One of the many important things you need to graduate is seals. You need at least two seals to graduate, one of them has to be a state seal. The state seals are Military enlistment, technology, an industry-recognized credential, citizenship, OhioMeansJobs-Readiness, state seal of biliteracy, college-ready, science, and the honors diploma seal. The community seals are community service, student engagement, as well as the fine and performing arts seal. The seals will help you develop many skills that are / will be valuable to you as you get closer to graduating.

I interviewed one of our school guidance counselors, Mrs. Mcquay, to gain more knowledge on why you need the seals and what happens if you don’t get a state seal. Why do you need a state seal? She stated that it is part of the requirements you have to have to get your high school diploma, the state department of education requires you to have two seals to graduate. What happens if you don’t complete a state seal or any seals? You will not receive your diploma that states that you have graduated, you will not graduate.

State Seal Requirements

To get the military enlistment seal you have to show evidence that you have enlisted in a branch of the U.S Armed Forces or show evidence that you are participating in an approved JROTC program.

For the technology seal, you can earn a score that is at least equivalent to proficient on an appropriate Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam, earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in an appropriate class taken through the College Credit Plus program, or you can complete a course offered through our school that meets guidelines developed by the department.

The industry-recognized credential seal requires you to earn a 12-point approved industry-recognized credential or group of credentials totaling 12 points in a single career field.

To get the citizenship seal you can earn a score of proficient or higher on both the American history and American government end-of-course exams, earn a score that is at least equivalent to proficient on appropriate Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, or earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in appropriate classes taken through the College Credit Plus program.

For the OhioMeansJobs-Readiness Seal, you have to demonstrate work readiness and professional competency.

The state seal of biliteracy requires that you show proficiency on your world language and English assessments.

The college-ready seal states that you must earn remediation-free scores on the ACT or SAT.

The science seal requires you to earn a score of proficient or higher on the biology end-of-course exam, earn a score that is at least equivalent or proficient on the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, or earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in a science class taken through the College Credit Plus program.

For the honors diploma seal, you can earn one of six honors diplomas: academic honors diploma, international baccalaureate honors diploma, career-tech honors diploma, STEM honors diploma, art honors diploma, or social science and civic engagement honors diploma.

Local Seal Requirements

To get the community service seal, you must complete a community service project aligned with the guidelines adopted by our local school district’s local board of education.

For the student engagement seal, you have to participate in extracurricular activities such as athletics, clubs, or student government.

The fine and performing arts seal requires you to demonstrate skill in the fine or performing arts according to an evaluation aligned with guidelines adopted by our school district’s local board of education.