Career Pathway

Within the fifty states, each state has its own different requirements and graduation pathways. Each state has a different graduation rate, and the reason could be because of the different requirements of classes and the graduation pathways offered. Mississippi, Washington, Nevada, and Texas are four states with similar requirements but have various graduation pathways which affect student performance.
Mississippi offers four graduation pathways. Each pathway has numerous classes to be taken. According to Mississippi Department of Education, the student must have the four core classes: English, Math, Science, and History. One of the pathways is “Career Pathway Option.” In this option, the student must have four credits of English-- two being …show more content…
According to the Nevada Department of Education, the first one is called “Standard High School Diploma.” In this pathway, the state requires four English credits, three credits of Math, four History credits, the mandatory credits for History are: U.S. Government, U.S History, Humanities, and World Geography or World History, and two credits of Science, but the student must have twenty-two credits to graduate. The other graduation pathway is called “Honors Diploma Program.” Learningpath.org says, “Honors Diploma Program is designed to enhance academic preparation and challenge students through more rigorous course work”(Learningpath). In this pathway, the student must have four credits of English and three credits of Math. Students must also have two credits of Foreign Language, four credits of History-- four being U.S. History, U.S. Government, Humanities, and World History or World Geography. The other credits consist of two credits of Physical Education, a half credit of Computer Literacy, and another half credit of Health. Just like Washington, Nevada does not have a variety …show more content…
The Texas Department of Education shows there is one pathway that is called “Foundation HSP.” HSP stands for High School Program. In this certain pathway, a student must have four credits of English, three credits of Math, three credits of Social Studies, and three credits of Science. In addition to the basic classes, the student must also have one credit of Physical Education, two credits of any Language other than English, and five credits of Electives. This gives students a total of twenty-two credits. The next pathway is called “MHSP” (Minimum High School Program). This one is much like Foundation HSP, but the student can have two credits of Science instead of three, and also does not have to take any Language other than English. An extreme difference is the student has to have a half credit of speech, and seven and a half credits of Electives. This pathway also ends in twenty-two credits. There is a pathway that teachers and staff recommend. It is called “RHSP” (Recommended High School Program). In total, at the end of the student 's high school career, he or she will have twenty-six credits. In this pathway, the student has to have four credits of the four basic classes, one credit of Physical Education, two credits of any language other than English, a half credit of Speech, and five and a half credits of Electives. The last option is called “DAP” (Distinguished Achievement Program). In this pathway