State considers new high school diploma

Jul. 22—For decades, students who finished high school in Indiana received a singular diploma — one that reflected the completion of a high school education. Each school passed those out to the graduating seniors and it didn't matter what classes they had taken or activities they had been involved in.

The state department of education is looking to make a significant change in the diploma. The idea is to make it reflective of the academic requirements and the changes schools have gone through to make students better ready for further education, employment or participation in the military.

"It is always good to look at diplomas. What the current diplomas are and are we meeting the needs of the student and the needs of the society," said Loogootee High School Principal Dr. Nancy Harrison.

"The current seniors that just graduated not only had to have their credits, they had to have employability skills and readiness to join the workforce. That is a lot different than it used to be."

"Some kids will move on and continue their education at a four-year or two-year institution. Our current diploma sets students up very well for that," said Andrea Huff, superintendent at Barr-Reeve. "When you look at our skills and our trades there are many opportunities to get on the job training and credentialing, instruction and training that does not necessarily mean the student is going on to a four-year-or-two-year institution. The diploma change is the state looking for ways to support students in having those opportunities and even exploring them, in high school. That is where a lot of the credentialing comes in. It allows high schoolers to obtain these as well."

Officials with the Washington schools see the proposed diploma changes as an extension to what schools have been doing for the last several years with producing different pathways toward graduation.

"I think that with the creation of our college and career academy that we started several years ago at the high school, I think we are well-positioned for these changes. We have always been about trying to prepare kids for life after high school. That means some will go to college, some into industry, others into the military," said Washington assistant superintendent Steve Peterson.

"I think we have strong partnerships with our community and business leaders that can give our kids opportunities and align well with the new diploma requirements."

What exactly the new diploma will require is still being debated in Indianapolis and there is a possibility that there may be multiple diplomas offered that could reflect everything from academic success to job training and technical instruction.

"Our schools are a vital part of our economic development. That is where our labor force comes from. People are looking at the jobs that are coming available, what training and skills are needed for those jobs. Are we doing what we need to do to get them ready for the opportunities that will be put before them when they graduate," said Huff. "I think we are headed back toward the career and technical education side of things and adding value to the hands-on skills a student can acquire."

"A high school diploma should have value and it should have value for a lot of different kids for a lot of different reasons," said Peterson. "As we were shifting the idea was to get kids some experience and connections. Show them how we use the math and the English to write reports and communication and collaboration. The college and career academy was not about sorting talent as much as it was recognizing talent. There are kids out there that are skilled and interested in a lot of different things."

One potential worry with the proposed diploma change is that is might pigeon-hole a student into a life-time impact as a result of an educational decision made at the age of 14.

"I hope these changes in the diploma leaves some wiggle room. I don't want it to be where they have to pick a path at 14 years old that they are stuck with," Harrison. "They do need the flexibility where they can change their mind."

"I have been told there will be a lot more flexibility with the new diploma and it is not going to pigeon-hole our students and it is going to give them the opportunity to explore so they can determine their best pathways to their strengths, their interests and their values," said Huff.

The state is still taking comments about the diploma of the future and what it should be. People with a thought on that can reach our to the Indiana Department of Education and give a written opinion.

"There are a lot of questions about how all of this is going to fall into place," said Harrison.

"We have not seen the final diploma. There are still conversations going on about this. We won't really know until we see a final diploma," said Huff.