The Indiana Department of Education made significant changes to a proposed high school diploma overhaul on Wednesday, including offering just one baseline diploma for all graduates.

The announcement follows waves of criticism from Hoosier teachers, parents and students over earlier diploma proposals that would broadly exclude certain course requirements, like those in history, foreign language and fine arts.

Officials at multiple Indiana colleges and universities additionally warned that the previously proposed high school diplomas would not meet university admission requirements.

The new diploma model — discussed by the State Board of Education during its monthly meeting on Wednesday — has reversed those concerns, earning support from leadership at Ball State, Indiana, Indiana State and Purdue universities, as well as Ivy Tech Community College.

Some parents and educators said they’re still digesting the changes, but told board members they support the move away from the “GPS Diploma” and “GPS Diploma Plus.”

“We have been not stopping until we got this to a better place for Indiana,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner at Wednesday’s meeting. “The reality is … what we’re doing today is not working for thousands of kids.”

“But we have listened like you could not believe,” Jenner continued. “We have taken this very, very seriously, and are beyond pumped to share this second draft.”

Under the updated draft, students can earn “readiness seals” for enrollment, employment or enlistment that correspond with their future path of continued higher education, workforce or military service.

Each readiness category has two possible seals — honors and honors plus.

The baseline diploma differs slightly from the current Core 40 diploma, requiring 42 credits instead of 40. Students can choose classes above that to meet the separate seal requirements.

Depending on the type of schedule a student is on — traditional seven periods or blocks — they can earn between 56 and 64 credits.

House Democrat Leader Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, of Fort Wayne, said “A sign of good governance is the willingness to listen to the people.”

He noted that the department received more than 8,000 comments from the public and thanked Hoosiers for their engagement on the topic.

“Our caucus remains committed to ensuring Hoosier students have access to a well-rounded, public education that will present them with a stable future and unlimited career opportunities,” GiaQuinta said. “We hope the public will continue to stay involved as we learn more about the latest proposal.”

Coursework options, as well as approved work-based learning and apprenticeships, can translate to achieving seals.

If a student wants to go to a four-year college, they would generally need the enrollment honors seal, according to IDOE officials. The requirements for that seal equate to the existing academic honors diploma, which 35% of students are currently earning.

Those working toward the enrollment honors seal would take additional world languages, social studies, math and science credits. Students will need to earn a C or higher in all courses and certain marks on AP or other college exams.

Students who elect to take AP courses that count towards their seal, for example, must pass the class and end-of-year exam administered by the College Board.

“If we’re talking about currency, the way that an AP college credit flows to higher ed is if you get a three or higher,” Jenner said.

To go one step further, the enrollment honors plus seal would require students to earn an associate’s degree or similar credential, in addition to 100 hours of work-based learning.

If a student wants to move directly to the workforce, they would likely target an employment honors seal.

For that option, they would need a market-driven credential or three career and technical education courses; 100 hours of work-based learning, skill development and meeting an attendance goal.

An employment honors plus seal would add additional credentials or degrees and increase the work-based learning hours to 650.

Jenner said work-based learning can take place inside or outside of school, in-person or virtual, during the summer or school year, and can be paid or unpaid.

To earn the seal, students can complete multiple work experiences over multiple years. State officials additionally said there is no limit on how much traditional school a student can miss to do work-based learning.

Education officials said they want students to work with local industry in key sectors such as life sciences, technology, health care and advanced manufacturing. Details about which jobs will count — and which won’t — are still being hammered out, Jenner said.

Seals are optional, but students who earn one will automatically satisfy the Graduation Pathways requirements — which must be completed in order to receive a high school diploma.

IDOE officials noted that students can also earn more than one seal, if they choose.

“It’s really up to the students to personalize,” Jenner said. She emphasized, too, that the new model creates “clearer” paths to college, careers and public service while increasing flexibility for students and schools to meet diploma requirements.

Jenner said she expects the General Assembly will eventually incentivize the seals in the funding formula, just as associate’s degrees and credentials are now. Lawmakers could do so as early as the 2025 session when the next two-year state budget is approved.

“These updated changes will strengthen Indiana’s graduation requirements while providing flexibility to meet the needs of all students, including those who choose not to attend traditional college,” Republican Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said in a Wednesday statement. “Students won’t be left behind as they can earn a postsecondary credential or certificate that will give them the skills and experience needed in the 21st century workforce. Because of the continued work and collaboration at all levels, Indiana will lead the nation in creating a relevant and student-focused high school experience.”

Like in the earlier diploma plan, Algebra II and economics would become optional and not required like they are currently.

State officials said input from Hoosier employers drove the decision. A personal finance requirement — approved by state lawmakers in 2023 — will be added to the baseline diploma, though.

Once they take Algebra I, students could then choose what classes to take to meet four more math credits.

Separately, in social studies, the proposed new diploma would create a two-credit requirement of world perspectives. That requirement could be met with advanced world language, or a “world-focused social studies course.”

Students and teachers from around the state have pleaded for Indiana education leaders to keep history, foreign language and fine arts courses as part of the diplomas’ foundational skills requirements.

College officials also emphasized foreign language credit requirements for entry.

“We heard a lot about, ‘Gosh, there’s not anything on world perspectives. There’s a lot going on in our world today.’ We agree,” Jenner said. “So, two credits in world perspectives — it absolutely could be world history, it could be world geography. Absolutely, it could also be a world-focused social studies course, or a current events course.”

Elective credits in world languages, fine arts, or career and technical education, along with six personalized electives, are currently required for students wanting Indiana’s existing Core 40 diploma.

The revised base diploma would simplify this to require 12 credits of student-choice electives.

Jenner said that students who play sports or participate in marching band, for example, could further count those experiences toward elective credits.

“In the past, we had any combination of world language, fine arts or Career Technical Education. We’re now, rather than calling them directed electives, we’re calling them personalized electives. So, they could absolutely include CTE, performing arts, visual arts, fine arts, world language, absolutely,” Jenner said. “But we are going to really encourage students to leverage the seals … these are the blueprints for success, depending on their personal dream.”

State education officials said the diploma plan will be published in the state register, which will trigger a new 30-day comment period. During that window, the state education board is expected to hold several in-person hearings. Comments can also be submitted online.

Changes can still be made after the comment period and before final adoption by the board, however.

Under a law passed by Indiana legislators in 2023, the state must adopt new diploma requirements by December.

Schools could choose to opt in and start offering the new diplomas as early as the 2025-26 academic year. The new diplomas will take effect for all Hoosier students beginning with the Class of 2029, who are entering eighth grade this fall.

Paramount to the new plan, according to state officials, is maximized “flexibility” for students to personalize learning pathways and experiences, including with college courses taken while still in high school, as well as the ability to count internships, apprenticeships, military experience and other work-based learning toward their graduation requirements.

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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post Major updates made to new HS diploma plan — earning higher ed support appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

INDIANAPOLIS — In response to widespread pushback from Hoosier educators, state officials have issued new guidance — with more “flexibility” — on a new literacy licensure requirement that was adopted by the General Assembly earlier this year.

But questions persist for many teachers, and some remain opposed to the new professional development mandate altogether.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a letter to teachers on Friday that their input has prompted the state’s education department to adjust and add training options. Some educators have additionally been exempted from the licensure requirements, as long as they aren’t teaching literacy to students past fifth grade.

“I’m grateful for the collective effort to balance the urgent need to overcome Indiana’s literacy crisis with our shared desire to increase flexibility for educators,” Jenner said in her weekly education newsletter.

The Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) applauded Jenner for “acknowledging the extensive requirements of the new literacy endorsement” and said the updated guidance “is a testament to the importance of educator advocacy.”

The state’s largest teachers union — along with dozens of its members — spent more than four hours before the State Board of Education earlier this month, criticizing the “unfair” and “overwhelming” 80-hour training. Many pleaded for more options to be made available for teachers to complete the professional development course — or that it be removed as a requirement altogether.

Jenner and other state education officials have repeatedly maintained that the requirement cannot be nixed altogether, given that it’s a statutory requirement from lawmakers.

“The adjustments to these requirements reflect the voices and concerns of educators across Indiana,” ISTA president Keith Gambill said in a statement, adding that the union “will continue to advocate for further changes and increased flexibility.”

What’s required of teachers

The training requirement requires all Pre-K to Grade 6 and special education teachers to complete 80 hours of professional development on science of reading concepts and pass a written exam. Teachers won’t be able to renew their license without doing so.

State lawmakers approved the literacy training requirement during the 2024 legislative session as part of an effort to reverse lagging literacy scores among Hoosier students.

Indiana’s reading scores have been on the decline for more than a decade. According to data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), in 2023, one in five Hoosier third graders lacked foundational reading skills.

Under the law, teachers renewing their licenses after July 1, 2027 must have earned an “Early Literacy Endorsement.” They can do so through Keys to Literacy, a free third-party professional development program, through 2025. Teachers are eligible for a $1,200 stipend for the 80-hour Keys to Literacy training, and the state is covering the cost of the PRAXIS exam.

New teachers will need the endorsement next summer if they are receiving their license for the first time.

Teachers emphasized to state officials that many of the free training courses are already full, however, leaving only a few other options for which teachers must pay for out of pocket.

Jenner said earlier this month that 12,000 teachers signed up for the Keys to Literacy training in three weeks. Following rounds of earlier concerns, IDOE announced May 8 that the state is adding cohorts.

Additional sessions were added for spring and summer, increasing the total number of cohorts from 12 to 64 — each with approximately 200 educators. More cohorts are also open for both Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 “in response to the early demand,” according to IDOE.

Still, some teachers said they’re concerned funding will run out before they complete the course.

IDOE officials said the Keys to Literacy training — and the adjoining stipend — will be available to any educator who completes the literacy endorsement through June 2025. The $1,200 is part of Indiana’s investment of more than $170 million into literacy, supported in part by grants from the Lilly Endowment.

Jenner said she and other officials will “absolutely continue to advocate for sustained funding for free teacher literacy training” when the General Assembly convenes in January to build the 2025-2027 budget.

Jenner’s Friday update included other changes meant to help teachers access the training, too.

The IDOE will allow the full 80 hours of required professional development to be completed asynchronously starting July 1. Efforts are also underway to expand the list of approved training options, and teachers who have already registered but wish to instead participate in the new option will be able to do so, Jenner said.

Additionally, teachers with a PK-6 “parent license” who do not currently teach PK-5 literacy will no longer be required to earn the early literacy endorsement, which ISTA representatives said will offer “significant relief to educators focused on other content areas.”

An educator who holds a PK-6 parent license but teaches in a content area that does not involve literacy instruction for PK-5 students will not be required to earn the early literacy endorsement, according to IDOE. If the educator teaches PK-5 literacy later on, they would still be required to earn endorsement in order to renew their license, though.

Jenner also acknowledged concerns about the PRAXIS exam and said IDOE is committed to “exploring other potential ways to provide a consistent, quality measure that ensures we are best implementing science of reading practices.”

What comes next?

Despite the updates, numerous Hoosier teachers said it’s unclear whether they must still complete the professional development training.

Lori Weaver, in Evansville, holds Pre-K-3 and K-12 special education licenses but currently teaches in a high school setting. Weaver said she wants to keep her credentials — but because she doesn’t teach literacy to younger students — she doesn’t feel she should have to complete the new endorsement.

“It’s relieving to see they’re listening and trying to make changes … because I don’t think (all teachers) should have to be wrapped up in this if it’s not relevant to what we’re directly responsible for teaching our students,” Weaver said. “But I still don’t have a guarantee that I don’t have to do (the training), so that stress is still there.”

In an example outlined in IDOE’s new guidance, an educator who currently teaches high school math — or another content area that is not literacy — and who does not plan to teach PK-5 literacy in the future, “will not be required to add the early literacy endorsement.”

To be exempt, IDOE officials said a “written assurance form” will be shared prior to July 1, 2027, when the early literacy endorsement requirement begins. The form will require a signature by district and school administrators confirming that the teacher is not currently teaching PK-5 literacy “and does not plan to do so in the future.”

“There are too few details about what that form will look like and what kinds of hoops I might have to jump through to get it approved,” said Haley Singer, a middle school special education teacher in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, a growing number of Indiana teachers who’ve already signed up said they’re dropping the Keys to Literacy course as a protest of the training requirement. Others said they’re set to register and, for now, refuse to do so.

A half-dozen teachers who spoke to the Indiana Capital Chronicle — some of whom were not comfortable speaking publicly out of fear of retribution from school or district administrators — said they viewed the literacy endorsement as an “attack” on the state’s already qualified, but overworked, teachers.

They said, too, that the possibility of a $1,200 stipend does little to compensate educators for their personal time used for the training course.

“It’s the summer. I should be with my kids, my family — not with my nose in my computer being re-taught the science of reading, which is not new to me or many other educators,” said Kyle Peterson, who teaches at an elementary school in northeast Indiana. “We already have so much other professional development we’re required to complete … on top of all the education and coursework we had to pass just to get our license in the first place. … Yes, there is a literacy problem in Indiana. But why are we only pointing the finger at teachers?”

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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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