Students may soon choose from 2 instead of 4 diplomas as state revamps high school

Indiana high school students may choose from two diplomas rather than four in the future as the state works to “reinvent” high school with an emphasis on work-based learning.

Leaders at the Indiana Department of Education Wednesday presented the Indiana State Board of Education with the first draft of the two new streamlined diplomas, dubbed the Indiana GPS (Graduates Prepared to Succeed) Diploma and Indiana GPS Diploma Plus.

Indiana’s current four diplomas – the general diploma, Core 40 diploma, Core 40 with academic honors, or Core 40 with technical honors – will stop being offered after 2028. The class of 2029 will be the first class to receive the new diplomas.

The federally required alternative diploma will still be offered to students with significant learning disabilities.

The new diplomas reflect state leaders' push in recent years to emphasize career-centered education. The effort was set in motion last year when lawmakers passed a new law to push students into work-based learning opportunities.

Promoting the proposed change, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said Wednesday that Indiana’s high school diplomas haven’t changed significantly since the 1980s.

More school news: There's still time to enroll for an IPS school for next school year. Here's what to know.

“What we’re really trying to consider is how might we really allow for more flexibility and personalization for students depending on what their purpose and path is ahead,” Jenner said. “Whether that's into enrollment in a two or four-year college, employment or serving our country by enlisting.”

Two new streamlined diplomas

The Indiana GPS Diploma is essentially a more flexible version of the Core 40 diploma, Jenner said, and will allow students to focus on gaining competencies rather than checking off a checklist of requirements.

The new diplomas align with the state’s “graduation pathways” and the Indiana Graduate Prepared to Succeed characteristics that encompass five key traits deemed necessary for Hoosier graduates to have a successful post-secondary life.

Both of the new diplomas will require students to fulfill three components: foundational knowledge and competencies, employability skills and postsecondary-ready competencies.

Most students will fulfill the foundational courses and competencies requirement in ninth and tenth grades by mastering the following skills:

• Academic mastery: English, Math and Science

• Career and postsecondary readiness

• Communications and Collaboration

• Work ethic

• Civic, Financial and digital literacy

The communications and collaboration credits require one credit to be “external,” meaning the student must be involved in something outside of school such as a volunteer group or a student-run enterprise.

In addition to the foundational skills, students would also be required to devote time in eleventh and twelfth grade acquiring work-based skills or postsecondary skills.

Students will have to earn at least 60 hours of work-based learning or earn postsecondary skills by taking Advanced Placement classes, dual college credits, SAT/ACT scores, JROTC or other military experience.

More: Some school districts bet on AI as future of security while others raise doubts

Both diplomas will allow for a more personalized experience in the 11^th and 12^th grade, Jenner said. The Indiana GPS Diploma Plus, however, will require students to earn at least 75 hours of work-based learning experience as well as a credential like a CTE certificate, an apprenticeship or college credits.

IDOE looking for feedback from families

Now IDOE is asking feedback from any stakeholder in education – educators, parents, students, higher education and the business sector – to provide feedback on the new diplomas through an online form.

Another period of public comment will follow over the summer. The State Board of Education will take a final vote in September.

While the new diplomas will not officially be in place until the class of 2029, schools can opt in to the diplomas once the Indiana State Board of Education approves the final version.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder. To learn more about how you can support IndyStar’s partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana wants to streamline its high school diplomas from 4 to 2