SUMMARY OF LPS GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
& COMPETENCY DETERMINATION POLICY FOR CURRENT LPS FAMILIES

Competency Determination 

To receive a high school diploma, students must meet the Lynn Public Schools competency determination requirements, which are in addition to the graduation requirements. As defined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the "competency determination" shall be based on the academic standards and curriculum frameworks for tenth graders and shall represent a determination that a particular student has demonstrated mastery of a common core of skills, competencies and knowledge, by satisfactorily completing coursework that has been certified by the school district.

Students who have previously earned a Competency Determination (CD) through a regular or retest administration of the MCAS (including the November 2024 retest) or through a DESE appeal process, have earned their competency determination.

Current and future students who have not yet earned their competency determination through previous MCAS administrations can meet the requirements for a competency determination as detailed below.

Class of 2025

Students from the class of 2025 can meet the requirements for a competency determination by:

• Receiving a passing grade in the equivalent of a grade 10 English course; and
• Receiving a passing grade in the equivalent of a grade 10 Mathematics course; and
• Receiving a passing grade in the equivalent of a grade 10 lab-based Science/Technology/Engineering course.

  If, however, any student from the class of 2025 does not meet the criteria above, they may participate in the course recovery program(s) for the respective course(s), if and as may be offered by the Lynn Public Schools, which may be tuition-based. Upon satisfactory completion of any such coursework (passing grade), the student meets the competency determination requirement in that subject.

Classes of 2026 through 2028

Students from the classes of 2026 through 2028 can meet the requirements for a competency determination by:

• Meeting the requirements of competency determination for the Class of 2025; and
• Meeting the requirements for successful completion or appropriate benchmarks for any one of the Universal Pathways so designated by the Superintendent or their designee, which may include the following and/or other such Universal Pathways so designated:
  • ACT;
  • SAT;
  • ASVAB;
  • Seal of Biliteracy;
  • State and Industry-recognized Credential or Certification;
  • Federally recognized Apprenticeship;
  • Career-Technical Education Concentrator;
  • Advanced Placement (Must earn a score of 3 or above in  AP English, and one of the following: AP Science, AP Mathematics & Computer Science by the end of grade 11);
  • Dual Credit/Early College minimum 2.0 GPA average or higher in ELA, Math, and STE and any other area(s) determined by BESE;
  • IB/Cambridge International Diploma requirements;
  • CLEP Exams (Must earn a score of 50 or above in at least two core courses and one other course);
  • District End of Course Exam for 10^th grade Mathematics, ELA, and lab-based Science/Technology/Engineering;
  • Capstone and/or combination of the above options as approved by the Superintendent or their designee, giving due consideration, as applicable, for options appropriate for students with significant cognitive disabilities or complex and significant disabilities, and/or English Learner status.

Class of 2029 and beyond

Beginning with the Class of 2029, students can meet the requirements for a competency determination by:

• Attaining a 2.0 unweighted grade point average in the equivalent of a grade 10 English course; and
• Attaining a 2.0 unweighted grade point average in the equivalent of a grade 10 Mathematics course; and
• Attaining a 2.0 unweighted grade point averagein the equivalent of a grade 10 lab-based Science/Technology/Engineering course; and
• Meeting any one of the Universal Pathways so designated by the Superintendent or their designee at any given time, which may include those listed above for the Classes of 2026 through 2028 and/or other such Universal Pathways so designated by the Superintendent or their designee.

For all years’ classes, the Lynn Public Schools acting through the Superintendent or their designee reserves the right to substitute any courses for the above-stated courses provided they fully align with the appropriate Massachusetts Curriculum Framework Standards and the State Law Regarding Competency Determination.

Students with Disabilities and English Learners

All students must meet the competency determination requirements indicated above, but may do so with applicable accommodations and/or modifications in the case of students on 504 Plans or IEPs, including students with significant cognitive disabilities or complex and significant disabilities, and/or English Learners.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate from high school in the Lynn Public Schools, a student must have earned at least 95 credits and complied with all state accountability requirements. Courses required for successful completion with a passing grade include the following:

• Four years of English;
• Four years of Mathematics*;
• Three years of lab-based Science, Technology and/or Engineering;
• Three years of History/Social Science;
• Two years of World Languages**;
• Physical Education in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71 Section 3 (or any successor statute or regulation); and
• One year of the Arts (which may include Dance, Music, Theatre, and/or Visual Arts)***.

Other requirements may be established by the Lynn Public Schools acting through the Superintendent or their designee in relation to the particular program, otherwise the additional credits needed for a graduation may be selected from among elective courses. For the total number of credits required please see the high school program of studies.

Credit for study abroad:  Students who are away for a term or year to participate in a student exchange program or otherwise study abroad may receive credits toward high school graduation when (1) study plans are approved by the Lynn Public Schools acting through the Superintendent or their designee in advance; and (2) the institution where the study occurred submits a record of the student's work.  In these instances, the Principal and student's guidance counselor will evaluate the work and assign credit for it according to standards prevailing in the applicable high school/Lynn Public Schools.

* The requirement for four years of Mathematics shall be effective for students graduating in June 2026. Students graduating in earlier years shall be grandfathered under the former Policy IFK requiring three years of mathematics.

** Students enrolled in Lynn Vocational Technical Institute High School (or any other state-approved career and technical education program of studies) may opt out of World Languages and would still fulfill MassCore as an exception to the foregoing course requirements. The Lynn Public Schools may also waive the World Language requirement for certain Special Education programs for students placed outside of the general education setting. Additionally, at the time of this policy, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education allows districts to designate students with demonstrated fluency and literacy in language(s) other than English as meeting the MassCore recommendations for World Language. The Superintendent or designee is empowered to develop a method to provide for this exception to the World Language requirement as an exception to the foregoing course requirements.

*** Students enrolled in Lynn Vocational Technical Institute High School (or any other state-approved career and technical education program of studies) may opt out of the Arts and would still fulfill MassCore as an exception to the foregoing course requirements.

LPS Policy Reference: IKF - January 30, 2025