Share your thoughts on Indiana's proposed high school diploma redesign
The Indiana Department of Education is soliciting feedback through July 26
Dear neighbor,
This spring, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) presented its new high school diploma proposals: the GPS Diploma and the GPS Diploma Plus. The new options will begin with the Class of 2029, students who just finished seventh grade. Indiana is the first state in the country to make this large of a change to the diploma track to focus on the workforce. The two diplomas focus intensely on work-based learning experiences.
I strongly believe exposing our high school students to the skilled trades and various career pathways is important. However, it’s also essential that our students who choose higher education are well prepared. The new diplomas need to balance workforce training with a quality education so students are prepared for life post-graduation. We must encourage our students to be lifelong learners so that they continue to hone their skillset throughout their lifetime. By fostering curiosity and innovation, our students will be prepared as job fields evolve.
We create lifelong learners by ensuring Hoosier students are well versed in a range of subjects. Sadly, both of the new diplomas lower the requirements in math and science while eliminating the requirements for arts and humanities classes. Economics, world history and foreign languages would no longer be required to graduate under the new diploma proposals.
The two proposed diplomas don’t even meet the basic admissions requirements for our in-state universities. Both Purdue and IU require candidates to have taken four credits of world languages and six credits of social studies. Many parents, teachers, and administrators, including school corporations from Lake County, have expressed intense concern about the new graduation requirements.
Thankfully, the State Board of Education is accepting feedback on the proposed diplomas. I encourage parents, students, educators and stakeholders to share their thoughts and opinions via the online form here by July 26. I would love to receive feedback from you directly, but I urge you to first and foremost submit your thoughts to the survey link above - it’s the best way for your opinions to be considered by those making decisions about what form the new diplomas will take.
Below, I include some resources summarizing the changes, including a side-by-side comparison of the diploma redesign proposal with the current diplomas and an excellent explainer video from House District 12’s Lake Central School Corporation. LCSC’s video does a great job summarizing how difficult implementation of this diploma will be for our school corporations, teachers, and administrators.
In service,
Mike
Lake Central School Corporation’s video summarizing the proposed changes:
Side-by-side comparison:
The best of both worlds would be to let students decide which path they would like to take. A purely academic college prep path similar to the current course of studies, or the new curriculum that requires less of them. Give students (and their parents) a choice!!!
Our country has no choice but to educate our kids both broadly and in depth. It is patronizing to believe that folks who don’t go to college don’t need to know how to do things and how to learn. Math, science and social studies are an integral part of every adults competency. Down our population will put us at a disadvantage in relation to every other developed country. It also sets us up for autocracy. I oppose the proposed changes to curriculum requirements!