(a) The State Board shall establish high school curriculum and graduation requirements for all public schools in accordance with this section.
(b) (1) Beginning with the 2015–2016 school year, all students shall be assessed using acceptable college placement cut scores no later than 11th grade to determine whether the student is ready for college–level credit–bearing course work in English Language Arts, Literacy, and Mathematics.
(2) (i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the Department, in collaboration with local school systems and public community colleges, shall develop and implement, by the 2016–2017 school year, transition courses or other instructional opportunities to be delivered in the 12th grade to students who have not achieved college and career readiness by the end of the 11th grade.
(ii) The implementation of transition courses or other instructional opportunities required under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph:
1. Shall include an assessment or reassessment of the student after completion of the course; and
2. May not preclude or replace enrollment in a course otherwise required for graduation from high school.
(c) (1) Beginning with the 9th grade class of 2014, and subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection and subsection (e) of this section, each student shall enroll in a mathematics course in each year of high school that the student attends high school.
(2) The Department shall adopt regulations that establish the mathematics and math–related courses that fulfill the requirements of this subsection, which may include math–related career and technology program courses.
(d) It is the goal of the State that all students achieve mathematics competency in Algebra II.
(e) A student who is enrolled in a credit–bearing mathematics transition course under subsection (b)(2) of this section:
(1) Subject to item (2) of this subsection, shall be considered to meet the requirements of subsection (c) of this section; and
(2) May not be considered to meet the requirements of subsection (c) of this section if other credit–bearing courses required for graduation have not been met.
(f) The State Board may only require a passing score on a standardized assessment to evaluate a student for graduation from high school after the assessment has been field–tested and piloted for at least 1 year.
(g) The Department may adopt regulations to require the award of credit toward high school graduation requirements for the time a student spends participating in:
(1) A registered apprenticeship program approved by the Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning within the Maryland Department of Labor; or
(2) A youth apprenticeship program under Title 18, Subtitle 18 of this article.