HANCOCK COUNTY — The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) recently presented a second draft of a proposal to redesign high school diploma requirements to the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE).
The second draft incorporates significant updates after months of stakeholder feedback, with a focus on rigor and flexibility for students to personalize their high school experience. This is part of the state’s ongoing, collaborative effort to “rethink the high school experience, making it more learner-centric and future-focused.”
An initial draft of the new diploma rule was first presented to SBOE in March, kicking off the first public comment period designed to enhance the proposed plan. During this time, IDOE and SBOE received more than 8,000 online comments and heard hours of testimony from stakeholders seeking to ensure high school is as valuable as possible for all Indiana students.
Eastern Hancock superintendent George Philhower believes the second set of changes is moving closer to the type of diploma that will benefit all students.
“I’m certain there will be even more tweaks before it’s finalized,” Philhower said. “I think probably nothing is perfect the first time you make something, and the more feedback state officials can get the better off things will end up being.”
While the first draft proposal included two diploma options, the revised proposal presented to the SBOE last week has been streamlined and simplified to include one base diploma with minimum requirements for every student, as well as the opportunity for students to earn readiness seals aligned with their unique path.
“Right now we’re looking at one basic diploma for all students, and we kind of have that now,” Philhower said. “When the Core 40 was first done, the goal was to make sure kids were ready for college, and if you look at the data of kids going to college and being successful when you get there, it’s obviously not working so we’re going to need something else.”
That’s why Philhower noted state officials want to develop a basic diploma with “readiness seals” for students to follow.
“They’re looking at three different pathways, with two different levels per seal,” Philhower said. “Right now, there is one basic pathway for students, with the bulk of it being that honor’s diploma as the best option for kids, which is great for academically inclined students, but what we can have now is a basic diploma where every kid will have this diploma, but from there students will have multiple pathways to go.”
The proposed base diploma includes increased flexibility and course options for earning credits in core content areas, such as English, math, science, social studies, physical education and health. In addition to these core content areas, students will also take personalized electives which can include a variety of courses, such as career and technical education (CTE courses), performing or fine arts and/or world languages.
Philhower, who is offering input to state officials, believes the state is getting closer to offering students a diploma that can meet the individual needs of all kinds of students while providing the structure that is close to what is currently being offered.
“The ultimate goal is to make sure students have as many options as possible,” Philhower said. “What we’ve learned at Eastern Hancock is the pathways are more blurred than kids thought.”
To help students focus their coursework in core content areas and electives toward an intentional pathway that connects them to what’s next, they will have the option to earn readiness seals in enrollment, employment and/or enlistment. The readiness seals were developed to provide students and parents with a better understanding of a blueprint for success in whatever path a student may choose.
“Our principal, Adam Barton, says it best when he said, ‘We have our own purposes, where we’re trying to get the kids to graduate, but this shifts the emphasis to the kids and helps them figure out their purpose,’” Philhower said.
At the meeting last week, IDOE shared multiple letters from K-12, higher education, business and industry leaders voicing their support for the new proposal and their appreciation for the collaborative process, which led to the revised second draft. The letters of support represent Purdue University, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, Ball State University, Indiana State University, Vincennes University, University of Southern Indiana, the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, the Indiana Association of School Principals, the Indiana School Counselor Association, the Indiana Urban Schools Association, Henriott Risk Management and Insurance and Jasper Engines and Transmissions.
Over the next few weeks, the second draft of the diploma rule will be finalized and posted on the IDOE website. This will kick off a second round of public comment prior to a final draft being presented later this fall. This will include 30 days of public comment, which can be submitted online and via an in-person public hearing. State law requires the SBOE to adopt the new high school diploma rule by December 31, 2024.
Per statute, Indiana’s current graduation requirements will sunset October 1, 2028, making final requirements effective for all students beginning with the class of 2029, or students currently in eighth grade. As proposed, schools may opt-in beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
