Tool Search: Academic and Graduation Programs
This article contains tables detailing descriptions of all the Academic Program fields found in this tool. Some fields may vary by state. See the Academic and Graduation Programs: Academic Program Setup article to learn how to use this tool to create new Academic Programs.
See the Academic and Graduation Programs Tool Rights article to learn about rights needed to use this tool.

Program Detail Fields
These are the fields found in the Program Details editor. At minimum, the required fields in this editor must be populated and saved before moving to editors on other tabs within the tool when creating a new Academic Program. Fields available may vary by state. Refer to localized product content for state-specific information.
Field | Description |
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Active | Use the Active checkbox to determine if the program can be assigned to or chosen by students. A program that is not marked as Active cannot be chosen or assigned to students. This option is marked by default. |
Name Required | The Name field is a descriptive name, up to 50 characters, for the program. NOTE: Each academic program name must be unique. |
Category Required | The Category field indicates the program's classification: CTE, Certificate, Award, or Seal. |
Credit Group Required | This selection controls the display of the Credit Types available when setting Credit Requirements, viewing Course Requirements, and viewing the information on the Course Plan and Portal Graduation Planning tools (the drop-down list only shows courses with a Credit Type equal to a child of this Credit Group). |
Program Type Required | Use the drop-list to indicate the Program Type: CTE, Academic, or Seal. These classifications are used for internal and external reporting purposes. NOTE: Program Type MUST be set to Seal in order to use the Course Plan Admin tool to post seals for students who successfully complete an academic program. |
State Reported | Mark this option to indicate the program is reported in state extracts to track student progress. Users must be assigned additional tool rights to view, add, or modify state-reported-related flags for students. The Flagged checkbox must also be selected for this flag to display next to the student's name. |
State Managed | This is a read-only field. |
Include in Automatic Assignment | Mark this option to include the academic program in the Automatic Assignment process. The automatic assignment process automatically adds students enrolled in a qualifying course to the academic program as a participant. If this option is left unmarked, the program is excluded from the automatic assignment process. See the Program Participation Automatic Assignment section in the Batch Program Assignment Wizard article for more information on setting up the automatic assignment process. |
Cluster | Use the Cluster drop-list to indicate the focus of the program. These options are determined by the Association of Career and Technical Education and must be added to the Attribute Dictionary (Programs > Cluster) before assigning to an Academic Program. Available options for this field may vary by state. |
Cohort/Graduation Active Start Year | The academic year a student officially begins their program. It is used to group students into cohorts for tracking retention and graduation outcomes. The selected year narrows down eligible students for the program based on the NCLB Cohort End Year fields on their graduation tab. Students who have an NCLB Cohort End Year greater than or equal to the Cohort/Graduation Active End Year may select this program. If left blank, all students may select the program. When assigning programs to students using the Batch Assignment Tool, students with a Graduation NCLB Cohort Start Year field the same year or later than the year entered in this field may be assigned to the program. |
Cohort/Graduation Active End Year | The academic year a student officially ends their program. It is used to group students into cohorts for tracking retention and graduation outcomes. The selected year narrows down the eligible students for the program based on the NCLB Cohort End Year fields on their graduation tab. Students who have an NCLB Cohort End Year less than or equal to the Cohort/Graduation Active End Year may select this program. If left blank, all students may select the program. When assigning programs to students using the Batch Assignment Tool, students with a Graduation NCLB Cohort End Year field the same as or before the year entered in this field may be assigned to the program. |
State Code (CIP) | This field is used to identify the program using a State Code or a Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. This field may also be the Program name, the Pathway Name, the State Standard, or Instructional Area Code. For some states, this is a text field to enter the CIP code. In other states, this is a searchable field that includes the Ed-Fi codes for the Program. |
School | If populated, this program is only available to students enrolled at the selected school. If not populated, this program is available to students across the district. |
Flagged | When marked, the program displays with an icon next to the student's name. Images and colors only display when this checkbox is marked. |
Flag Preview | When the Flagged checkbox is marked, users may press the Edit Flag button to select from a set of 30 images and 12 colors for the flag. The selection displays in Flag Preview. |
Program Criteria Editor Fields
This table describes the fields used to add requirements to a program that define the criteria that must be met for successful completion.
Field | Description |
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Criteria Description Required | Use this field to enter a description of what the student needs to take to fulfill the program criteria. This does not have to be the course name (it could be the course name), but rather a district's description of what the student needs to take to fulfill the criteria. |
Logical Expression Required | The Logical Expression field allows users to incorporate conditions between fields within a filter. This field effectively uses the OR and AND relationships between sub-requirements. |
Credit Type | This selection is used in the student's Course Plan and the Academic Plan Progress Report. The selected credit type determines the credit category where requirement deficiencies exist. |
Display Alert | This selection is used to display alert messages on the student's Course Plan and the Graduation Plan Progress Report when requirement deficiencies exist for the selected credit type. If left blank, the alert message displays at the top of the student's Course Plan. |
Display Order | Use this field to determine the order in which the requirements display based on the entered numeric value. Requirements without an entered sequence display first. Since this is a sorting field, enter sequence values for all requirements or for no requirements. |
Course Requirement Fields
These fields are used to define course requirements for Program Criteria.
Field | Description |
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Transcript/Course Number(s) Required | This column accepts a list of comma separated course numbers that may contain wildcard symbols (% = zero or many characters; _ = exactly 1 character per underscore; [ ] = a range of characters). Course numbers entered here are for course numbers district-wide (from any school) or any transcripted course numbers that fulfills the requirement. Transcript information DOES NOT INCLUDE records from standards-based grades. |
State Code(s) | Displays with State Course Codes that meet the requirement. |
Minimum Credits Required | This column lists the minimum number of credits the student must receive upon completion of the course requirement. Totals entered here determine if the student is on track. The entered value MUST be greater than zero. If the Credit Type this rule applies to field is populated, the student must meet or exceed the entered value in this field. This displays on the Graduation Progress screen in the Portal. Otherwise, there is a warning on the Course Plan. When the student does meet or exceed this value, the Course Plan field displays in green, indicating the student is on track. |
Minimum GPA | The value entered here is the minimum GPA the student must meet per the courses listed for that course requirement. This is a numeric field that allows up to 7 digits (3 places before decimal point, 4 places after decimal point). The student's course GPA value on the transcript must meet or exceed this value in order to fulfill this requirement. If the Credit Type this rule applies to field is populated, the student must meet or exceed the entered value in this field. This displays on the Graduation Progress screen in the Portal. Otherwise, there is a warning on the Course Plan. When the student does meet or exceed this value, the Course Plan field displays in green, indicating the student is on track. |
Evaluate Credits From | This selection is used in the student's Course Plan tab and the Academic Plan Progress Report. The selected credit type determines the credit category where requirement deficiencies exist. When a value is selected in this field, the Limit to Credit Type field displays. |
Scheduling Priority | When marked, this requirement is given a priority status when a student is assigned this graduation program and needs this course to meet graduation requirements. This priority column is used in the Scheduling Board when loading course requests. Students who have prioritized requests are placed into the requested course section in a randomized order by grade level and loaded first. Students who do not have prioritized requests are placed into the requested course sections in a randomized order by grade level and loaded second. For example.
Priority may be set for any course requirement, whether a grade level has been selected for fulfillment or not. When a program is copied, the priority designation on a course requirement is also copied. |
Recommended | When marked, this checkbox turns the course requirement into a suggestion and draws attention to these courses in the student's Course Plan. Recommended course numbers entered in the Transcript/Course Numbers field display in bold in the Course Planner and on the Portal Academic Planning. The course requirement is hidden on the Grad Progress tab and on the Academic Plan Progress report, and the message on the Academic Status Report that it is required does not display. |
Limit to Credit Type | Indicates from which credit type the totals are counted.
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Suggested Grade | This field allows users to suggest the grade level at which the student should complete the course requirement and draws attention to these courses in the student's Course Plan. When this field is populated: When searching for courses in the Course Catalog, an indication of a grade level suggestion displays. And, these courses display in bold. Grade levels are not included when:
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Preview Course List | A popup screen displays listing the course numbers entered in the Transcript/Course Number(s) field for ONLY the selected calendar.![]() |
Test Requirement Fields
These fields are used to define test requirements for Program Criteria.
Field | Description |
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Test Code(s) | Displays which Test Codes meet the requirement. A value must be entered in either this field or the State Code field. If a Test Code is entered on the Assessment Setup, the same values need to be entered here. Wildcard values can be entered (% or _). |
State Code(s) | Displays with State Test Codes meet the requirement. A value must be entered in either this field or the Test Code field. If a State Code is entered on the Assessment Setup, the same values need to be entered here. Wildcard values can be entered (% or _). |
Subject | Indicates the area of knowledge this requirement covers. This value matches the Subject selection on the Assessment Setup. Options are from the Test Attribute/Dictionary list. |
Minimum Raw Score | Requires a numeric value entered that represents the minimum score needed to pass this requirement, depending on the selected Score Evaluation. This value overrides a passing score set on the Results on the Assessment Setup.
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Score Evaluation Required | Indicates how a student's assessment results affect the completion of the requirement. A test requirement can be set to one of three modes:
A requirement may be that the student must take and pass at least two state assessments for Science. The Score Evaluation can be set to Count of Passing Tests, with a Count Value entered as 2. The selection here also determines whether the Minimum Raw Score, Minimum Scale Score and the Count fields require a value. |
Minimum Scale Score | Requires a numeric value entered that represents the minimum score needed to pass this requirement, depending on the selected Score Evaluation. This value overrides a passing score set on the Results on the Assessment Setup.
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Assume Passed | When marked, the requirement for the entered test is considered to be met, and related alerts that display in the Course Plan Admin tool do not display (meaning, a student can save their Course Plan even if Enforce All Rules is marked and they have not yet taken the assessment). |
Count | Indicates how many tests are required to pass the requirement depending on the selected Score Evaluation.
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Preview Test List | Displays the matching tests based on the entered test codes, state codes and subject selection. |
GPA Requirement Fields
These fields are used to define GPA requirements for Program Criteria.
Field | Description |
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GPA Calculation | Lists the available GPA Calculations that can be assigned to the program criteria. |
GPA Calculation Type | Indicates the type of GPA calculation used. The selected calculation type that is used for course requirements also uses this calculation type. Four options are available:
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Minimum Overall GPA Required | Entered numeric value (up to 6 digits) indicates the overall GPA the student must have for successful completion of this program. The selections made in the GPA Calculation and the GPA Calculation Type fields are used when comparing this entered value to the student's cumulative GPA, as follows:
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Minimum GPA per Course Credit | Entered numeric value (up to 7 digits) indicates the overall GPA per course credit the student must have for successful completion of this program. The value entered here is compared to the GPA value displayed on the transcript record and the GPA value entered on the Score Group that is assigned to the course. The selections made in the GPA Calculation and GPA Calculation Type fields are used when comparing this entered value to the student's GPA per course, as follows:
This logic displays on the Grad Progress by displaying in red on the Grad Progress Credit Group for those that do not meet the entered value or if the student has zero credits toward the academic program. It also displays on the Course Plan Credit Group for courses that have received a score. If the student does not meet the entered value, the name of the course and the number of credits received display in a pop-up. |
Academic Program Requirement Fields
These fields are used to define academic program requirements for Program Criteria.
Field | Description |
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Academic Program Options Required | Lists the selected Academic Programs. These programs are created in the Academic Programs tool. Inactive programs display in red. |
Minimum Required Required | Indicates the minimum number of Academic Programs the student needs to complete. This number cannot be greater than the number of Academic Programs created. |
Child Criteria Requirement Fields
These fields are used to define child criteria requirements for Program Criteria.
Field | Description |
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Child Criteria Required | This selection is used to link the Child Criteria to the Parent Criteria. A Child Requirement can be used only once across all Parent Criteria. |
Linked Child Criteria | All criteria linked to the child criteria displays here. |
Certification Criteria List Fields
Some programs offer the opportunity for students to earn certifications. This table defines the fields found in the Certification Criteria editor.
Field | Description |
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Certification Required | Use the drop-list to select the Certification. Certifications are added in the Core Attribute/Dictionary under ProgramParticipation > Certification Name. |
Test Code(s) | A value must be entered in either this field or the State Code field. |
State Code(s) | A value must be entered in either this field or the Test Code field. |
Subject | Use the drop-list to select the subject of the certification. Options are added in the Core Attribute/Dictionary under Test > Subject. |
Score Evaluation Required | Indicates how a student's assessment results affect the completion of the requirement. A test requirement can be set to one of three modes:
A requirement may be that the student must take and pass at least two state assessments for Science. The Evaluation Mode can be set to Count of Passing Tests, with a Count Value entered as 2. The selection here also determines whether the Minimum Raw Score, Minimum Scale Score, or the Count fields require a value. |
Minimum Raw Score | Requires a numeric value entered that represents the minimum score needed to pass this requirement, depending on the selected Score Evaluation. This value overrides a passing score set on the Results on the Assessment Setup.
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Minimum Scale Score | Requires a numeric value entered that represents the minimum score needed to pass this requirement, depending on the selected Evaluation Mode. This value overrides a passing score set on the Results on the Assessment Setup.
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Count | Indicates how many tests are required to pass the requirement depending on the selected Score Evaluation.
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Preview Test List | Displays the matching tests based on the entered test codes, state codes and subject selection. |