Graduation Information

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from Insight PA, students must fulfill two sets of requirements.

#1. Completion of the following credits

#2. A score of proficient on Keystone Exams:
-Literature
-Algebra
-Biology

Remediation and Alternate Assessment Pathways will be  provided for students unable to achieve proficiency on the Keystone exam, provided students meet eligibility requirements

Credits

Credits are awarded to students upon successful course completion.  Most of our classes that are held for an entire school year are worth one credit, while classes that are only one semester are generally 0.5 credits. 

How do I know how many credits I have?

If you are unsure how many credits you have, please contact your school counselor.  We create graduation plans for each high school student that map out your courses throughout high school.  Once your graduation plan is complete, your counselor will let you know how to access, read, and understand your graduation plan.  

Transfer credits

If you transfer to Insight PA after already earning credits at another school, we will review your transcript and apply those transfer credits toward our graduation requirements.  Each transcript is reviewed individually to ensure you are in the correct classes and grade level.

Grade Level

At Insight PA, grade level is determined by the number of credits a student has earned.  This allows your grade level to clearly indicate how close (or far) you are from the 22 credits required for graduation.  It is important to recognize that at the high school level, grade level is not nearly as meaningful as the number of credits earned because it is credits, not grade level, that determine when a student graduates.  A 12th grader with 14 credits and a 10th grader with 14 credits are both still ten credits away from graduating.

Here is the credit scale used to determine grade level:

0 – 4.99 credits: 9th grade
5 – 10.99 credits: 10th grade
11 – 15.99 credits: 11th grade
16 – 22 credits: 12th grade

Grade Point Average (GPA)

GPA is a measure of student academic success in high school, and it is often used by businesses and colleges when evaluating your overall high school performance. It is a numeric value that correlates with your grades.

At Insight PA, we use a very standard GPA scale listed below.  If you would like to know your current GPA, please contact your counselor, or you can use an online GPA calculator tool.

As you can see, we are not factoring + and – in your GPA, and honors courses are worth more quality points than our typical courses. If your GPA is 3.0, that tells us you have a B average in your courses, while a GPA of 1.5 shows you earned mostly Ds. Note: GPA can be calculated for each semester, but cumulative GPA, which looks at your entire high school career, is what you will include on future resumes and applications.

Course Quality Points:

A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

Honors Course Quality Points:

A = 4.5
B = 3.5
C = 2.5
D = 1.5
F = 0

AP Course Quality Points:

A= 5
B= 4
C= 3
D= 2
​F= 0

Early Graduation Policy

Parental involvement for students under the age of 18 is required. A high school administrator shall approve such requests if he/she determines that all state and local graduation requirements have been met and that early graduation is related to career and/or educational plans of the student making the request. Upon approval by the high school principal, and confirmation that the student has met all general requirements for graduation, the student shall be awarded a high school diploma. 

In order to be eligible for early graduation, students must complete the 11th grade year with a minimum of 20 credits if they plan to earn an ISPA high school diploma of 22 credits earned at the conclusion of 1st semester the following year. Students must complete the 10th grade year with a minimum of 14 credits if they plan to earn an ISPA high school diploma of 22 credits at the conclusion of their 11th grade year. If the early graduation application is approved, an early graduation contract will be signed by the student, the student’s parent/guardian, the student’s school counselor, and the principal. This contract, once signed, further affirms that if requirements are not met, the student will have to finish out the duration of the remaining semesters and thereby forfeits early graduation eligibility. 

Guidelines: 

1. All graduation requirements are completed, including but not limited to course and elective requirements. 
2. A formal request in writing for early graduation is completed on or before May 1 of the student’s junior year if the student plans to graduate 1st semester senior year; or on or before May 1 if the student is attempting to graduate in 3rd year. This application must include parental consent and signature, if the student is not 18 at the time of application submission. 
3. The student’s school counselor is involved and has had a chance to discuss post-secondary plans, academic goals, and the student’s rationale for making the request. 
4. There is a direct relationship between the request for early graduation and the career goals of the student. 

Graduation Plan

How many credits do you have?  How many credits do you still need to graduate?  Which classes do you still need to take?  The answers to those questions can be found in your graduation plan! Consider it your road map to high school.

Each graduation plan is customized by your school counselors to show your individual path toward graduation by looking at the classes you have taken, are currently taking, and still need to take. This will be a valuable tool for you in high school.

Once your graduation plan is customized and ready for viewing, your counselor will email you to let you know. 

*Please note: Our special education department must review all graduation plans for students with IEPs.  If you have an IEP and your graduation plan is not ready for you to view, please contact your counselor.

How to Catch Up on Credits

Students who earn below 60% in a course do not earn credit. This can cause students to fall behind their peers on the path to graduation.  The only way to “catch up” is to pass classes and earn the credits, but there are three main ways to get the credits you need faster.

Credit Recovery Courses

Option 1 is to take credit recovery courses for courses you failed.  Our credit recovery courses are largely asynchronous and are taken in addition to a student’s typical course load.  This option works well for some, but the most successful students are comfortable working independently and juggling a large course load.  We have limited credit recovery courses, but please contact your counselor if you believe this option would be best for you.

Taking Additional Courses

Option 2 is to take additional courses each semester.  Typically, we schedule our students for 5-6 courses per semester, but adding a 7th course can help students earn additional credits faster.  This is best for students who are only 1-2 credits behind and those who are comfortable managing a significant course load.

Summer Courses

Option 3 is to take summer courses.  This is an excellent way for students to earn credits without taking on a large course load during the school year.  Insight PA still needs to determine whether the school will offer any summer courses.  We will share more information about summer courses with our students and families as we get closer to the summer.  Each spring, we also share a list of other credit recovery programs students can consider if the course is unavailable at ISPA.  It is important to keep in mind that there is a fee associated with those programs.

Students who have fallen significantly behind may require a combination of all three options.  Please contact your counselor to determine your best path to graduation.