Board approves district application to use GED-based focused graduation pathway for eligible juniors and seniors

The Salt Lake City School District board voted Tuesday to authorize a district application to implement the state’s focused graduation pathway, a new state-approved route that permits eligible juniors and seniors who are significantly deficient in core subject credits to earn those credits by passing GED content-area assessments while remaining enrolled in high school.

Dr. Tiffany Hall, staff member, explained the pathway is intended for students who are “significantly deficient” in the four core areas (English, math, science, social studies) — defined in the statute and rule as roughly six credits behind for juniors or three for seniors — and who are at least 16 years old and demonstrate at least a ninth-grade reading level. Under the pathway, students can take GED tests for the missing content-area credits; if passed, the tests can count as up to four credits in a content area. Hall noted the GED option is meant to keep students with their cohort and allow them to graduate from their home high school rather than shift to adult education.

Hall outlined additional implementation details: students must meet the eligibility criteria, participate in a school-level conference with parents and provide written parental consent; students must take a practice GED test before the official test; the district is working to make Horizonte an official GED testing center; and the district is exploring covering the testing fees through school or foundation funds for 2025–26 (the GED content-area test costs $36 per test; practice test $8 per content area). She said the program would not replace the requirement that students meet all 24 total graduation units; the GED would substitute only for specified core content credits.

Board member Ashley Anderson moved the application to action and the board approved the district application in a roll-call vote. The vote to approve the application was recorded as: Vice President Brian Jensen — yes; Amanda Longwell — yes; Bryce Williams — yes; Charlotte Fife Jefferson — yes; Ashley Anderson — yes; Nate Salazar — yes; Mohammed (last name recorded in minutes) — yes. The motion passed.

Board members and staff discussed potential concerns, including whether the GED option could be misused as a backdoor way to avoid coursework; Hall and others said the eligibility criteria (ninth-grade reading level plus practice test requirement) and parental-consent and school-conference safeguards are intended to limit misuse. Hall also cited statute and board rule references governing the pathway and application process.