Graduation Requirements

Requirements by the State of Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993, state law, G.L. c. 69, § 1D, requires that all students who are seeking to earn a high school diploma, including students educated at public expense in educational collaboratives and approved and unapproved private special education schools within and outside the state, must meet the Competency Determination (CD) standard in Math, ELA and Science in addition to meeting all local graduation requirements. The Competency Determination portion of the law was updated during the 2024-2025 school year. In November 2024, Massachusetts voters passed a ballot initiative that removed MCAS as the sole method for obtaining competency determination (CD). Earning a CD in each applicable subject is still a requirement to obtain a high school diploma but this now must be earned through local coursework and mastery certified by the district. The new statute says:

“The “competency determination” shall be based on the academic standards and curriculum frameworks for tenth graders in the areas of mathematics, science and technology, history and social science, foreign languages, and English, and shall represent a determination that a particular student has demonstrated mastery of a common core of skills, competencies and knowledge in these areas, by satisfactorily completing coursework that has been certified by the student’s district as showing mastery of the skills, competencies, and knowledge contained in the state academic standards and curriculum frameworks in the areas measured by the MCAS high school tests described in section one I administered in 2023, and in any additional areas determined by the board.”

In May 2025, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education established that students must both satisfactorily complete coursework and earn mastery in each subject area. The NPS Competency Determination policy, posted on the NPS and NNHS websites, outlines how a student can satisfactorily complete coursework and earn mastery in each subject (Math, ELA, Science AND US History beginning with the Class of 2027.)  

Massachusetts state law requires the instruction of American history and civics (G.L. c. 71, § 2) and physical education (G.L. c. 71, § 3). MA state law, G.L. c, 71, §3 requires that “Physical education shall be taught as a required subject in all grades for all students in the public schools for the purpose of promoting the physical well-being of such students.” According to DESE, “Students’ practice time in a sport, whether it is school sponsored, intramural, extracurricular, or in private lessons, is not considered “structured learning time” for purposes of the regulations.” See the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for more information.

MassCore

Adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2007 and amended in 2018, MassCore is a state-recommended program of study intended to align high school coursework with college and workforce expectations.

The program of studies includes the successful completion of four units of English, four units of mathematics, three units of a lab-based science, three units of history, two units of the same foreign language, one unit of the arts, and five additional “core” courses. A computer science course that includes rigorous mathematical or scientific concepts and aligns with the 2016 Digital Literacy and Computer Science Framework can substitute for either a mathematics course or a laboratory science course.

Newton Summer School @ NCE

Newton North High School only accepts summer school credit from courses taken at Newton Community Education, unless the department head gives prior permission. Newton Summer School offers a wide range of programs for remedial and advanced credit. Summer school courses are not calculated into the GPA.

Students are allowed to repeat for credit any major course offered in summer school if the student has received an “F” in the course during the regular school year. At no time will a summer school grade replace a grade earned during the school year.

Both grades will appear on the transcript. 

The Newton Summer School information number is 617-559-6999.

Credit

A course may be granted academic credit if it includes faculty supervision and accountability such as attendance and grading, and meets during the school day or has some form of training or instruction/curriculum.

Credits Awarded: for 3 times/week courses

• Full year courses
  • 12 credits
• Semester Courses
  • 6 credits
• Quarter courses
  • 3 credits
• WIN
  • 3 credits
• Advisory
  • 1 credit

Courses that meet fewer than 3 blocks per week will be awarded credit according to seat time based on the fact that 1 block per week for 1 quarter earns 1 credits.