South Vermillion High School counselor Josh Magnuson talks about graduation requirements with freshman Robbie Ludlow and his mom, Jessie Moore, during a meeting on Wednesday at the school near Clinton. Photo contributed
On a Wednesday afternoon in November at South Vermillion High School, guidance counselor Josh Magnuson met with freshman Robbie Ludlow and his mom, Jessie Moore, to talk about next year’s class schedule.
“Let’s go over the new Indiana diploma,” Magnuson said. “What kind of pathway are you thinking of right now?”
Ludlow, who plans to attend college, has an interest in becoming a conservation officer, but he also would like to explore the construction field. One thing he is certain about: “I don’t want to be in an office,” said the 14-year-old, soon to turn 15.
Fortunately, with the state’s new high school diploma requirements, he’ll have opportunities to study both career fields. One of the goals “is to keep as many doors open as possible,” Magnuson said.
Ludlow will pursue not only basic diploma requirements, but also the enrollment honors seal — and potentially the honors plus seal — that are part of the new diploma system.
The South Vermillion student is among the first group of high school freshmen (the class of 2029) to fall under the new high school diploma requirements passed last December by the Indiana State Board of Education.
READYING FOR NEW REQUIREMENTS
Districts around the state are preparing with new courses, in-house or locally-created pathways, added work-based learning opportunities and parent/student meetings as they transition to meet the changes.
One of the strengths of the new diploma system is “recognizing there is more than one path to a successful future, and that may not always involve earning a certain benchmark score on a standardized SAT test,” said Kara Skinner, South Vermillion High School principal. “Not all students have aspirations of going on to that next level of education.”
The new diploma provides flexibility and the opportunity for students to earn their high school diploma in more diverse ways, said Malynda Scifres, the high school’s director of guidance.
The state’s new graduation rules offer three pathway or “readiness” seals that students could earn on top of a base diploma.
The pathways lead either to enrollment in college, employment, or enlistment in the military. The rules also allow students to complete more work experience or more rigorous academic requirements to earn a second “plus” tier of each seal.
The basic diploma requires 42 credits, 12 of which are elective, and students are encouraged to use the new readiness seals to align electives with their personal goals.
STRATEGIC PROGRAMMING
South Vermillion has taken a number of steps in transitioning to the new system:
• It has moved four required credits to middle school — computer science, physical education, health and wellness and Preparing for College and Careers — to give students more flexibility for electives and work-based learning at the high school level.
In addition, many middle school student will take two credits of algebra 1.
• It is ramping up dual credit offerings to make the Indiana College Core more attainable as “a credential of value,” especially beneficial to those pursuing an enrollment honors plus seal.
The Indiana College Core is a block of 30 credit hours of general education, college- level coursework which is guaranteed to transfer between all Indiana public colleges and universities.
• It is developing a plan to quantify and document experiences that will satisfy the work-based learning requirements for seals.
• It has added an introduction to public service class to assist those students wanting the enlistment seals.
• It has added six in-house pathways, with several dual credit classes, which are in addition to career technical education programming available through the Wabash River CTE co-op that South Vermillion is part of.
Those in-house pathways, available to students in grades 9-12, are computer science; interior design; agriculture; business operations and technology; radio and television broadcasting and early childhood.
According to Skinner, “Before we start scheduling students, there is a lot of strategic and intentional programming that’s happening to make sure we have the options in place to help the students get what they need ... and satisfy the requirements of the new diploma.”
According to Scifres, with the changes, a student has the option to earn one of six readiness seals — enrollment, employment or enlistment (and service) honors or honors plus seals.
If they don’t earn a readiness seal, they still must complete graduation pathways with the new basic diploma requirements. In addition, they must learn and demonstrate employability skills and meet post secondary readiness competencies, as is currently required.
CHALLENGES OF THE PLAN
“There are a lot of benefits to this very unique and individualized graduation plan,” Skinner said. “I would say one of the obstacles or challenges will be the tracking metrics that are used. When you get into a system that is so diversified and so individualized and tailored to each student, the tracking becomes very important.”
Computer programs are starting to surface that would help schools track work-based learning hours.
Skinner said they also anticipate they will have to increase the number of partnerships with business and industry so students can fulfill workbased learning requirements.
Under the enrollment honors plus seal, students would have to complete at least 75 hours of work-based learning, which may include multiple experiences that are paid, unpaid, on-site or simulated.
Under the honors plus employment seal, students would have to complete an additional 650 hours in workbased learning.
FLEXIBILITY AND OPPORTUNITY
Sullivan High School is also working on the transition.
“Our corporation is working on funding for a work-based coordinator to help with tracking work-based learning requirements,” said Michelle Tracy, school assistant principal.
In addition, through a grant, the school is reaching out to local partners to create more internship-like opportunities for students.
Sullivan High School freshman counselor Katie Couch had a meeting with all freshmen parents to go over requirements and how to be proactive. “The state isn’t definitive on a lot of their requirements, but the more information we can get to our parents, the easier the transition will be,” Tracy said.
Southwest Sullivan Schools also is adjusting requirements at both the middle school and high school “so that we are more prepared for future cohorts,” Tracy said.
Overall, she said the new diploma allows students the freedom to study a variety of careers and really take time to investigate different pathway opportunities.
Challenges remain, however, in how schools are going to track employment, workplace experiences and internships.
“It is also very difficult to ensure that all workplace environments are also safe spaces for students. High school students are still children and putting them out into workplace environments can be risky if appropriate steps aren’t taken to ensure safety,” Tracy said.
There are also remains a lot of questions as to what coursework will count toward credit requirements, and it may vary from school to school, which could create complications for students who move from one school to another, she said.
“I think schools and especially counselors do a magnificent job of taking the fluid regulations that the state sometimes comes up with and turning it into a solid plan that works for our students and our parents,” Tracy said.
State funding for workplace coordinators “would really help our schools have a mediator between schools and work placements,” Tracy said.
Students and parents seem to be “rolling with the changes” and looking to their school counselors to know how to filter through all the requirements and decipher what each student will need to graduate, she said.
Back at South Vermillion, as Magunson met with Ludlow, he told the youth, “You’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work ... You are really in good shape with credits right now as a freshman.”
The freshman entered high school with four credits already earned in middle school.
Ludlow asked questions about different options, as did his mom.
Moore, who formerly taught chemistry at the high school, especially likes the flexibility and the opportunity students have to explore options and make changes, depending on their interests.
While the new system might seem quite complicated, “It is and it’s not,” Moore said. “Once you understand it, it makes a lot of sense.”
She wanted to sit in on the scheduling session “to make sure I wasn’t guiding my son in the wrong direction ... there are so many different options now.”
In December 2024, the Indiana Department of Education outlined some of the reasons why Indiana needed to rethink high school:
• Fewer Indiana students were enrolling in higher education, and even fewer were graduating.
• Students have been graduating without the skills needed to secure rewarding career opportunities.
• Student apathy has been high, leading to high rates of chronic absenteeism in grades 9-12.
• Students who wanted to enlist were finding out they disqualified when it was too late.
“Personalizing the high school experience for Indiana’s students, with more opportunities for real-world learning, is critical to ensuring all of our students have access to better lives while lifting and sustaining the state’s economy and workforce,” stated Katie Jenner, Indiana education secretary, in a National Association of State Boards of Education article.
The new diploma requirements will be effective for all seniors in the 2028–29 school year, or this year’s freshmen.
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