New Graduation Requirements For Marple Newtown Students

NEWTOWN SQUARE–Graduation requirements will increase at with overall total credits from its current 24.2 to 26 total credits. The changes will start and affect with the current sophomore class at the high school.

A letter sent out earlier this month by Marple Newtown Assistant Superintendent Constance Bompadre to parents explains that "the district administration wanted to increase student choice and flexibility, increase math and science requirements, increase overall credits and raise expectations on student PSSA performance" on the reasoning behind the increase in graduation requirements.

View the chart below to compare the current credits a student will need for grade promotion and the new credits for grade promotion.

In addition to the rising upperclassmen at Marple Newtown, starting with the current eighth graders at , a few high school level courses taken at the middle school level will now be counted towards graduation credits for high school.

Those courses will include Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry and Foreign Language (with at leas one Foreign Language class taken at the high school).

According to the letter, all students must be proficient in the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) exams. Pennsylvania requires students to be proficient or higher in math and reading.

Students who do not achieve a score of proficient or higher must take the senior PSSA retest in October and, if necessary, participate in PLATO remediation in the spring of their senior year, stated Bompadre in the letter.