Many Indiana school districts want the state to push back the effective date of the Department of Education’s redesigned high school diploma requirements, set to begin with the Class of 2029.
Those students are now in eighth grade and typically, some schools are already preparing their ninth-grade schedules, as the state struggles with a guidance counselor shortage.
School officials across the state and the Indiana School Boards Association, say the 2029 deadline doesn’t provide enough time for schools to retool course offerings, aligning them to the new requirements that haven’t been finalized yet.
Data from the American School Counselor Association showed the state had 1,494 counselors for about 1 million students, or 694 to 1 — the highest in the nation.
Meanwhile, Hoosiers have until Nov. 8 to comment on the revised draft of the diploma requirements released Oct. 9. The Board of Education is holding a 9 a.m. (CST) public hearing Nov. 8 in Indianapolis for people who want to offer input in person, instead of in writing.
A state law calls for the Board of Education to approve the redesign by Dec. 31.
Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association said it asked for a delay back in June during the first round of public comment on the DOE’s initial diploma draft.
Spradlin said there’s legitimate concern there won’t be sufficient guidance on the new requirements by the time schools plan course schedules.
School Town of Munster Superintendent Bret Heller urged parents to provide feedback to the state and said schools face a tight timeline to develop systems, procedures and course offerings to meet the new requirements.
“School officials, families, and community members across the state and in Munster are requesting to delay the program’s implementation by one year to allow more time for proper planning and execution,” Heller told parents in an information update.
Portage Township Superintendent Amanda Alaniz agreed.
She said aligning courses to Indiana’s new diploma requirements and communicating those changes to parents and students was essential to a successful transition.
“Delaying implementation would provide our district and others the necessary time to make these adjustments thoughtfully, especially with 8th-grade scheduling underway.
“This additional time would enable us to support our staff in preparing for these changes and to meet the needs of all students as we navigate this important shift in academic requirements.”
But a Department of Education spokeswoman said any delay must be authorized by lawmakers, not the DOE or State Board of Education.
“Per state law, Indiana’s current graduation requirements will sunset October 1, 2028, making final requirements effective for all students beginning with the class of 2029, or students currently in eighth grade. Any change to the implementation timeline would require legislative action and cannot be done administratively,” said Courtney Crown.
She said parents, educators, and community members are encouraged to offer feedback by Nov. 8 and can respond via Jotform, an online tool.
Spradlin said a movement among legislators to delay the diploma implementation hasn’t surfaced yet. The General Assembly’s Organization Day is Nov. 19 and the new budget-writing session begins Jan. 9.
“I don’t sense an appetite by policymakers for delay…” he said.
State Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, said a delay makes sense and lawmakers could do it in an amendment.
“I’ve had those conversations with school districts,” Harris said Friday. “There’s a counselor shortage, a lot of things going on, and they want more time to implement… It’s not a lot of time to make those adjustments.”
Harris and State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, and State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, heard attendees at a town hall they hosted last month raise several questions about the diploma requirement changes. Their questions centered on student safety, transportation and a decline of academic rigor.
“Unfortunately, due to the proposal’s lack of depth, I could not provide concrete answers to these questions. It is unfathomable that even in this official second draft, many of these same questions remain unanswered,” Harris said in a press release.
Harris is the author of a 2023 law that automatically enrolls eligible students into the state’s 21st Century Scholars program that provides free in-state college tuition.
Harris said the new requirements would undo that progress by making students fall short of the necessary course requirements for university consideration.
After educators, parents and university officials said the DOE’s initial diploma draft lacked academic rigor, the DOE revised the requirements.
The newest draft, endorsed by several universities, calls for one base diploma, instead of two in the previous version.
The base diploma would require 42 credits, up from 40.
Students can earn “readiness seals” aligned with their chosen career pathway with plus versions signifying job certifications, or work-based learning hours as required for each diploma seal.
The seals provide additional credits between 56 and 64 for pathways including college, employment, or enlistment. Each readiness category has an honors and honors plus seal.
The honors plus seal requires students to earn an associate’s degree in addition to 100 hours of work-based learning.
The others include an employment honors seal for students heading immediately into the workforce. It requires technical courses and 100 hours of work-based training.
The online Jotform survey link is: https://t.ly/2SpiZ.
For more information, visit: www.in.gov/doe/diplomas.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.