2411: Certificate of Educational Competency

High School Equivalency Certificate 

High School Equivalency Certificates will be awarded by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Eligibility to take high school equivalency test

The following individuals are eligible to take the high school equivalency test:

A. Any person aged nineteen or over who has not graduated from a public or private high school.

B. Any person between the ages of sixteen and nineteen who has not graduated from a public or private high school and who has been determined by a school district to have a substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school program.

C. Any student aged sixteen or over who has completed an education center individual student program in accordance with chapter 392-185 WAC.

D. Any person between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one who has not graduated from public or private high school and is currently enrolled in the open doors program.

E. Any person between the ages of sixteen and nineteen who has not graduated from a public or private high school, and who has completed a program of home-based instruction in compliance with RCW 28A.225.010(4) as certified by the written and notarized statement of the parent or legal guardian who provided the home-based instruction.

F. Any person who is an active member of the military, national guard, or reserves and has not received a high school diploma.

G. Adjudicated youth under the director of prisons, jails, detention centers, parole and probation offices, and other correctional facilities while enrolled in school if so ordered by a court or officer of the court.

Determination of substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school program

A person between the ages of sixteen and nineteen who has not graduated from a public or private high school may apply to either the district in which they reside or the last Washington district they attended for a determination that they have a substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school education program.

The application must be submitted to a designated employee who has been empowered by the district to make determinations about whether a person has a substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school program.

Upon receiving the application, the designated employee will evaluate the facts and make a determination. The determination of the designated employee shall be in writing and signed by the employee. A substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school program exists if one of the more following applies:

A. Personal problems which seriously impair the student's ability to make reasonable progress toward high school graduation.

B. A financial crisis which directly affects the student and necessitates the student's employment during school hours.

C. The lack of curriculum and instruction which constitute appropriate learning experiences for the student.

D. The inability or failure of the school of attendance to adjust its program for the individual or otherwise make arrangements for enrollment in a program in a manner which enables the student to advance toward graduation with reasonable progress and success.

E. A determination by the designated employee of the district that it is in the best interests of the student to withdraw in order to enter a postsecondary institution or the military, or to engage in employment.

No person under eighteen years of age may be determined to have a substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school education program unless their parent, guardian, or legal custodian agrees that dropping out of school is in the minor’s best interests.

If the designated employee determines there isn’t a substantial and warranted reason for leaving the regular high school education program, the person may appeal that decision to the board of directors. The board of directors will make a decision within 30 calendar days of the request and such decision will be final, subject to an appeal to a court of law pursuant to RCW 28A.645.010.

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Cross References

• 3114 - Part-Time, Home-Based, or Off-Campus Students

Legal References

• RCW 28A.205.030 Reentry of prior dropouts into common schools, rules—Eligibility for test to earn a high school equivalency certificate
• RCW 28A.305.190 Eligibility to take test to earn a high school equivalency certificate
• Chapter 131-48 WAC High School Equivalency Certificate
• Chapter 180-96 WAC General Educational Development (GED) Test