INDIANAPOLIS (WSBT) — The High School experience for is about to change for Indiana high school students.
The Indiana State Board of Higher Education has unanimously approved new high school diploma requirements.
Hoosier students will have new requirements to allow them to graduate.
The Indiana State Board of Higher Education has approved new high school diploma requirements.
Indiana’s Education Secretary Katie Jenner presented the proposed High School Diploma Rule to the board Wednesday morning, then the vote was made.
Many state universities and education associations have shared their support on the changes.
And some say Wednesday’s decision is more than just about a diploma.
“This is more than a high school diploma. It is truly a redesign of high school,” said Steve Baker, Principal of Bluffton High School, Indiana Association of School Principals, DOE Liaison.
The changes to the diploma are geared toward work-based learning and preparing students for after-high school plans.
There is one base diploma or minimum requirement for all students.
It’s similar to the current Core 40 diploma but allows for more flexibility.
Students can earn one or more “readiness seals” in two tiers that align with their interests.
Students can earn an Honors Seal or an Honors Plus Seal in the Enrollment, Employment, and Enlistment & Service categories.
“Thinking of this high school redesign, and as a board, our goal is not to push students to one path or another to funnel them all to one place. Our goal is to do the best we can to set our students off for success based on their unique goals and aspirations,” said Jenner.
The changes came after state officials looked to tackle several challenges on key issues.
Issues such as fewer Indiana students enrolling in higher education, students graduating without the skills needed to secure a rewarding career or enrolling in the military and chronic absenteeism.
The IDOE has been working to redesign high school graduation requirements for the past year.
Rolling out its first draft proposal in the spring and a second draft in late summer.
The Indiana Department of Education rolled out their first draft proposal in the spring.
Then, after widespread concern, including from some major Indiana universities, the IDOE revamped their plan and revealed a second draft in late summer.
The second draft had support from all the state’s public colleges and universities, the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, the Indiana Association of School Principals and the Indiana School Counselor Association.
Thousands of Hoosiers have engaged with the process, and many are hopeful for the new requirements.
“I cannot wait until the journey ahead the floodgates are open. The innovation is possible. The funding mechanisms are possible to do that innovation and it’s a really neat time in our industry and we’re at the heart of it,” said Iris Hammel IDOE Board Member.
Since the second draft was revealed in the fall, Jenner said thousands of Hoosiers have engaged in the process and the IDOE had received letters of support which continue to come in.
The plan will now go to Indiana’s Attorney General who will have 45 calendar days to sign it.
The Diploma Rule will then go to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
Schools and students can opt-in to the new diploma as soon as the 2025-26 school year. Jenner says the new diploma requirements are designed to be “permeable” which will allow students to update their graduation plan and pivot, if their original interests and goals change.
Schools and students can opt-in to the new diploma beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
State statute says the current Core 40 diploma options will sunset after 2028.