RHS Diploma Seals

Diploma Seals

 Diploma Seals

Students meeting specific requirements for graduation and demonstrating exemplary performance may receive diploma seals for recognition.  All seals may not be available from year to year.

VDOE makes available to local school divisions the following seals:

Governor's Seal

The Governor's Seal is awarded to students who complete the requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma with an average grade of "B" or better, and successfully complete college-level coursework that will earn the student at least nine transferable college credits in Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, or dual enrollment courses.

Board of Education Seal

The Board of Education Seal is awarded to students who complete the requirements for a Standard Diploma or Advanced Studies Diploma with an average grade of "A" beginning with the ninth-grade class of 2006-2007 and beyond.

Board of Education's Career & Technical Education Seal

The Board of Education's Career & Technical Education Seal is awarded to students who:

• earn a Standard or Advanced Studies Diploma and complete a prescribed sequence of courses in a career and technical education concentration or specialization that they choose and maintain a "B" or better average in those courses

• OR pass an examination or an occupational competency assessment in a career and technical education concentration or specialization that confers certification or occupational competency credential from a recognized industry, trade or professional association

• OR acquire a professional license in that career and technical education field from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Board of Education shall approve all professional licenses and examinations used to satisfy these requirements. See The Path to Industry Certification for the current approved licenses and examinations.

UPDATE: Board of Education’s Diploma Seal for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

The Board of Education’s STEM Seal shall be awarded to students who earn either a Standard Diploma or an Advanced Studies Diploma and satisfy all Math and Science requirements for the Advanced Studies diploma with a “B” average or better in all course work, and

• successfully complete a 50 25 hour or more work-based learning opportunity in a STEM area, and

• satisfy all requirements for a Career and Technical Education concentration.  A concentration is a coherent sequence of two or more state-approved courses as identified in the course listing within the CTE Administrative Planning Guide, and 

• pass one of the following:

• • a Board of Education CTE STEM-H credential examination, or

• • an examination approved by the Board that confers a college-level credit in a STEM field.

  • For those students graduating in the 2020-2021 cohort, the work-based learning opportunity hour requirement for the STEM seal has been reduced from 50 hours to 25 hours.

Board of Education's Advanced Mathematics & Technology Seal

(available for students entering high school prior to 2018-2019)

The Board of Education's Advanced Mathematics & Technology Seal is awarded to students who earn either a Standard or Advanced Studies Diploma and satisfy all of the mathematics requirements for the Advanced Studies Diploma (four units of credit including Algebra II; two verified units of credit) with a "B" average or better; and either

• pass an examination in a career and technical education field that confers certification from a recognized industry, or trade or professional association

• OR acquire a professional license in a career and technical education field from the Commonwealth of Virginia

• OR pass an examination approved by the board that confers college-level credit in a technology or computer science area.

The Board of Education shall approve all professional licenses and examinations used to satisfy these requirements. See The Path to Industry Certification for the current approved licenses and examinations.

UPDATE: Board of Education's Excellence in Civics Education Seal

The Board of Education's Excellence in Civics Education Seal is awarded to students who meet each of the following four criteria:

• Satisfy the requirement to earn a Standard Diploma or an Advanced Studies Diploma

• Complete Virginia & United States History and Virginia & United States Government courses with a grade of "B" or higher

• Complete 50 hours  (for the class of 2021, the hours have been reduced to 25) of voluntary participation in community service or extracurricular activities, such as volunteering for a charitable or religious organization that provides services to the poor, sick or less fortunate; participating in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or similar youth organizations; participating in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC); participating in political campaigns, government internships, Boys State, Girls State or Model General Assembly; and participating in school-sponsored extracurricular activities that have a civics focus. Any student who enlists in the United States military prior to graduation will be deemed to have met this community service requirement.

• Have good attendance and no disciplinary infractions as determined by local school board policies.

If you qualify, please fill out the form located at the bottom of this page.

Board of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy

The Board of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who earn a Board of Education-approved diploma and:

• Pass all required End-of-Course Assessments in English reading and writing at the proficient or higher level

• Demonstrate proficiency at the intermediate-mid level or higher in one or more languages other than English as demonstrated through an assessment from a list approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  American Sign Language qualifies as a language other than English.

Board of Education’s Seal for Excellence in Science and the Environment 

The Board of Education’s Seal for Excellence in Science and the Environment is awarded to students who enter the ninth grade for the first time in the 2018-2019 year and thereafter, and meet each of the following criteria:

• Earn either a Standard or Advanced Studies Diploma

• Complete at least three different first-level board-approved laboratory science courses and at least one rigorous advanced-level or postsecondary-level laboratory science course, each with a grade of “B” or higher

• Complete laboratory or field-science research and present that research in a formal, juried setting

• Complete at least 50 hours of voluntary participation in community service or extracurricular activities that involve the application of science such as environmental monitoring, protection, management, or restoration.

• The Seal for Excellence in Science and the Environment is ONLY available to students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in the 2018-2019 school year and thereafter.

Other Diploma Seals or Awards

Local school divisions may award other diploma seals or awards for exceptional academic, CTE, citizenship or other exemplary performance in accordance with criteria defined by the local school board. The design, production and use of those seals is the responsibility of the local school boards awarding the seal.

Forms / Information:

• Updated Seal of Excellence in Civics Education letter