Clinton High adds computer science requirement and district outlines new diploma endorsements

Clinton High School and district curriculum staff presented updates to the high school curriculum guide and new diploma recognition options during the board’s Jan. 27 meeting.

Key changes summarized by Director/lead staff Curriculum staff told the board that starting with the 2025–26 school year students entering high school must complete at least one computer science course and earn one credit in arts education before graduating. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) will be added as an elective and offered beginning at ninth grade.

Career and technical education changes The guide adds several new computer- and technology-related course options to satisfy the computer science requirement, including 3-D modeling and animation, technology/engineering design, computer science 1, cyber security 1 and an introductory artificial intelligence course. Several business and management courses were also added to replace sports marketing and hospitality courses that had been offered under a retiring teacher; the district said those older courses were removed because staffing had changed.

Arts endorsement and citizenship endorsement District staff presented a procedural form and proposed process for a new state-authorized “arts endorsement” that can appear on a student’s diploma. Under the DPI-guided procedure the endorsement requires: - A minimum of four high-school level arts courses (DPI-approved courses, not local-option offerings), - A cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0, and - At least 40 hours of extracurricular arts engagement (examples include county band/chorus participation, approved summer arts camps, museum visits, community theater and similar activities verified by an arts instructor).

The board was told arts teachers will verify hours and that students must request the endorsement through their counselor; the district will not automatically award it. Staff noted the verification form will accept teacher signatures, program tickets and other documentation. The board did not vote on the procedure at this meeting; staff said they will finalize language and guidance for counselors and teachers.

A separate new option, a citizenship endorsement, was also described. That endorsement — required to be offered under state law for districts that choose to participate — will require students to answer a set of randomly selected oral civics questions (drawn from the U.S. naturalization question bank) administered twice annually; students who answer at least six of 10 correctly will receive a small seal that may be included with diploma recognitions. District staff emphasized the endorsement is optional for students and is not a pathway to naturalization; rather it is a diploma-level recognition tied to civics knowledge.

What the board heard next Board members asked how teachers would verify extracurricular arts hours and whether nontraditional activities (for example, community cultural museum visits or Coharie cultural activities) could count with instructor approval; staff replied the arts instructors will be the approvers and that the proposed form includes an “other” category for teacher-approved activities. The board asked for clear counselor guidance, and staff said counselors will be given template language and a deadline schedule so students can request the diploma endorsement before graduation processing.

Quotations from the meeting "Students entering high school this in 25, 26 must have that 1 course of computer science, and they must have 1 credit in arts education before they graduate," curriculum staff said. "Earning the arts endorsement requires ... a minimum of 40 hours of extracurricular arts work, and it cannot be anything that a grade is attached to," the district presenter said.

Ending District staff will circulate final procedural guidance to counselors, arts teachers and principals. The board did not take a formal vote on the endorsements or curriculum changes at the meeting; the guide changes will move through the usual curriculum-adoption process and notifications to families ahead of the 2025–26 school year.