If approved by the State Board of Education, new diploma options will take effect for Indiana students beginning with the Class of 2029. Photo from Getty Images.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — A proposal to streamline Indiana’s high school diplomas and reduce options to just two primary graduation paths was announced by state education officials on Wednesday, March 27.

The plan is part of an ongoing statewide effort to “reinvent” the high school experience and better prepare Hoosiers for their lives post-graduation — whether they want to pursue college or other skills training, or choose to directly enter the workforce.

The new options will take effect beginning with the Class of 2029 — for students that are currently in seventh grade. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said some Hoosier schools will likely roll out the revamped graduation requirements sooner, though.

The Indiana Department of Education presented the proposal before the State Board of Education Wednesday morning. Paramount to the 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.

If approved, Indiana’s diplomas would, for the first time, be aligned to the state’s current graduation pathways. They would also model five key Indiana Graduate Prepared to Succeed (Indiana GPS) characteristics: academic mastery, career and postsecondary readiness (which includes credentials and experiences), communication and collaboration, work ethic, and civic, financial and digital literacy.

The rulemaking process to finalize the diploma model is expected to take at least four months, Jenner said. Before the board takes a final vote – which is anticipated in August or September — multiple rounds of public comment and changes to improve the overall plan are expected. By law, board members must give their stamp of approval by December.

He emphasized that the proposed diploma model places “a high value” on credential attainment and student experiences, “but we’re not telling schools and students how to get them.”

Two ‘Streamlined’ Degrees

Currently, Hoosier students can work towards one of numerous diploma designations, including the general, Core 40, academic honors, or technical honors options. Some schools additionally offer the International Baccalaureate diploma, which is dependent on successful completion of specific assessments and examinations during grades 11 and 12.

State education officials conceded that the existing diploma system is outdated and confusing for both parents and students. Jenner said it especially lacks options for students to get hands-on training or earn high-value credentials, given the various course requirements. The move now, however, is to be less “course obsessed.”

As laid out in the proposal, Indiana’s future diplomas would include the “Indiana GPS Diploma” — a more flexible, personalized version of the current Core 40 diploma — and the “Indiana GPS Diploma Plus.”

For all students, regardless of the diploma type they earn, learning in grades nine and 10 would be focused mostly on “essential knowledge and skills.” All students would complete a set of foundational courses covering English, math, science, career and postsecondary preparedness, physical education, and civic, financial and digital literacy. Even so, students would have some ability to choose how the satisfy the priority courses.

Additional flexibility and personalization is then available to students in grades 11 and 12.

For students pursuing the proposed Indiana GPS Diploma, a minimum of 20 additional “points” must be earned through a combination of courses and experiences. Those points can be earned through traditional classes, but also from job training, JROTC or other military experience, and by earning certain scores on the SAT or ACT, for example. Additional points can be earned by taking more rigorous courses, like Advanced Placement and dual credit classes.

Overall, at least two points must come from math and four from English-related coursework.

On the other hand, students pursuing the proposed Indiana GPS Diploma Plus must complete additional coursework necessary to earn their chosen credential of value. They’ll also be required to complete a “high-quality work-based learning experience.” What those work-based learning experiences can or should look like are still under consideration, according to state education officials.

All students will use their individual graduation plan — already required by law to be completed by the end of eighth grade — to determine initial course sequences in high school.

Indiana will also continue to offer the federally-required alternate diploma, which is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Per state statute, no more than 1% of the state’s students can receive the diploma type annually.

Roughly two-thirds of Indiana high school students earn college credit before graduation. Still, Jenner pointed to thousands of Hoosier students who each year are just a few courses short of earning a credential while still in high school. She said many kids “are not aware” of opportunities in the first place “because we have never systematically set it up this way.”

As of now, only about 5% of Indiana students successfully earn a credential before leaving the K-12 system.

Getting Students Trained Up

Recent legislation approved by state lawmakers set the stage for a diploma overhaul that seeks to implement new requirements that are more “flexible and relevant to students, employers, and communities.” Part of the goal, too, is improving access to high-quality work-based learning opportunities and increasing the number of postsecondary credentials earned by students before they graduate from high school.

But before SBOE officials give final approval for the new diploma requirements, the state will host two public comment periods.

The first public comment period will open later this spring, officials said. Hoosiers can provide immediate feedback, too, using IDOE’s online Jotform, which asks for additional solution-ideas, as well tools and resources that would be helpful in implementing new diplomas.

Jenner said the state education department is also thinking about ways to help school counselors handle the changes, in addition to funding asks for the 2025 legislative session.”

Eastern Hancock Schools Superintendent George Philhower said that already, about 25% of his district’s juniors and seniors are doing some sort of work-based learning — spending roughly half of their school time “in a real place of employment and earning a paycheck” while also earning credit towards their diploma.

Looking ahead, Philhower emphasized a need to “expand these opportunities even further,” noting that career training in high school is appropriate for far more Eastern Hancock students — maybe up to 70% of those enrolled.