The Indiana State Board of Education unanimously approved the final version of the state’s new high school diploma standards on Wednesday, setting off a change that will become mandatory for all high schools starting with the class of 2029.
The final version of the diploma is similar to the most recent draft unveiled in August with a few minor changes, all with the ultimate goal of providing more flexibility to students, boosting work-place learning in schools and to fulfill the state’s growing workforce needs.
The final version includes one base diploma that requires 42 credits to complete and then students could earn three different kinds of seals that would show if a student is ready to enroll in higher education, enter the workforce or enlist in the armed services.
Each seal also includes a “plus” version that involves earning a certain amount of workplace learning hours, earning a certain kind of credential or obtaining a certain score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB.
This has been the culmination of a year-long effort at the Indiana Department of Education to beat back what they say is growing apathy among students.
Indiana Education Secretary Katie Jenner points to the state’s lagging chronic absenteeism numbers, which are worse in the high school grades, and the continuing stagnant college-going rate among high school graduates.
High Schools can start opting into the new diploma starting next school year but every school must be able to fulfill the new diploma requirements for the 2029 graduating class.
Here are the main changes to the final version of the diploma compared to the most recent draft released in August.
Enrollment seal changes
The enrollment seal, which is geared more toward students wanting to go to college after high school, requires students to earn specific amounts of credits toward world language, social studies, math and science.
Students must also earn a C or higher in all courses and earn a cumulative B average.
One change made to the honors seal is that students can now earn a blend of AP, IB or Cambridge courses but still must earn at least 4 credits.
The second draft version: Read what the second draft version was for the diploma redesign.
Another change is that in previous draft versions, it required students to also pass the corresponding exam to their AP, IB or Cambridge courses, but now the final version only requires students to take the exam. Jenner said this is mostly due to the fact that exam results aren’t often released until the summertime.
Another change in the enrollment plus seal is the requirement to have at least 100 hours of work-based learning is now changed to 75 hours.
The work-based learning can include various kinds of experiences that are paid, unpaid, in-person or simulated.
Jenner said that is because CTE educators told them the current system is set up for 75-hour increments, so the change is to better reflect that.
Employment seal changes
The employment seal is designed for students who know they want to pursue heading into the workforce immediately after high school.
Some of the changes made to the seal include allowing approved career preparation experiences that are used with the Indiana Career Scholarship Accounts program, or CSA program, to count toward the seal.
The CSA program was established in 2023 and allows students in grades 10-12 to apply for $5,000 grants to be used for career training with outside employers.
Any IDOE-approved locally-created pathway can also count towards the seal now.
Students must also now complete 150 hours of work-based learning under the final diploma version compared to the 100 hours in the previous draft.
Enlistment seal changes
The enlistment seal, which is designed to help students who want to go into the armed services after high school, still requires students to score a 31 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB.
The change for that seal is that now the state would also allow students to complete a career exploration tool that IDOE approved, and not just complete all three components of the Career Exploration Program.
More State Ed News: Katie Jenner will continue to head the state’s education department under Braun
There is also a change in the enlistment plus seal which now gives students more options to show they are ready to enlist in a service academy, rather than just relying on a score from the ASVAB.
A service academy can include places like the Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy or the Military Academy.
The attendance goal that students must meet to either earn the employment or enlistment seal involves only having three unexcused absences for the school year.
Support from Universities and major state education groups
The IDOE also received many letters of support for the final diploma versions including letters of support from many state institutes of higher education including Ball State University, Indiana State University, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University, University of Southern Indiana and Vincennes University.
Concerns about whether the diploma would meet university enrollment standards were a big concern with the release of the first draft of the diploma, but university leaders changed their minds once the second draft was released.
Major state education groups also gave their support including the State Superintendent’s Association, the Indiana School Principal’s Association, the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Indiana School Boards Association, the Indiana Urban Schools Association and the Indiana School Counselor Association.
Read previous feedback on the diploma: As final feedback period ends on Indiana’s high school diploma redesign, concerns remain
Another major group that didn’t have a letter but told reporters on Tuesday that they were supportive of the final version was the Indiana State Teacher’s Association, which represents almost 40,000 educators and school workers in the state, and said they were pleased that educator feedback was taken seriously.
“I think we’ve all learned that a high school can be a very complicated place in terms of putting all those pieces together, and they’ve incorporated that into the second draft,” said ISTA vice president Jennifer Smith-Margraf. “They really listened to educators, and that’s reflected there.”
Over the past several months, teachers have been one of the largest outspoken groups bringing forward criticisms on the diploma standards, many being foreign language or fine arts teachers.
Jenner also addressed the concerns that have been voiced by educators in the fine arts community on Wednesday saying that students wanting to pursue fine arts can still do that with these diplomas and should use locally-created pathway options to obtain their fine arts goals and utilize the Indiana College Core option.
Next steps for schools and students
The immediate next step that the IDOE will now start is working on creating multiple lists and guides that will go out to schools to help with implementing the work-based learning requirements and to further bolster those courses in schools.
One of those lists will be which credentials have which value based on the state’s demand for that certain field, which will also determine how much a school can be reimbursed for offering those classes.
IDOE also wants to build an interactive advising tool that will help schools implement these changes and to help guide students on what path is best for them. Jenner said they plan to ask the state legislature for funds to build out this advising tool, as well as other funding needed to align with the diploma’s new needs.
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Schools can start implementing the new diplomas starting next school year, but schools that choose to do that must prove that students can earn a seal.
However, next school year is also when the class of 2029 will start its freshman year of high school, which Jenner said may mean that their freshman year schedules will look similar to how they currently are, but the 11th and 12th-grade year is when schedules could start to change to fit the paths laid out in the new diploma.
Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Final draft of Indiana high school diploma redesign approved