BATON ROUGE - The Department of Education released guidance Thursday explaining how public schools should handle outgoing seniors missing much of their final semester because of the coronavirus.

Among the key takeaways laid out by the department is waiving the need for standardized tests or industry-based credentials in order to earn a diploma.

As far as earning course credit goes, school systems will be left to determine whether students performed well enough to earn credit and how to give options to those who have not. The systems will also decide whether to award credit by letter grade or a simple pass/fail grade.

The department says diplomas are still being printed and will arrive on time, and planning graduation ceremonies is still being left up to each school. This year, schools may host virtual graduation ceremonies, or host in-person gatherings later in summer, once it is safe to do so, even if students will be considered graduates in May 2020. 

Requirements for TOPS remain unchanged, and students are still encouraged to complete financial aid planning.

You can read the full guidance from the Department of Education here for more details.