Proposed changes to Indiana’s high school diploma are too much, too fast, and more time is needed to assess the “graduation pathways” requirements that took effect with the Class of 2023, say some Vigo County educators.
“To make such significant changes before gathering data on the last change … to diploma types and graduation requirements, doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Aaron Warner, Terre Haute South Vigo science teacher and president of the Vigo County Teachers Association.
He plans to attend Wednesday’s Indiana Board of Education meeting, where an update on the process is expected.
The Indiana State Teachers Association has urged educators to attend the meeting to outline concerns about the proposal.
The plan is part of an effort to “reinvent” the high school experience and better prepare Hoosiers for their lives post-graduation — whether they want to pursue college or other skills training or choose to directly enter the workforce.
The proposal calls for two diploma types, GPS and GPS Plus; it would provide more flexibility and place a greater emphasis on work-based learning.
Warner believes that with the basic GPS diploma, the bar is set too low, while he describes GPS Plus as “academic honors on steroids.”
He told the state Board of Education during its May meeting:
“What we are missing is a huge middle … To get that bottom diploma, your maximum math class is Algebra I. No world history required. That is not the direction we need to be going.”
Students who do the bare minimum under the basic GPS wouldn’t be accepted to Indiana University or Purdue University or potentially other state colleges, he said.
He believes current diploma types “are pretty decent. This (proposal) scuttles all of that,” he said. Current diploma types include general, Core 40, academic honors and technical honors diplomas.
The Class of 2023 was the first group required to meet the new graduation pathway requirements, which include: high school diploma, employability skills, and postsecondary-ready competencies.
“So the state doesn’t even have the data, how successful is it, before they are now proposing a brand new, radical change to diploma types,” Warner said.
He believes before major changes are made, the state should collect data, analyze it “and then find out where are we lacking, where are we strong and how might we want to change diploma types.”
Marie Theisz, a social studies teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High school, shares Warner’s concerns.
The state did make significant changes with graduation pathways. “We haven’t even seen the impact of that, and now they are wanting to … in my opinion, do a complete overhaul,” she said.
She prefers the state pilot proposed changes on a smaller level “to see if it’s even do-able … I think to go all in is really not a good idea.”
As someone who’s been a school counselor, she’s aware that Indiana high school counselors have student caseloads that are much higher than recommended by the national counseling association.
Graduation pathways are already more difficult to track with the different requirements, she said.
With even more expectations for out-of-school experiences, including work, “Who is going to keep track of all this, and not only that, but to make sure they are quality” experiences, she said.
It will create demands on school counselors and also employers.
Some companies don’t accept interns until they are age 18. A lot of times, it’s a safety issue; they don’t want to be responsible for someone who’s not an employee, Theisz said.
She also believes the basic GPS diploma may not be rigorous enough, although she does believe having some flexibility for students who struggle is a good thing.
The state says the changes will create more opportunity for new, high-end jobs. “I think it will do the opposite,” she said.
On the other hand, with the proposed GPS plus diploma, some of the guidelines “seem so high and probably unattainable to some freshmen as they’re making their decisions, I’m afraid they’re going to shut that door too soon,” she said.
Now, freshmen may initially try to obtain an academic honors diploma or tech honors, but they can later go back to Core 40 if they are struggling.
Another concern is how the changes will impact students’ ability to take classes in music and the arts.
“What both of these diplomas are really doing is putting emphasis on what I feel like is out-of-classroom type of work and experiences, which can be great” if those are good, quality experiences, she said.
But if students spend too much time out of school, it will impact their ability to take some of those classes not required, such as arts and music. “I feel like we’re pushing kids to work. We have plenty of time to be an adult in life,” she said.
She is co-vice president of the Vigo County Teachers Association and also works with the Indiana State Teachers Association legislative action team.
According to the state, the new options would take effect beginning with the Class of 2029 — for students that just completed seventh grade.
Before State Board of Education officials give final approval for the new diploma requirements, the state will conduct two public comment periods. The state is expected to make revisions based on that public feedback.
Right now, Hoosiers can provide immediate feedback using IDOE’s online Jotform.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com. Follow Sue on X at @TribStarSue.
