Basic Set of Skills

What should be the basic set of skills needed to be able to get into a highschool science course?

1) The ability to read and comprehend at "grade level".

2) The ability to write a coherent sentence at "grade level".

3) The ability to graph a set of numbers on a cartesian plane.

4) The ability to pay attention for longer than 15 minutes without talking to anyone.

5) The ability to follow a set of directions that have been written out or spoken clearly.

Is this too much to ask for? I don't think so. So why am I struggling with these 5 basic consepts with my students?

These things are not even what I should be teaching, I have a set of things that have to be met in order for me to be considered a Science Teacher...