Citizenship Seal
Guidelines for Schools and Districts
Under Ohio’s long-term graduation requirements, students must demonstrate readiness as a part of their pathway to earning a high school diploma. To demonstrate readiness, students must earn at least two seals, one of which must be a state-defined seal.
The Citizenship Seal is a state-defined seal. Students will earn the Citizenship Seal by demonstrating knowledge and skills through course work, on Ohio’s State Tests, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and tests, in College Credit Plus coursework, or by using the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams.
Citizenship Seal – General Requirements
Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.6114(C)(4)
To earn Ohio’s Citizenship Seal, students must satisfy one of the listed American History options and one of the listed American Government options:
American History options:
- Earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in an American History course
- Earn a score of proficient or higher on Ohio’s State Test in American History
- Earn a score equivalent to proficient on an appropriate Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test in US History
- Earn a “B” or higher in an appropriate American History College Credit Plus course
- Earn either a 61 or higher on the History of the United States I or a 57 or higher on the History of the United States II College-Level Examination Program exams
American Government options:
- Earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in an American Government course
- Earn a score of proficient or higher on Ohio’s State Test in American Government
- Earn a score equivalent to proficient on an appropriate Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test in US Government
- Earn a “B” or higher in an appropriate American Government College Credit Plus course
- Earn a 56 or higher on the American Government College-Level Examination Program exam.
Students with an IEP who participate in the Ohio Alternate Assessment for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities may earn the Citizenship Seal by earning a score of Basic on the social studies alternate assessment.
FINAL COURSE GRADE
Earn a final course grade that is equivalent to a “B” or higher in both an American History course and an American Government course offered by the student’s high school.
Ohio’s State Tests
Students may earn Ohio’s Citizenship Seal by earning a score of proficient or higher on Ohio’s State Tests in both American History and American Government.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
Students may satisfy the requirements of Ohio’s Citizenship Seal by earning a score that is equivalent to proficient or higher on an appropriate Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test. This section outlines the qualifying Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and tests to earn the Citizenship Seal.
Advanced Placement Courses and Tests
Per ORC 3301.0712 students must earn credit for the designated Advanced Placement courses and earn a score of “2” or higher on the associated Advanced Placement tests. The required Advanced Placement courses include:
- United States History; and
- United States Government and Politics.
International Baccalaureate Courses and Tests
Students must earn a score of “3” or higher on the associated Standard-Level exam or a “2” or higher on the associated Higher-Level exam. The required courses include:
- History – Route Two – including study of the history of the Americas; and
- Global Politics.
Note: Please be aware that scores for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests are returned after July 1 of each school year. Districts should consider the test score return windows for students who would like to use these tests to earn diploma seals.
College Credit Plus
The Ohio Department of Higher Education, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Workforce, developed the High School Graduation Course Substitution Crosswalk, which outlines the criteria for determining courses that satisfy high school graduation requirements. A student who earns a letter grade of “B” or higher in any three-credit hour College Credit Plus course in American History and American Government (as established in the Course Substitution Crosswalk) will satisfy the criteria needed to earn Ohio’s Citizenship Seal.
- Appropriate American History courses must include study of the history of the Americas or western civilization and the history of the United States;
- Appropriate American Government courses must include the study of the American political system.
College-Level Examination Program
Students must earn the approved score or above on the College-Level Examination Program American History and American Government exams. The qualifying exams and scores include:
- American History:
- 61 or higher on the History of the United States I CLEP exam
- 57 or higher on the History of the United States II CLEP exam
- American Government:
- 56 or higher on the American Government CLEP exam
Transfer Students
Transfer students who, prior to enrollment into an Ohio public or chartered nonpublic high school, obtained a grade of “B” or higher in American History and/or American Government courses while enrolled in their prior district or school may use those grades to satisfy the requirements and earn the state defined Citizenship Seal.
Other considerations for these students may include AP and/or IB coursework taken in a previous state. If a student has earned the required score on those tests prior to transferring, they may still use that score as a demonstration of readiness for this seal.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Diverse Learners
Accountability and School Report Cards
Additional Resources
General Questions
Are districts required to administer the American History and American Government end-of-course tests to all students, even if the student is using Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate tests, or College Credit Plus courses?
No. Ohio law permits students to take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests or College Credit Plus courses as substitutes to taking the American History and American Government state tests. The following Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests and College Credit Plus courses will satisfy the state testing requirements for American History and American Government:
American History:
American Government:
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Can students mix and match options to earn the Citizenship Seal?
Yes. Students are permitted to use a variety of options to satisfy the requirements of the Citizenship Seal. The student must meet both the American History and American Government requirements through one of the options provided.
For example: A student who earns a score of proficient on the Ohio’s State Test in American Government and a “B” in an American History College Credit Plus course will qualify for the Citizenship Seal.
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Does a student who earns an American History course grade of a B- meet the course grade requirement of the Citizenship Seal?
ORC 3313.6114 provides the option for students to earn a grade equivalent to a “B”. Local district policies govern grades earned by students. If a district determines that a “B-” grade meets this requirement, that grade can be used to earn the Citizenship Seal.
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How are the qualifying College-Level Examination Program scores determined?
The qualifying CLEP scores are derived from longstanding guidance issued by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. This was developed alongside public institutions of higher education in 2017 and is regularly updated to agreed-upon “college-ready” standards. The CLEP scores determined to award this seal represent the minimum “cut score” to award college credit specified by ODHE.
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Diverse Learners
What accommodations are available to English learners and students with disabilities on the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests?
The Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests are not Ohio’s State Tests; therefore, the features and accommodations in Ohio’s Accessibility Manual do not apply. Refer to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests resources for additional information.
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Can English learners take International Baccalaureate tests in languages other than English to meet the high school graduation requirements?
Yes, English learners may take the International Baccalaureate History and Global Politics Assessments in any of the languages offered. In addition to English, International Baccalaureate Assessments are offered in French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese.
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Do Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores earned in another district, state or country satisfy the requirements for the seal?
Yes. Official test scores for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests will satisfy the requirements if they meet the proficiency requirements of the seal.
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Accountability and School Report Cards
For the Achievement Component of the report card, how does the use of approved substitute assessments (such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate) in place of the American History and/or American Government end-of-course tests affect a school’s report card results?
Approved Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams may be used as substitute assessments for the American History and/or American Government end-of-course tests. These substitute assessments are included in the Performance Index in the same way as end-of-course exams. Please note that CLEP is not an approved substitute assessment.
If a student takes both an end-of-course test and an approved substitute assessment, the higher of the two performance levels will be used in calculating the Performance Index.
For more details on approved substitute assessments, performance levels, and calculation rules, please refer to the .
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How are Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and CLEP tests included within the College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR) Component on the Ohio School Report Cards?
There are 11 ways a student can demonstrate post-secondary readiness under the College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR) Component of the Ohio School Report Cards. Beginning with the 2025 graduation cohort, CLEP exams have been added to the following pathway:
Attaining qualifying scores on three or more Advanced Placement, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate exams.
The required scores are:
- Advanced Placement: A score of 3 or higher
- CLEP: , as determined by Ohio Department of Higher Education
- International Baccalaureate: A score of 4 or higher
Students may meet this requirement using any combination of Advanced Placement, CLEP, or International Baccalaureate exams, as long as they achieve the required scores on at least three total exams.
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If a student earns a “B” or higher in an American History or American Government course and chooses not to take the end-of-course exam, what are the impacts to the student and to the district?
If the student chooses not to take the end-of-course exam in American History or American Government, but still earns their two required seals for graduation, a student would still be able to meet graduation requirements. A student is required to earn two seals, at least one of them state-defined, and the Citizenship Seal can be earned but is not required to be earned. If a student does not attempt these end-of-course exams, the school may be impacted as the student would be included as a non-tested student for the purposes of the report card.
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If a student does not take the American History and/or American Government end-of-course tests and instead uses Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate tests or College Credit Plus courses as substitutes for the state tests, how will that impact the school report card?
The Indicators Met measure on the report card includes the American History end-of-course test, American Government end-of-course test and approved substitutions such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in those subjects. A student is included in the numerator of the Indicators Met calculation if he or she earns a 2 or higher on the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test. Students who use College Credit Plus as a substitute are not included in the Indicators Met measure calculation.
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Additional Resources
What are some additional resources to refer to?
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Last Modified: 6/12/2026 3:20:17 PM