The High School Assessments are end-of-course exams in algebra/data analysis, biology, English, and government. Each of these exams contains multiple-choice questions and some questions require Brief Constructed Responses (BCRs) and Extended Constructed Responses ( ECRs), which are written items. The exams are administered in January, April, May, October, and during the summer. The passing scores for each of the exams are as follows:  algebra/data analysis 412, biology 400, English 396, and government 394. Students' scores are printed on their high school transcripts.

Students who entered grade 9 prior to the fall of 2005 are required to take all four exams to earn a Maryland high school diploma. Students who entered grade 9 in the fall of 2005 and beyond are required to take and pass all four of the exams or meet the requirements of the combined score option* to earn a Maryland high school diploma.

If a student does not pass an exam, he or she can still fulfill the requirements for a Maryland high school diploma using the combined score option*. The student will need to earn a combined score of 1602 on all four exams.

Additional information about the combined score option can be found at www.mdk12.org or contact a high school counselor for more information.