Graduation Pathways
Below are ways for students to meet the Graduation Pathway. Reach out to your counselor if you have any questions.
- State Assessment: Meet or exceed the graduation scores in the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics or in WA-AIM (Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement).
- Dual Credit: Earn at least one high school credit in ELA and at least one high school credit in math in dual credit courses (Running Start, College in the High School, and/or Career and Technical Education dual credit courses).
- AP/IB/Cambridge: For both ELA and math, earn a 3 or higher on certain Advanced Placement (AP) exams or a 4 or higher on certain International Baccalaureate (IB) exams or an E on certain Cambridge International exams, or pass the course with at least a C+.
- SAT/ACT: Meet or exceed the graduation scores set by SBE in the math and ELA portions of the SAT or ACT.
- Transition Course: Pass a transition course in ELA and math (for example, a Bridge to College course) which allows a student to place directly into a credit-bearing college level course.
- Combination: Meet any combination of at least one ELA and one math option of those options listed in 1-5.
- ASVAB: Meet standard on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) by scoring at least the minimum established by the military for eligibility to serve in a branch of the armed services.*
- CTE Sequence: Complete a sequence of Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.*
*Note: Students who pursue these pathways (ASVAB or CTE) do not need to meet English and math requirements separately. English and math content are embedded in both pathways—and a student who meets either the ASVAB standard or the CTE pathway requirements has met the graduation pathway requirement.
To learn more visit: https://www.sbe.wa.gov/our-work/graduation-pathway-options
Testing Dates
Test Prep Resources
Admissions Testing
Some colleges require or recommend scores on college entrance exams (ACT or SAT) for admission. Many colleges/universities are “test‐optional,” meaning that the institutions do not require students to submit college entrance exam scores for admission.