HB 1163 Summary

• Amends North Dakota high school graduation requirements to maintain 22 units of coursework while adding a new optional career and technical education (CTE) curriculum pathway.

• Standard graduation path requires 4 units English language arts, 3 units mathematics, 3 units science, 3 units social studies (including Native American tribal history effective after July 31, 2025), 1 unit physical education or health, 3 units from foreign languages/Native American languages/fine arts/CTE, and 5 additional units.

• Creates optional CTE curriculum requiring parental written consent and only 21 units of coursework, including 3 English units, 3 mathematics units, 2 science units, 6 total CTE units, and 1 work-based learning unit focused on school-to-work or cooperative experience.

• Optional CTE pathway requires either an ACT composite score of at least 22 or a score of at least 5 on each of three WorkKeys assessments, plus a minimum 1.666 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

• Allows students to earn one career and technical unit by completing an industry certification within a CTE course.