Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE and DCTE Courses Approved for Weighted Credit

Memo Information

Memo Number
COM-21-103
Memo Date
3/29/2021
Memo Type
Informational
Unit
Central Administration
Regulatory Authority
https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/20201102110218_FINAL_Rules_Governing_Grading_and_Course_Credit_1.pdf
Response Required
NO
Attention
Federal Programs; Superintendents; Assistant Superintendent; Principals; Technology Coordinators; Test Coordinators; General Business Managers; Teachers; Gifted & Talented Coordinators; Curriculum Coordinators; Bookkeepers; School Counselors; Techstart Coordinators or Contact Name; Equity Coordinators (Disability/Race/Gender/National Origin); Child Nutrition Directors/Managers; Data Stewards (SIS; eSchool; eFinance; TRIAND); District Coordinators (ALE; Homeless; ESOL; SDFS & Foster); Parent Involvement Coordinators/Facilitators; CTE Coordinator (COOPs and regular school districts); Facilities / Maintenance Director

Primary Contact Information

Secondary Contact/s Information

Memo Reference

No references available.

Memo Text

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is pleased to remind students, parents, and educators that the state has approved weighted courses that may replace students’ math and science graduation credits.


These courses were reviewed by an internal team at ADE’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and Division of Career and Technical Education (DCTE) and include career and technical courses and newly adopted computer science and computing courses. 

 

ADE requests that school leaders make these options available to their students and educators communicate the benefits, which may include:

  • These capstone courses are designed to increase specialization in the content area to better prepare students for careers and/or post-secondary education
  • Students with grade point averages (GPAs) above 4.0 that earn an A in these courses, will enjoy continued boosts to their overall GPAs since they are based on a 5.0 scale
  • Weighted courses are available as options for many DCTE programs of study and better prepare students for industry-recognized certifications
  • For some of these courses, students may be awarded a math, science, or career focus credit that meets state graduation requirements
  • Many of these courses allow students to have additional opportunities for enhanced hands-on projects and activities

The current list of courses approved for weighted credit, and licensure codes required for instruction, is available on the ADE Course Code Management System (https://adedata.arkansas.gov/ccms/CourseList) and at http://bit.ly/ARWeightedCredit.

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