On Aug. 14, the State Board of Education (SBOE) released a second draft of its proposed high school diplomas. The second draft makes significant changes, such as removing the proposed GPS Diploma and GPS Diploma Plus options. Instead, one standard diploma will be offered to students, but they can also work towards the Honors and Honors Plus readiness seals. Students will be able to obtain these readiness seals in the following categories: enlistment and service, employment, and enrollment.
These changes follow a public comment period in which over 8,000 educators, parents, students and legislators voiced their feedback directly to the SBOE. I want to thank my community for bringing forward their concerns at town halls, meetings and in the SBOE's online survey.
To view a comparison of the current and future Indiana high school diplomas, please refer to the below graphic:
However, the second draft still fails to answer critical questions and concerns that have been repeatedly expressed by Hoosiers across the state.
There has yet to be an update regarding the logistics of the work-based learning requirements to obtain Honors and Honors Plus readiness seals. Students who want to obtain one of the Honors Plus seals must complete work-based learning requirements, a huge ask for our students, especially those on an IB track, taking AP classes or involved with any extracurricular activities. But despite this huge responsibility being asked of students, there has been no official discussion about the logistics of work-based learning.
There are also innumerable questions concerning the ability of school staff to implement these changes. Will schools provide students with transportation to and from their jobs? Would students be responsible for finding their job, or would school counselors also serve as recruiters? Will school counselors be accountable for tracking each student’s work-based learning or public service hours? Our state currently has a student-to-counselor ratio is 694 to 1, and these added responsibilities would place excessive burden on an already exhausted system.
Additionally, how can we ensure there are enough open positions for students? Students in rural areas will face a disproportionate level of difficulty in acquiring a job to meet the work-based requirement. So, if students cannot find employment, is there an alternative solution to ensure they can graduate on time?
This set of requirements is also riddled with vague phrasing that creates more questions than answers. For example, to receive a Honors Diploma Seal in Employment, students must “Demonstrate skill development in Communication, Collaboration, and Work Ethic,” but what exactly would that entail? Further, how are school staff meant to measure this growth? What is “the attendance goal,” and why do only two seal categories require it? What separates a “credential of value” from one without value, and who gets to make decisions about this distinction? These are questions we desperately need answered in second rule draft.
These questions don’t even scratch the surface. Procedures to ensure student safety have yet to be discussed. Some jobs pose more risks than others, such as manufacturing or construction. Are there stipulations in place to ensure students aren’t working in a potentially dangerous environment? Similarly, will employees working with high schoolers be required to undergo additional background tests? The liability issues at play are vast for schools and businesses, and we cannot send our children out into the world without doing our due diligence to keep them safe.
The IDOE and SBOE will open another public comment period with an online portal and public forum, expected this fall. The final rule on the new diploma must be adopted by December 31, 2024. I encourage you to keep making your voices heard throughout this process. As we continue revising our high school diplomas, it is crucial that students, parents and everyone who has a stake in the education of Hoosiers remains involved.
While there is still plenty of work to be done, I am cautiously optimistic that we are headed in the right direction. As we wait for the next period of public comment, my House Democrat colleagues and I will continue to remain vigilant and push the IDOE and SBOE to enact changes that are in the best interest of our high school students.
