have in their schedules, so by embedding the
statistics requirement, we will allow students to choose other math electives. Removing
statistics as a requirement does not alleviate the need to take a 4th year of math, and statistics
will still be available as a math elective and will also satisfy part of the 4th year of math
requirement.
Implications (what needs to be done if this is adopted):
The removal of statistics as a required course aligns us with the state requirements for classes,
but does not eliminate the need to cover required statistics content standards that are tested on
the MME. Other districts embed the statistics content standards in their required math classes
(Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2).
This change in requirements will mean FPS must embed those statistics standards into our
required math courses. This, combined with the move from trimester to semester, will
necessitate a total realignment of the curriculum taught in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2.
The 4th year of math requirement can be filled in a variety of ways, and the district will need to
be explicit about the pathways to meet those requirements. This can include investigating new
math course offerings (such as Trigonometry) as well as a definitive list of CTE courses that
meet the requirement. There will continue to be students who take math beyond the minimum
requirements, and may be fulfilling their 4th year of math through advanced math classes.

Possible pathways for meeting graduation requirements

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

Pathway 3

Pathway 4

8th

8th Grade Math

8th Grade Math

Algebra 1

Algebra 1

9th

Algebra 1

Algebra 1

Geometry

Honors
Geometry

10th

Geometry

Geometry

Algebra 2

Honors
Algebra 2

11th

Algebra 2

Algebra 2 A+B

Pre-Calculus

Honors Pre-

Calculus
12th

Math Elective or
Pre-Calculus
or CTE credit

Algebra 2 C+D

Calculus
or CTE credit

AP Calculus
AB/BC
or CTE credit

SCIENCE
Current FPS Requirements: 3 Credits
.5 Earth Science
1.0 Biology
1.0 Chemistry
.5 Physics Essentials
Current State of Michigan Requirements (As of July 2014): 3 Credits
1.0 Biology
1.0 Physics, chemistry or equivalent (Earth Science can meet this requirement)
1.0 Other science (or CTE program)
*** It should be noted that Michigan Science Standards (formerly known as Next Generation
Science Standards) are expected to be passed into law early next year (2015).
Proposed Michigan Science Standards: 3 Credits (taken from Next Generation Science
Standards)
1.0 Biology
1.0 Physical Science OR 0.5 chemistry/0.5 physics
1.0 Earth Science
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 3 Credits
1.0 Biology
0.5 Chemistry
0.5 Physics
1.0 Earth Science
* The State of Michigan allows a student to swap one of the physical science credits for a CTE
program (this includes chemistry, physics or earth science).
Rationale for Recommendation:
The committee determined that meeting the current high school science graduation
requirements as well as the soon to be adopted Michigan Science Standards (formerly known
as Next Generation Science Standards) was the best option. Fourteen committee members out
of 15 agreed with this recommendation, while one member had no preference.
The adoption of the Michigan Science Standards (MSS) will require a shift in the length of time
provided for the completion of some courses. For example, the amount of Performance

Expectations (similar to standards) contained in the MSS suggest that Chemistry and Physics
should be given one semester each. This is the committee's recommendation as well.
However, Honors Chemistry and Honors Physics could still be offered as a two-semester course
for students who intend to pursue these AP sciences. With an increased amount of Earth and
Space Science curriculum, Earth Science will be moved to a two-semester course. Biology is
still required by the State of Michigan as a two semester course with the option of a full year of
Honors Biology for students who intend to pursue AP Biology.
Implications:
1. 1.0 Earth Science
a. An initial decrease in Earth Science classes for the 2015-2016
school year, followed by a substantial increase in demand for Earth Science
classes/teachers for the subsequent years.
b. An entire new course needs to be developed to meet the 1.0 Earth
Science requirement.
c. The current middle school science curriculum in 8th grade will
need to be re-written to accommodate the move of Earth Science standards to
the high school level.
2. 0.5 Chemistry
a. A new course needs to be developed to meet the 0.5 Chemistry
requirement.
3. 0.5 Physics
a. A new course needs to be developed to meet the 0.5 Physics
requirement.

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

9th

1.0 Biology or Honors Biology

1.0 Biology or Honors Biology

10th

0.5 Chemistry or Honors Chemistry

0.5 Earth Science A

0.5 Chemistry or Honors Chemistry

0.5 Physics or Honors Physics

11th

0.5 Physics or Honors Physics

0.5 Earth Science B
Can concurrently take AP Bio or AP
Chem

1.0 Earth Science

Can concurrently take AP Bio or AP Chem

12th

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics,

science electives

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics, science

electives

Strengths & Weaknesses of Pathways 1 and 2:

Pathway 1Strengths: Offering an Earth Science A sophomore year and an Earth Science B junior year,
allows students to take Physics their junior year. This would provide time for students to
develop math skills necessary for successful completion of Physics.
Weaknesses: Splitting Earth Science into an A and B would reduce continuity.
Pathway 2:
Strengths: Continuity for students taking Earth Science.
Weaknesses: Less time for students to develop math skills prior to taking Physics.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Current FPS Recommendation: 3 Credits
.5 Civics/Government
.5 Economics
1.0 U.S. History and Geography
1.0 World History and Geography
Current State of Michigan requirement: 3 Credits (no specified course sequence)
.5 Civics/Government
.5 Economics
1.0 U.S. History and Geography
1.0 World History and Geography
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 3 Credits (same as State of Michigan)
Rationale for Recommendation:
It is the unanimous recommendation of this committee that students, in consultation with their
counselors, select the course sequence option that best suits their scheduling needs and
interest in the social sciences.
This committee would also like to see the Social Studies departments take advantage of the
trimester to semester change to evaluate the effectiveness of moving economics and civics to
the 11th and 12th grade. In the pre-trimester, pre-block scheduling era, Farmington Public
Schools taught both courses at the upperclassman levels, a practice most Oakland county
schools continue to this day. Some members of this committee are concerned about the
following:
a. How can Economics and Government/Civics be relevant to a 14 year old? Arent
both subjects more applicable to the experience of a high school upperclassman who is
closer to the voting age, holding down a job, etc?
b. Are the high failure or near-failure rates in 9th grade economics contributing to
the overall achievement gap/focus school classification?
c. Parents are confused by the social studies sequence, since they themselves
remember learning civics and economics as upperclassmen.

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

Pathway 3

9th Grade

1.0 World/or 1.0 US

History

10th Grade

1.0 World or 1.0 US

History

1.0 World or 1.0 US

History

1.0 World/or 1.0 US

History

11th Grade

.5 Civics and .5 Econ

1.0 World or 1.0 US

History

.5 AP US
Government and
Civics OR .5 AP
Economics

.5 Civics and .5 Econ

.5 AP US
Government and
Civics OR .5 AP
Economics

12th Grade

1.0 World/or 1.0 US

History

WORLD LANGUAGE
Current FPS Requirement: 2 Credits
2 World Language credits by taking 2 years in the same World Language or demonstrated
equivalency
Current State of Michigan Requirement:

HB4465 (Section 2) (1): the board of a school district or board of directors of a public
school academy shall not award a high school diploma to a pupil unless the pupil has
successfully completed during K to 12 at least 2 credits that are grade-appropriate in a
language other than English or course work or other learning experiences that are
substantially equivalent to 2 credits in a language other than English, based on
guidelines developed by the department.
For pupils who graduate from high school in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020
only, a pupil may partially or fully fulll credit of this requirement by completing a
department- approved formal career and technical education program or
curriculum or by completing visual or performing arts instruction that is in addition to the
requirement under subsection (1) (a) (iv) of HB4465.
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 2 Credits
Farmington Public Schools will continue to require 2 years of World Language or the
proficiency equivalent* (See below for various pathways to meeting proficiency)
The World Language credits can now be reached 2 ways, reflecting the state
requirement for language:
1. 2 credits of successful completion in the same World Language or
demonstrated proficiency (See below)*
*Verification of Proficiency - Students may demonstrate language proficiency at any
point prior to high school graduation in several ways:
a. Grades 7-12
Students fulfill the requirement by successfully completing two credits of study
in the same world language at the middle school or high school level.
b. Grades K-8 or Combination of K-8 and High School

For students who successfully complete either or both credits of the two
credit requirement prior to high school, a formal assessment aligned to the
Michigan World Language Standards and Benchmarks (2007), is required.
The following types of assessments are recommended:
For one credit:
successful completion of the high schools first year summative
assessment (e.g., comprehensive final exam) or
successful completion of other district approved assessments (Avant
STAMP assessment)
For a second credit in the same world language:
successful completion of the second year summative assessment (e.g.,
comprehensive final exam) or
successful completion of other district approved assessments. (Avant STAMP
assessment)
c. Alternative Equivalency
Any student who chooses to fulfill the two-credit World Language requirement
through an alternative route must provide formal documentation of proficiency
equivalent to two credits at the high school level. In addition to the types of
documentation listed above, the following documentation is also possible:
For one credit:
a translated, official school transcript documenting continuous and successful
school experiences of at least one academic semester in which classes were
conducted in the language for which credit is sought.
For a second credit:
a translated, official school transcript documenting continuous and successful
school experiences of at least one academic year in which classes were
conducted in the language for which credit is sought.
2.
1 credit of successful completion of a World Language or equivalent
proficiency AND 1 credit of successful completion in the ARTS (applied (CTE),
performing, or visual). This option for meeting the World Language requirement
will necessitate students to follow a district approved process (To Be Determined)
that will identify eligible ARTS classes/programs and implications for educational
pathways beyond high school.
Rationale for Recommendation:

The committee unanimously agreed to adopt this recommendation. We STRONGLY

recommend that students who plan on attending a four year college/university take a
minimum of two years in the same language during their 7th-12th grade years.
Implications:
A district approved process for class swapping (substituting an Arts course for a World
Language course) needs to be articulated for this requirement.

K-12

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

Pathway 3

Pathway 4

Take and
successfully
complete 2 years
in a K-12
institution; as
FPS only offers
this 7-12,
students from
other districts will
have to
demonstrate
successful
completion via
transcripts for
appropriate
placement or for
credit to be
issued

Take a language
in any setting
outside of a K-12
institution and
demonstrate
proficiency in that
language
equivalent to 2
years via district
test or national
standards test

Present
transcripts of
formal schooling
in a world
language other
than English for
all academic
content; 1 full
academic year in
another
language meets
the 2 year
requirement here

Take or
demonstrate
proficiency for 1
year language
equivalency AND
successfully
complete an
additional credit
of approved

ARTS
programs
{applied (CTE),
performing, or
visual)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Current FPS Requirements: 1.5 Credits
.5 Health
.5 Introduction to Physical Education
.5 Physical Education Elective
Current State of Michigan Requirement: 1.0 Credits
.5 Health
.5 Physical Education Course
New FPS Recommended Requirement: Option 1 or Option 2

Option

Grad Requirement

1.5 with the .5

elective potentially
exchanged to be
fulfilled with 3
Varsity letters or 4
years of Marching
Band

Positives
Exposure to
other options.
Allows for
flexibility
Can offer a
zero or 7th hours
option
All kids
exposed to
swimming
Could help
promote other
things like
Marching Band
and sports.
Research
shows that having
students more
active will help
close the
achievement gap.
http://eric.ed.gov/?
id=EJ800275
http://www.t
andfonline.com/doi
/abs/10.1080/0033
6297.2007.104835

Negatives
Could take away .5
elective credit for some
.5 elective Swap does
not address the same
cognitive abilities,
physical fitness abilities
or motor skill set they
would learn in a P.E.
Course

49#preview
2

1.0 with a .5 health

and a .5 Intro
(which will shift
curriculum towards
pilot program
offered at HHS
during 3rd hour)

All kids will

be exposed to
swimming
Will have
opportunity for the
instructors to help
peak their interest
in taking more
classes to maintain
their lifelong fitness
goals
Research
shows that having
students more
active will help
close the
achievement gap.
http://eric.ed.gov/?
id=EJ800275

Missing the .5 elective

does not address the
same cognitive abilities,
physical fitness abilities
or motor skill set they
would learn in a P.E.
Course
Students could
potentially go 3.5 years
without Physical
Education.

Rationale For Recommendation:

As a committee we could not reach a consensus but agreed that both were viable
options for our students. Those voting for the flex 1.5 voiced their thoughts that it still
exposes our high risk students to classes that help to improve the students overall
fitness levels thus improving their cognitive abilities in other classes and support current
findings that Physical Education helps to close the achievement gap.
(http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/guides/edutopia-6-tips-brain-based-learning-guideprint.pdf)
The 1.5 credit option will potentially help to encourage our students to stay active in our
Marching Band Program or Varsity Sports Programming, thus helping to support other
programs our district offers our students.
Those voting for the 1.0 credit option voiced their thoughts that going to a 1.0 credit
requirement would allow for more flexibility in scheduling, but still uphold the importance
of our Physical Education Program. This option would also align us with other districts

in the area. A drawback to this option is that students could go 3.5 years without any
type of Physical Education.
How we came to this decision:
We had an open discussion about what we expected in Physical Education for
graduation requirements. One of our current Physical Education Teachers on the
committee created the Options On The Table chart (included in Meeting Notes section)
to help the other committee members make an educated decision. We then went
through the process of conducting an anonymous vote where we ranked our preference
of the four options. Each sheet was then tallied. We were then able to eliminate two of
the four options to narrow our focus. We then were able to vote anonymously again on
the two options being presented. The vote was inconclusive (8 votes for option ? and 6
votes for option ?) to preference of one over the other so we are bringing both viable
options to the board.

Implications:
If we move forward with Option 1 we would need to create a
checks and balance form for the credit exchange. How that would look for
other parties involved ie. the Athletic Director, Athletic Coordinator,
Assistant Principal, and Coaches.
We would need to adjust our current Introduction to Physical
Education Curriculum towards a more Personal Fitness Curriculum.
We would need to streamline our current course offerings
electives. Course offering would need to be in alignment with addressing
the national health crisis promoting lifelong fitness.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-FOPaJqjCM0
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00336297.2007.10483549#preview

ARTS
Current FPS Requirement: 1.0 Credits
.5 Fine Arts (Art, Dance, Music, Drama, Humanities)
.5 Applied Arts (Identified courses from Life Management, Business and Technology
Education)
Current State of Michigan Requirements: 1.0 credit (Applied - Career and Technical
Education, Performing or Visual)
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 1.0 Credit in any Arts (same as State of Michigan)
The Graduation Requirements group came to a unanimous decision to implement the 1.0 Arts
Credit (Applied - Career and Technical Education, Performing or Visual).
Rationale for Recommendation:
Transitioning from trimesters to semesters decreases the amount of credits available for
electives. This recommendation allows students greater scheduling flexibility and the
opportunity to focus on depth of knowledge of one arts path, rather than surface knowledge of
two.
Students in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses are given the opportunity to
complete a program, which maximizes State funding brought into the district for Career and
Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Implication for Recommendation:
All classes will need to evaluate their course offerings and curriculum to fit the semester model.

ELECTIVES
Current FPS Requirement (under trimester): 9.5 Credits
Current State of Michigan Requirement: none
New FPS Recommended Requirement: 3.5/4 Credits
This was a unanimous decision by the committee to recommend a total of 3.5 or 4 credits
of electives as a requirement to graduate. The total elective credits is dependent upon
the decision made about the Physical Education requirement. If a 1.0 CR Physical
Education requirement is chosen, the total number of elective credits required would be
4 credits. If a 1.5 CR Physical Education requirement is chosen, the total number of
elective credits required would be 3.5 credits.
Rationale for Recommendation:
This recommendation aligns us with the majority of our surrounding districts and allows students
the ability to receive a well-rounded, individualized education.

MEETING AGENDAS AND NOTES

December 1, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
Introductions
Set the charge of the group
Discussed current FPS and State of Michigan graduation requirements
Created a chart comparing the requirements, as well as comparing to
neighboring districts
December 8, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
Group members presented their individual recommendations for graduation
requirements
Mike Gallagher (Oakland Schools Science Consultant) talked to the group about
Michigan Science Standards (which will likely be adopted in January)
December 11, 2014 8:00 am - 3:00 pm @ HHS
Decisions were made on recommendations for science, ELA, social studies, and
World Language
Decisions on math and physical education were tabled (after long discussions)
until the next meeting
Team members were assigned to write rationales for the committees decisions
December 15, 2014 3:30 - 5:00 pm @ HHS
Anonymous voting on math recommendation (consensus was reached)
Anonymous voting was split on Physical Education (8:6)
December 17, 2014 8:00 am - 3:00 pm @ HHS
Created the graduation requirement charts for Class 2016-2019 (and beyond)
Group members worked on rationales

Farmington Public Schools Current Graduation Requirements compared with the State of
Michigan Graduation Requirements:
How are they alike?
English - both require 4 credits
Math - both require 4 credits,
both require a class to be taken senior
year
Science - both require 3
credits (biology)
Social Studies - both require
civics, econ, US History, World History
(total of 3 credits)
Physical Education - both
require credit of health
Arts - both require 1 credit
World Language - both require
2 credits (state has exceptions to this)

How are they different?

English - we are more
prescribed (Eng 9, 10, 11, 12) than
what the state requires
Math - we require stats, the
state does not; the state allows a CTE
course to be counted as a senior math
credit (or Alg 2) - we require a
personal curriculum for this
Science - we require earth
science, chemistry and physics but
the state only requires biology and
chemistry or physics and an elective
(students have to be exposed to all of
these - per state requirements); 3rd
credit can be CTE/computer science
course per state requirements
Social Studies - none
Physical Education - FPS
requires 1.5 credits, State requires 1
credit; we require swimming, state
does not (but says you should have
water safety); state says you can opt
out of credit by doing an
extracurricular activity; the credit of
physical education can be something
other than intro to PE
Arts - district requires credit
of fine art, credit of applied art
where state only requires 1 credit (can
be from either category)
World Language - state says
you can opt out of 2nd credit and take
CTE or visual/performing/applied arts
course instead; state says you can get
credit for language done during K-8
but we dont recognize that