Authority: IC 20-19-2-8

Affected: IC 20-26-5-1

Sec. 6.5. (a) To be eligible for an academic honors diploma, a student must complete a minimum of forty-seven (47) high school credits. The following areas and courses are required:

(b) In addition to the minimum course requirements prescribed in section 6 of this rule, courses counting toward an academic honors diploma are subject to the following requirements:

1. (1) Language arts credits must include the following:

   1. (A) Literature.
   2. (B) Composition.
   3. (C) Speech.
2. (2) In addition to required courses in government and United States history, social studies credits must include courses with a major emphasis on economics and geography or world history.

3. (3) Mathematics credits must include the following:

   1. (A) Geometry and algebra II or integrated mathematics II and integrated mathematics III.
   2. (B) At least one (1) upper level mathematics course from those listed in 511 IAC 6.1-5.1-5(3) or a program of equal rigor. If a student has completed a junior high school curriculum that is equivalent to high school algebra I and is placed in high school algebra II or a junior high curriculum that is equivalent to integrated mathematics I and is placed in high school integrated mathematics II, that student must earn only six (6) high school mathematics credits.

4. (4) Science credits must include the following:

   1. (A) Two (2) credits in biology.

   2. (B) Two (2) credits in:

      1. (i) chemistry;
      2. (ii) physics; or
      3. (iii) integrated chemistry-physics.

   3. (C) Two (2) additional credits from:

      1. (i) chemistry, physics, earth and space science, advanced biology, advanced chemistry, advanced environmental science, or advanced physics; or
      2. (ii) a program of equal rigor.

5. (5) World language credits must include:

   1. (A) six (6) credits in one (1) language; or
   2. (B) four (4) credits in one (1) language and four (4) in another.
6. If a student has completed a junior high school curriculum that is equivalent to a Level I high school world language and is placed in a Level II high school world language, that student must earn only four (4) credits in that language or two (2) credits in that language and four (4) credits in another world language.
7. (6) Only courses that have been approved by the department on recommendation of a review committee and in which a student has earned a grade of "C" or above may count toward an academic honors diploma. A student must have a grade point average of "B" or above.

(c) The school corporation shall note the awarding of an academic honors diploma on the student's grade transcript.

(d) The school corporation shall inform students, parents, and guardians of the availability of an academic honors diploma.

(e) A student who has earned an international baccalaureate diploma is eligible to receive an academic honors diploma.

(Indiana State Board of Education; 511 IAC 6-7-6.5; filed Mar 24, 1987, 3:00 p.m.: 10 IR 1697; errata, 10 IR 2303; filed Oct 6, 1997, 5:20 p.m.: 21 IR 387; filed Sep 25, 1998, 4:50 p.m.: 22 IR 440; filed Jun 17, 2003, 9:05 a.m.: 26 IR 3646; filed Nov 4, 2004, 9:06 a.m.: 28 IR 959; readopted filed Oct 7, 2010, 3:27 p.m.: 20101103-IR-511100500RFA; filed Dec 21, 2010, 10:15 a.m.: 20110119-IR-511090383FRA; readopted filed Nov 16, 2017, 1:20 p.m.: 20171213-IR-511170398RFA; readopted filed Nov 28, 2023, 1:27 p.m.: 20231227-IR-511230447RFA)