Student Success, Graduation & Eligibility
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Your Path to Graduation and Beyond
Success Starts Here: Graduation and Career Planning
We prioritize helping students achieve their academic goals and plan for future success. Through personalized Student Success Plans and clearly defined Graduation Requirements, we ensure that students stay on track for graduation while preparing for life after high school.
Student Success Plans
Student Success Plans play a vital role in guiding students on their academic and career journeys. Each year, counselors work closely with students to create and update these plans, ensuring that coursework aligns with individual interests and future goals.
Why Student Success Plans?
- Align coursework with students' personal interests and future goals.
- Guide students along pathways to graduation.
- Address academic needs, including accelerated opportunities and interventions.
- Support college and career planning components.
Key Components of Student Success Plans
Creating Plans: Each year, counselors collaborate with students to develop and refine their Student Success Plans. These plans align students’ course choices with their interests and future goals, guiding them towards academic and career success.
Career Insights: In 8th grade, students complete an assessment that offers personalized career insights based on their abilities and interests. New students who join FSPS after 8th grade will take this assessment during a core class in high school.
Online Planning Tools: The results from the career assessment are integrated into our online planning platform. This tool helps students create and update their plans, explore careers, access scholarship and financial aid resources, and complete self-discovery assessments. It supports both students and counselors in making informed decisions about course selections and future planning.
Annual Reviews: Counselors meet with students each year to review and adjust their plans, ensuring their course selections align with their academic and career goals.
Graduation Requirements
At Fort Smith Public Schools, we're dedicated to guiding students through their academic journey to ensure they meet all graduation requirements. These requirements may vary based on updates from the Arkansas State Board of Education and differ by graduation year. The requirements, developed by the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), are designed to prepare students for college and career success.
To help you navigate these requirements, we have provided a summary of the credit areas and additional criteria needed for graduation:
Credit Requirement Overview
- English – 4 credits
- Mathematics – 4 credits
- Science – 3 credits
- Social Studies – 3 credits
- Oral Communication – 0.5 credit
- Physical Education – 0.5 credit
- Health & Safety – 0.5 credit
- Fine Arts – 0.5 credit
- Career Focus – 6 credits
Additional Requirements
- Community Service: Minimum of 75 clock hours (starting with the Class of 2027)
- Personal and Family Finance: 1 credit (part of Social Studies)
- Arkansas Civics Exam: Must pass with a score of 60%
- CPR Training: Completion required
- Computer Science or Related Course: 1 credit (starting with the Class of 2026; part of Career Focus)
Athletic Eligibility After High School
Prepare for the Next Level of Competition
Navigating the academic and athletic eligibility requirements is crucial for student-athletes aspiring to compete in college-level sports. Whether you're interested in NCAA, NAIA, or another athletic association, understanding the specific requirements for each level is the first step toward success. Below, we've outlined the key academic standards you need to meet to stay eligible and ensure you're on track to play at the next level.
Eligibility Requirements Overview by Athletic Association
NCAA Division I
- Complete 16 NCAA-approved core courses within eight semesters (four years)
- Minimum 2.3 GPA in core courses.
- Final transcript with proof of graduation must be uploaded by your high school counselor to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center before your freshman year of high school. For registration details, visit NCAA Registration Checklist.
NCAA Division II
Complete 16 NCAA-approved core courses
- Minimum 2.2 GPA in core courses.
- Final transcript with proof of graduation must be uploaded by your high school counselor to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center before your freshman year of high school. For registration details, visit NCAA Registration Checklist.
NCAA Division III
- Each Division III school sets its own admissions and academic requirements. Contact the school you're interested in directly for more details about academic requirements.
- Only international student-athletes need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center
NAIA Eligibility
- Graduate from an accredited high school with a 2.3+ GPA
- OR Meet two of the three following requirements:
- Minimum of 18 on ACT or 970 on SAT
- Minimum over-all high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Graduate in the top 50% of your high school class
- Register with the NAIA Eligibility Center to receive an eligible decision before competing.