The Indiana Department of Education unveiled the second draft of its high school diploma overhaul Wednesday. The new proposal includes one base diploma that resembles the Core 40, the current Indiana diploma, more closely than those in the previous draft.
The first draft included the GPS and GPS Plus diplomas and used a model called the Flex 40, a system that required some foundational courses for ninth and 10th graders but left significantly more room for personalization during the last two years of high school.
The GPS was the baseline diploma in that plan. The GPS Plus required more arduous work-based learning experience.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said people told her the first draft was too complicated.
“We just got feedback that we needed to simplify and we needed to streamline,” she said.
That proposal received criticism from many concerned educators, parents and students who said the new diplomas were less rigorous than the Core 40. They raised concerns about the lack of foreign language, world history, geography and fine arts requirements in the new diplomas and worried Indiana students would not meet college admission requirements.
“When you do any sort of design, there are things that you think are very, very obvious that others look at and say, OK, I don't see that at all in there,” Jenner said. “One of the pieces that we just missed was showing a clear path to college. … I'd say that was probably the biggest surprise for me that–things that I saw, the credentials of value that were in there, just did not resonate with the public. And we had to fix that.”
IDOE heard public comments and feedback on the first draft until July 30. There will be a second public comment period for this second draft.
Core 40 vs. new base diploma
The second diploma proposal aligns more closely with the Core 40 than its predecessor. However, there are a few changes.
Courses for areas like math and English are more flexible in the new proposal. For example, Core 40 diplomas and the new proposal both require eight English credits. However, the new diploma requires one English 9 course and says one of the courses must be communications focused. Students can choose the five remaining English courses based on their interests and goals.
Math follows a similar format. The Core 40 requires six math credits — two credits each in algebra I, geometry and algebra II. The new base diploma requires two credits in algebra I and one credit of personal finance, but students have flexibility for the remaining four math credits.
The new proposal also includes more science, technology and engineering requirements.
“We’ve heard this loud and clear from our universities. If a student is going to take AP stats, they might not need to take algebra I,” Jenner said.
Currently, the Core 40 requires two credits in biology, two credits in chemistry, physics or integrated physics and two additional science credits of the student’s choice. The new diploma proposal still requires biology, but it adds a computer science requirement and two STEM-focused credits in addition to two flexible science credits.
The social studies requirements for U.S. history and U.S. government are the same between the Core 40 and the new proposal. However, the new diploma ditches the three economic and world history credits required in the Core 40 and replaces them with two, more flexible world perspectives credits. The draft says that requirement could be filled with courses like advanced world languages or world-focused social studies.
The new diploma also reduces the physical education requirement from two credits to one.
The Core 40 currently requires five directed credits that include world languages, fine arts and career and technical education. In the new diploma, those credits will be moved to personalized electives. Students must complete 12 personalized electives under the proposal.
Overall, the new base diploma would require 42 credits. However, Jenner said the increase will not hurt students’ schedules.
The new diploma does not have a name yet, but Jenner said she is taking suggestions.
“Y’all, I don’t care what we call it. The brand Indiana GPS kind of bothered some people, so let’s not worry about the brand,” she said. “Let’s worry about the policy. Let’s worry about the kids.”
Readiness seals
Feedback on the first draft of new diplomas included concerns that students did not have a model to follow for college admittance. To combat that, IDOE initiated the creation of seals, or pathways, students could follow for enrollment, employment or enlistment.
“The blueprints for success are the readiness seals,” Jenner said.
The new draft includes those seals but added two seal levels, the honors seal and the honors plus seal. Some of the seal requirements are already required in the base diploma, The seals are all optional, but they build off the base diploma and are designed to prepare students to enter whichever path they choose after high school graduation.
Enrollment
The enrollment honors and honors plus seals draw inspiration from the current academic honors diploma.
“When you do any sort of design, there are things that you think are very, very obvious that others look at and say, OK, I don't see that at all in there,” Jenner said. “One of the pieces that we just missed was showing a clear path to college. … I'd say that was probably the biggest surprise for me that–things that I saw, the credentials of value that were in there, just did not resonate with the public. And we had to fix that.”
The Honors Enrollment Seal requires four world language credits, eight math credits, six social studies credits and six science credits. To earn the honors seal, students must earn at least a C in all classes and have at least a cumulative B average.
Students must also take either four credits worth of AP courses and pass the corresponding AP exams, earn six college credits, earn four credits in International Baccalaureate courses and pass the corresponding exams, score 1250 on the SAT or score 26 on the ACT to earn the enrollment honors seal.
To earn the Honors Enrollment Seal Plus, students must complete at least 100 hours of work-based learning and show skill development in communication, collaboration and work ethic.
They must also earn a credential of value like an associate degree, a technical certificate, Indiana College Core, AP Scholar of Distinction, a Cambridge AICE diploma, or an IB diploma.
Employment
To earn the Honors Employment Seal, students must complete at least 100 hours of work-based learning, meet an attendance goal and show skill development in communication, collaboration and work ethic.
Additionally, students must earn a market-driven credential of value that is aligned to a specific occupation or take three courses in a career and technical education pathway. The proposal notes that credential of value levels are still in development by businesses and industry throughout the state.
Students who want to earn the Honors Employment Seal Plus must also demonstrate locally determined skills and complete at least 650 hours of work-based learning. That work-based learning could include a pre-apprenticeship or a Modern Youth Apprenticeship.
Additionally, students must earn a market-driven credential of value like an associate degree, a technical certificate, Indiana College Core or an advanced industry certificate.
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Enlistment
The new Honors Enlistment seal will require students to complete an introduction to public service course or one year of JROTC, meet an attendance goal, score at least 31 on the ASVAB and complete all three components of the Career Exploration Program.
Students must also demonstrate skill development in communication, collaboration and work ethic to earn the Honors Enlistment Seal. That will be determined by a mentorship experience with a veteran, active military member or another public safety professional.
Students who want to earn an Honors Enlistment Plus Seal must score at least 50 on the ASVAB. They must also either complete at least 100 hours of public service, hold a leadership role in an co curricular or extracurricular activity or complete two seasons of a team-based physical sport or activity.
Many educators said they like this proposal better, but Jenner said there could still be changes.
“My red pen is still out, so if we need to make adjustments, we'll do that,” she said.
There will be one more public comment period before the State Board of Education adopts the final changes. Jenner said IDOE will announce when that public comment period begins.
This story has been updated.
Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.