SCA desires to see each student increase his/her opportunities of success in college or in the work environment. As such, SCA encourages students to pursue the COLLEGE PREPARATORY DIPLOMA TRACK and successfully complete 240-270 credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
SCA’s BASIC DIPLOMA TRACK requires students to successfully complete 230 credits with a minimum 2.0 GPA to earn a diploma from SCA.
An HONORS DIPLOMA TRACK requires students to successfully complete 280+ credits with a minimum 3.5 GPA.
To be “on track” to earn a basic diploma with SCA, students must meet the residency requirement*, which is a minimum of 4 courses (or 40 credits) each high school year at SCA. This includes SCA online courses.
*Requirements for residency and diplomas are based on policies set forth in the SCA Parent & Student handbook for the student's high school entry year unless otherwise stated. Current policies and requirements can be found in the current SCA Parent & Student Handbook.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Annual Residency Requirement: a minimum of 4 year-long SCA classes that are needed to fulfill the basic diploma course and credit requirements
Students who elect to take fewer courses will not be eligible to earn a diploma with SCA, a ranking as the Valedictorian or Salutatorian, or other graduation honors.
Basic Diploma Track Required Coursework: 230 credits minimum
SCA advises students to take more courses and pursue a College Preparatory or Honors diploma track due to the competitiveness of college programs and to be eligible for class ranking as the Valedictorian or Salutatorian at graduation.
Basic Diploma requirements and courses offered on campus at SCA are outlined below. Additional courses may be available through SCA Online.
Key: 10 credits is equal to 1 academic year or 2 semesters. 5 credits is equal to 1 semester.
English: 40 credits
Elements of Literature, World Literature, American Literature, and British Literature
Mathematics: 20 credits
Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Consumer Math
Credits earned must include Algebra 1. Students looking for acceptance to a CSU/UC should take math courses through Algebra 2 and are advised to take Pre-Calculus and Calculus if possible.
Science: 20 credits
Life Sciences: Biology, Anatomy & Physiology
Physical Sciences: Chemistry, Physics
Students are required to take 10 credits of Life Science and 10 credits of Physical Science. Students looking to attend college should take Biology and Chemistry to meet these requirements.
Social Studies: 30 credits
World History, US History, and Government/Economics
Students may take Geography during freshman year as an academic elective.
Fine Arts: 10 credits
Graphic Design & Video Editing, Photography & Yearbook, Vocal Music
Foreign Language: 20 credits
Sign Language 1, 2, 3
Spanish 1, 2, 3
SCA ONLINE: Chinese, French, German, Latin
Students are required to take 2 sequential levels of the same foreign language.
PE: 20 credits
All students must participate in a sport* and/or log enough hours to meet the PE requirement.
*Students playing sports, including SCA sports, must transfer in their course as a PE course for credit. Please see transfer information on the Academic Resources page or contact the Academic Advisor.
Electives: 70 credits total
Students must take coursework in the following elective areas as outlined below.
Biblical Studies: 40 credits
Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, World Views, Biblical Finance, Radical Christianity
Computer Elective: 10 credits
Graphic Design & Video Editing, Photography & Yearbook
Speech Elective: 10 credits (required for students graduating in 2014 and later)
General Electives*: 10-20 credits**
Graphic Design & Video Editing, Leadership, Photography & Yearbook, Speech, Vocal Music
*General elective courses available at SCA change from year-to-year and are updated annually in the course catalog. Elective credits can come from any area of study not used to fulfill the basic diploma requirements.
**The class of 2014 and later will only need 10 general elective credits. Students graduating before 2014 may elect to take Speech to fulfill their general elective credit requirements.
For more information, please send us an email at advisor@spiritacademy.org