Vigo County Schools Superintendent Chris Himsel on Thursday re-iterated concerns about the state’s proposed changes to high school diplomas and urged citizens and educators to make their views known.
“You have an opportunity to speak out and give feedback to the state Board of Education right now,” Himsel said.
The link to provide that feedback can be found at: https://bit.ly/3LCtYHN.
Comments on the first draft will close on July 30 “to ensure all feedback is reviewed prior to the publication of the second draft,” according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Additional information on the proposed, streamlined diplomas can be found at https://www.in.gov/doe/diplomas/.
Himsel said his greatest concern is the proposed changes’ lack of alignment with college/university admission requirements.
The proposal eliminates the current Academic Honors diploma, which is linked to college-going. Also, certain courses would no longer be required in areas including math, history, foreign language and fine arts.
Himsel believes the current diploma system, which includes a general diploma, Core 40, Technical Honors and Academic Honors, encourages kids to attempt more difficult courses and to challenge themselves.
By starting with Core 40, students often develop the confidence to seek a more rigorous diploma, Himsel said.
Under proposed changes, the significant gap between the basic GPS and more rigorous GPS Plus diploma might result in students taking the easier option, he said.
Himsel also points out that schools are just now starting to see results from the state’s last diploma changes, called Graduation Pathways. Schools have had two graduating classes under those changes.
The Vigo County School Corp. is starting to see some positive changes as a result of Graduation Pathways, he said, with more students earning both a Technical Honors and Academic Honors diploma.
Technical Honors requires completion of a career pathway, while Academic Honors prepares students for a fouryear college.
While they may choose to go directly to work after high school, students who have both will have the foundation they need to pursue higher education later on, if they choose, he said.
Himsel encourages the state to slow the process down and ideally, implementation be delayed a few years, although that would take action by the Indiana Legislature.
Right now, it’s scheduled to take effect with the graduating class of 2029, or this year’s eighth-graders, who will already start scheduling high school classes in January.
“We still don’t even know what the new graduation requirements are,” Himsel said. Also, teachers and guidance counselors will need to be trained in the new requirements.
“We don’t want to guide a student down the wrong path,” he said.
Himsel applauds state leaders for being risk-takers and trying to look at something new.
He also supports efforts to build in flexibility, especially with regard to the basic GPS diploma, which attempts to make it easier for students who are hands-on learners to have a path to a diploma without needing a waiver process.
At the same time, “I think the concerns expressed are real and they cannot be dismissed,” he said. The state needs a balance of students going to four-year universities and those pursuing other options, including workforce, military, two-year degrees or technical certificates.
“I think it’s fair to say there was a time the pendulum was too focused on a four-year college and not enough on the career-technical side of things. I concur with that,” Himsel said.
“The question is how do we make sure the pendulum doesn’t swing too far back the other way and we maintain the proper balance,” he said.
Under a law passed by Indiana legislators in 2023, the state must adopt new diploma requirements by December.
The Indiana Department of Education will conduct a public hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Conference Rooms Four and Five of the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis.
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