By VICTORIA GARCIA WILBURN
State Representative
Garcia Wilburn
Many of you have closely followed the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) effort to redesign our high school diplomas.
After months of waiting, the official second draft diploma proposal has been published. The overall second draft is unchanged, including the base diploma, the six optional “readiness seals,” and the work-based learning requirements, from August’s preview of the draft.
I hoped the official document would answer some of our remaining questions. Sadly, many of our concerns about academic rigor, costs, staff, and external employment are still unaddressed.
Here are my top five unanswered questions:
- What does this cost? The cost to implement these changes is unknown. We can expect an increase in spending since schools will need to pay for additional credentials. Many of our public schools already have extremely tight budgets, so the exact amount must be specified.
- Do we have the staff for this? Additional staff will be needed to implement the new requirements. However, Indiana currently has a teacher and counselor shortage. Requiring new classes like computer science is great, but it raises the question of who will teach them. Additionally, counselors will face the challenge of helping students and parents navigate the new requirements and finding work-based learning opportunities.
- What about academic rigor? Fine arts, music, world languages, math above Algebra 1 and science above Biology 1 are still not required in the base diploma. While this may increase flexibility, students should have a well-rounded education regardless of their career plans. We need to foster life-long learners who have a passion for problem-solving and critical thinking. Additionally, already-stretched-thin schools may have to make cuts to courses if they are not explicitly required to be available for students to take.
- How will work-based learning be implemented? We’ve received zero guidance on the work-based learning requirements. There’s no information about transportation, background checks, safety or the involvement of local businesses.
- Why the quick timeline? The quick timeline is unchanged, and the new diplomas must be approved by Dec. 31, 2024. Indiana’s current eighth graders, the Class of 2029, would be the first to use these diplomas.
Now that the official proposal is posted, the public comment period has started. If you would like to submit a comment on the second draft, click here.
There will also be a public hearing on the diploma proposal at 10 a.m. Nov. 8 in the Indiana Government Center South, 302 W. Washington St., Conference Room B, Indianapolis. I encourage parents, students, educators, and stakeholders to share their thoughts and opinions on the proposal.
For more information on the second draft, you can read a news article at this link. As always, please contact my office at h32@iga.in.gov with any questions or concerns.
State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn represents Indiana House District 32, which includes large portions of Fishers and southern Carmel.