Section 3313.902 | Competency-based educational program.

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• Effective: July 1, 2026
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Competency-based educational program" means any system of academic instruction, assessment, grading, and reporting in which individuals receive credit based on demonstrations and assessments of their learning rather than the amount of time they spend studying a subject. A competency-based educational program shall encourage accelerated learning among individuals who master academic materials quickly while providing additional instructional support time for individuals who need it.

(2) "Eligible individual" means an individual who satisfies all of the following criteria:

(a) The individual is at least eighteen years of age.

(b) The individual is officially withdrawn from school.

(c) The individual has not been awarded a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalence as defined in section 4109.06 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Eligible provider" means a city, local, or exempted village school district that operates a dropout prevention and recovery program, the buckeye united school district operated by the department of youth services, the Ohio central school system established under section 5145.06 of the Revised Code, or a joint vocational school district that operates an adult education program.

(4) "Ohio technical center" has the same meaning as in section 3333.94 of the Revised Code.

(B) An eligible provider may establish a competency-based educational program that complies with standards adopted by the department of education and workforce and may enroll eligible individuals in the program for up to three consecutive school years for the purpose of earning a high school diploma. The provider shall establish a career plan for each individual enrolled in the program that specifies the individual's career goals and describes how the individual will demonstrate competency or earn course credits under division (C) of this section to earn a diploma and attain the individual's career goals.

(C) Notwithstanding sections 3313.61, 3313.611, 3313.613, 3313.614, 3313.618, and 3313.619 of the Revised Code, the department shall award a high school diploma to an individual enrolled in a program under division (B) of this section who meets either of the following conditions:

(1) The individual demonstrates competency by completing at least three of the following activities, at least one of which shall be the activity described in division (C)(1)(a) or (b) of this section:

(a) Attaining a competency score as determined under division (B)(10) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code on each of the Algebra I and English language arts II end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of that section;

(b) Attaining a workforce readiness score, as determined by the department, on the nationally recognized job skills assessment selected by the department under division (F) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code;

(c) Obtaining an industry-recognized credential, or group of credentials, in a single career field that meet the criteria established under section 3313.6113 of the Revised Code to qualify for a high school diploma or earning an industry-recognized credential that is aligned to a technical education program provided by an Ohio technical center;

(d) Earning a cumulative score of proficient or higher on three or more state technical assessments aligned with section 3313.903 of the Revised Code in a single career pathway;

(e) Doing either of the following:

(i) Completing a pre-apprenticeship program aligned with options established under section 3313.904 of the Revised Code in the individual's chosen career field and providing evidence of acceptance into a registered apprenticeship program in that career field;

(ii) Completing an apprenticeship registered with the apprenticeship council established under section 4139.02 of the Revised Code in the individual's chosen career field.

(f) Completing two hundred fifty hours of a work-based learning experience with evidence of positive evaluations;

(g) Obtaining an OhioMeansJobs-readiness seal under section 3313.6112 of the Revised Code.

(2) The individual demonstrates competency by completing at least two of the activities described in divisions (C)(1)(a) to (g) of this section and earns course credits distributed as follows:

(a) English language arts, four credits;

(b) Mathematics, four credits. One credit may be a career-based mathematics course aligned to the individual's career plan developed under division (B) of this section.

(c) Science, three credits;

(d) Social studies, three credits;

(e) Financial literacy, one-half credit. The one-half credit of financial literacy may be applied toward the number of mathematics or social studies credits required under division (C)(2) of this section.

(D) An eligible provider shall report each individual enrolled in a program under division (B) of this section to the department. The department annually shall certify the enrollment and attendance of each individual reported under this division and shall pay the provider up to $7,500 for each such individual per school year, as determined by the department based on the extent of the individual's successful completion of the diploma requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section.

(E) Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, an eligible provider may request that the department allow an eligible individual to enroll in a program under division (B) of this section for more than three consecutive school years due to a hardship experienced by the individual that necessitates additional time to meet the diploma requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section.

(F) An eligible individual shall not be assigned to classes or settings with individuals who are younger than eighteen years of age.

(G) Each eligible provider shall contact each individual to whom a diploma is awarded under this section to collect data on the individual's career and educational outcomes at six months, twelve months, and eighteen months after the awarding of the diploma. At each time of contact, the provider shall request information regarding whether the individual is gainfully employed, participating in an apprenticeship, enrolled in postsecondary education, or serving in the military. The provider shall report the data collected to the department in the manner determined by the department.

(H) The department shall adopt rules as necessary to administer this section. The rules may include all of the following:

(1) Standards for competency-based educational programs;

(2) Standards for applying an individual's work or life experiences toward the requirements of division (C) of this section;

(3) Requirements for determining the amount paid to providers under division (D) of this section;

(4) Guidelines for approving or denying a hardship request made under division (E) of this section.

Last updated August 8, 2025 at 9:45 AM

Available Versions of this Section

• September 15, 2014 – House Bill 483 - 130th General Assembly
• September 29, 2015 – House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly
• September 29, 2017 – Amended by House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly
• September 30, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly
• October 3, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly
• July 1, 2026 – House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly