Earning Your Diploma from NDCDE
Overview
North Dakota Center for Distance Education has been awarding high school diplomas to students who complete North Dakota’s requirements for high school graduation for over 60 years. First as a correspondence school and now as a digital school, NDCDE provides this service to students throughout North Dakota, as well as other states.
Any person, regardless of age, may apply for a diploma with NDCDE. NDCDE’s diploma program is subject to all rules and regulations applied to other public schools in North Dakota, as administered and provided governance by the ND Department of Public Instruction.
Policy Enacted Via Documented Process
The diploma program policies are carried out consistently and accurately via a documented process. The complete process is available for review upon request. The diploma program policies and processes are part of NDCDE’s process-based management system documentation which is available to all NDCDE employees via NDCDE’s Office 365 SharePoint site. Access by external parties is by permission only and is subject to all federal and state privacy and security rules and regulations.
Diploma/Graduation Determination
The diploma program process is conducted by an individual who is qualified and trained to conduct the work and provide the judgments required. The individual is required to possess a school counselor’s licensure. The guidance department provides a recommendation for graduation, which is in turn reviewed by NDCDE’s principal and director, who are tasked with the final decision. The review prior to a final decision to award a high school diploma complies with this Diploma Program Policy Statement and can include a detailed review of the diploma review process.