The Indiana Department of Education’s newest diploma redesign has gained the support of universities who said its previous draft wouldn’t meet their admission standards.
Officials told the State Board of Education Wednesday the new draft adds significant updates that focus on rigor and flexibility for students to personalize their high school experience.
The revised proposal includes one base diploma with minimum requirements for each student. The base diploma would require 42 credits, up from 40. It would go into effect with the Class of 2029.
Students can earn “readiness seals” for additional credits between 56 and 64 for pathways including college, employment, or enlistment. Each readiness category has an honors and honors plus seal.
Several university officials said the honors seal meets admissions requirements.
“Thank you for the open-minded willingness to provide a broad range of choices and clearly illuminated pathways for all high school students,” wrote Purdue University President Mung Chiang in a Aug. 12 letter to Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.
He said the honors seal, which requires additional world languages, social studies, math and science credits, meets Purdue’s admission guidelines.
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.
Students who earn any of the seals will satisfy the graduation pathway requirement for a diploma.
The new proposal represents a marked change from the initial March diploma plan that rankled educators, parents and universities who complained it eliminated the honors diploma and diminished chances for students to be admitted to universities.
They criticized it for emphasizing work-based training at the expense of college-bound students.
After the second draft is finalized and posted on the IDOE website, it will kick off a round of public comment prior to a final draft being presented later this fall. State law requires the SBOE to adopt the new high school diploma rule by Dec. 31.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
