The Department of Education in the state of Alabama implemented new graduation requirements for sophomore and sreshmen throughout high schools across the state; these requirements aren’t applied to the graduating class of 2024 or the 2025 cohort. 

These requirements are called CCRI Checks, or College + Career Readiness Indicator Checks, in which you have to meet an additional requirement to pass a college or career standard on top of the credit requirements already existing in order to graduate high school and receive a high school diploma. These can include any of the following: Benchmarking on the ACT (in at least one subtest), Earning a score of three (3) or higher on an AP Test, Earning a college credit through dual enrollment, Earning a “Silver certificate” or higher on the ACT WorkKeys (meaning that you earn a score of four (4) or higher on every subtest: Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents), Enlisting in the military, Earning a CTE (Career + Technical Education) Credential, being a CTE Completer (meaning that you take three (3) CTE courses and earning a grade C or higher in each course), or taking on an Apprenticeship to somewhere. 

Originally, the CCRI Checks were supposed to be implemented for rising ninth (9th) graders, but it was enacted early, so as of 2024, sophomores and freshmen are required to meet one of these indicators in order to graduate.

For most students, having to meet a CCRI Check requirement would not be an issue, as over 90% of seniors at Bob Jones High School graduate, but for the ones that struggle with school, adding a new requirement to meet on top of the graduation requirements that already exist could be met with a mixed reaction from parents, teachers, and counselors alike.