Are you tracking your student’s progress toward graduation? It is never too soon to begin monitoring your student’s progress. We’re excited to launch two new features in our PowerSchool Parent Portal that will help families keep track of how their student is progressing and earning credits throughout their high school years.

The new Credit-Based Grade Level feature is a tool that will allow you to take a quick glance in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and determine if your student is on track. A student’s Credit-Based Grade can be seen in the header of the Parent Portal, alongside other information like their student ID number and MAP test scores. The Credit-Based Grade is determined by the total number of credits they have earned toward graduation. It may differ from their actual Grade Level, as it is based on the number of credits they have accumulated rather than their years in school. Thus, if your student's Credit-Based Grade is below (or lower than) their actual Grade Level, it may indicate they are off track to graduate.

Students must earn credits each year to be classified at the next grade level, with a total of 23 credits required for graduation. Below, you can find a breakdown of the credits that students need to earn each year:

• 9th graders must earn at least 6 credits toward high school graduation to be classified as 10th graders the following year.
• 10th graders must earn at least 12 credits toward high school graduation to be classified as 11th graders the following year.
• 11th graders must earn at least 18 credits toward high school graduation to be classified as 12th graders the following year.
• 12th graders must earn at least 23 credits and fulfill other district and state graduation requirements to be classified as graduates.

To learn more about all of the various graduation requirements, we encourage you to dig into the Graduation Progress Tracker tab in the Parent Portal. This tab provides more in-depth information about each requirement and displays your student’s progress. Click here for a quick tutorial video about the Graduation Progress Tracker.

For more information about PowerSchool, including instructions for creating a Parent Portal account, you can visit our website at www.tulsaschools.org/engage. The path to graduation begins early, and we hope that these tools will help you and your student work together to ensure that they remain on track and walk across the graduation stage with their class. Throughout your student’s high school journey, their school counselor will be one of their best resources. Our counselors stand ready to assist you in any way they can, so please do not hesitate to connect with them with questions or concerns.

FAQs

Q: What should I do if my student’s Credit-Based Grade level is different from their Grade/Cohort?

A: Contact your student’s school counselor as soon as possible to work together on a plan to help your student get back on track quickly. Students can make up credits through online classes and/or summer school.

Q: What if I don’t have a credit-based grade showing? 

A: Students who have recently enrolled or transferred may not have a Credit-Based Grade showing, as we may be waiting for the credits from their previous school to be uploaded. The next question will let you know when to expect your student's grade to be updated.

Q: How often will a student’s Credit Based Grade level be updated? 

A: The Credit Based Grade will update four times per year, after each of the grading periods:

• February, after first-semester grades are finalized
• June, after second-semester grades are finalized
• August, after grades for summer school are finalized
• October, after grades are finalized for graduation