Policy 5126 - Awards for Achievement

Awards for Achievement

The Board of Education encourages excellence as a goal for all students and wishes to publicly recognize students for exemplary achievements in academic, athletic, extracurricular, or community service activities.

Student awards may include verbal recognition, a letter, a certificate, a Board resolution, public ceremony, trophy, gift, plaque, or cash gift.

The Superintendent or designee shall develop criteria for the appropriate selection of student award recipients.

Golden State Seal Merit Diploma

At graduation from high school, special recognition shall be awarded to those students whose academic achievements in core curriculum areas have been outstanding.

The Superintendent or designee shall identify high school students who have demonstrated mastery of the high school curriculum qualifying them for the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma.

Biliteracy Award

In order to recognize and encourage linguistic proficiency and cultural literacy, the district shall present the State Seal of Biliteracy to each graduating high school student who demonstrates proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English.

In order to affirm the value of bilingualism and encourage students’ enrollment in world language programs, the Superintendent or designee may present awards at appropriate grade levels to recognize the pursuit and/or attainment of grade-level proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.

Rule 5126

The Superintendent or designee may appoint a committee at each school to consider awards for student accomplishments. This committee may consist of school administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, community members, and student representatives.

The committee shall submit recommendations for student awards to the Superintendent or designee for approval.

Individual awards in excess of $200 must be expressly approved by the Board of Education

Golden State Seal Merit Diploma

To be eligible to receive the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma upon high school graduation, a student shall:

1. Complete all requirements for a high school diploma
2. Demonstrate mastery of at least six subject areas by earning a scaled score of 370 or above on six separate high school California Standards Tests (CST), including:
   1. One mathematics exam, excluding the Algebra I, General Mathematics, or Integrated Mathematics 1 test
   2. One English language arts exam
   3. One science exam, excluding the grade 10 Life Science exam
   4. The grade 11 history-social science exam (United States history)
   5. Two additional CSTs of the student's choice, which may, but are not required to, include additional exams in mathematics, English language arts, science, or history-social science

The Superintendent or designee shall maintain appropriate records to identify students who are eligible for the merit and shall affix an insignia to the diploma and transcript of each student awarded the merit diploma.

The Superintendent or designee shall submit an insignia request form to the California Department of Education in sufficient time to allow processing of the request prior to the high school graduation ceremony.

Biliteracy Award

To be eligible to receive the district's biliteracy award upon graduation, a student shall:

1. Complete all requirements for a high school diploma, including all English language arts requirements, with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above
2. Demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages other than English, by fulfilling at least one of the following requirements:
   1. Receive a passing score of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam for foreign language
   2. Successfully complete a four-year course of study in the same foreign language, attaining an overall GPA of 3.0 or above in those courses
   3. Pass a district-established foreign language exam, when available, at a proficient level or higher
   4. Pass a foreign government's approved language exam and receive a certificate of competency for that language from the authorizing government agency

The Superintendent or designee shall annually distribute information about the eligibility requirements for the award and the application process to students in grade 12.

The Superintendent or designee shall affix an insignia to the diploma of each student awarded the biliteracy award.