A. Beginning with students entering the ninth grade in the 2006-2007 school year, all students shall complete the following college preparatory curricular requirements:
1. Four units of English to include Grammar, Composition, Literature, or any English course approved for college admission requirements;
2. Three units of laboratory science, limited to Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or any laboratory science course with content and/or rigor equal to or above Biology and approved for college admission requirements;
3. Three units of mathematics, limited to Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Math Analysis, Calculus, Advanced Placement Statistics, or any mathematics course with content and/or rigor above Algebra I and approved for college admission requirements;
4. Three units of history and citizenship skills, including one unit of American History and two units from the subjects of History, Government, Geography, Economics, Civics, or Non-Western culture;
5. Two units of the same foreign or non-English language or two units of computer technology approved for college admission requirements, whether taught at a high school or a technology center school, including computer programming, hardware, and business computer applications such as word processing, databases, spreadsheets, and graphics, excluding keyboarding or typing courses;
6. One additional unit selected from paragraphs 1 through 5 of this subsection or career and technology education courses approved for college admission requirements; and
7. One unit or set of competencies of fine arts, such as music, art, or drama, or one unit of speech.
B. A student may enroll in a curriculum that does not meet the requirements of subsection A of this section upon approval of the parent or legal guardian of the student. School districts may require a parent or legal guardian of the student to meet with a designee of the school prior to enrollment in such a curriculum. The State Department of Education shall develop and distribute to school districts a form suitable for this purpose which shall include information on the benefits to students of completing the college preparatory curriculum required pursuant to this section.
C. The State Department of Education shall collect and report data by school site and district on the number of students whose parents or legal guardians approve enrollment in other than the college preparatory curriculum required pursuant to this section.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, in order to graduate from a public high school accredited by the State Board of Education with a standard diploma, students shall continue to be subject to the curricular requirements established pursuant to Section 11-103.6 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
E. For purposes of this section, the courses approved for college admission requirements shall be courses which are approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for admission to an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.
Added by Laws 2005, c. 432, § 8, eff. July 1, 2005.