At the ninth grade level, students begin their journey towards graduation.  The ninth grade year is the start of the student transcript, which is needed for college acceptance and is the basis of the high school diploma.  In ninth grade students are also required to pass 3 of the 5 state-required STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) exams. The three tests students must take and pass during ninth grade are English 1, Algebra 1, and Biology.  These EOC exams must be taken and passed in order for students to graduate from high school. In addition to passing EOC exams, students must also earn a total of 26 credits and graduate with a state endorsement. One of the new requirements that ninth grade students must also understand is the concept of credit attainment.  In order for a student to earn their required credits, they must not only pass the course with a grade of 70 or better, but they must also be in attendance to the class at least 90% of the time the class is offered. If either of these requirements is not met, the student will be denied the credit and will be forced to retake the course if it is one of the required courses for graduation.  The importance of being in school and attending classes each and every day is stressed regularly with students and has been communicated with parents. We encourage all Aldine Ninth Grade students to come to school daily and actively participate in all classes to ensure they are on track for earning their credit, passing their EOC exams, and ultimately graduating from high school. We invite parents and community members to join this work with us by encouraging our students to do the same.  It takes a village!!