While many Hoosiers may not be paying attention to the proposals, the people who are are asking questions. On July 22, Purdue University President Mung Chiang sent a memo to Indiana’s top education leaders to say that Indiana’s proposed high school diplomas do not meet the school’s admission standards in math, social studies, and world languages.
Homeschoolers have asked the question, “How does this affect us? Does it affect us?” The short answer is that State diploma requirements currently do not impact homeschoolers. Publicly funded students are beholden to the State requirements, while homeschoolers do not receive government money and are not required to adopt State requirements.
But, while Indiana families are not required to follow state standards, many choose to do so. And often, post-secondary institutions, colleges and universities, trade programs, and even employers have expectations that a homeschooled student will present a transcript that reflects the guidelines set by the public school system.
Indiana lawmakers have noted the great flexibility that home education offers. Homeschooling offers the maximum flexibility with the least amount of restrictions. They have attempted to replicate what we offer to our own children, but the flexibility of homeschooling is not scalable when thousands of students are involved and the complexity is increased.
Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) answer is to create two diplomas, while keeping the federally mandated alternate diploma, in the form of the Indiana Graduates to Succeed (GPS) Diploma and Indiana Graduates to Succeed (GPS) Diploma Plus.
Increased Flexibility Equals Increased Parental Burden
In their attempt to increase flexibility for children, the State’s proposal will create an undue burden on parents in several ways. Here are just a few…
The new diplomas will require parents to ensure their child does three of the following four things:
- take a career aptitude test
- job shadow or attend a skills boot camp
- attend at least one college and career fair
- take one dual credit class.
The Civic, Financial, and Digital Literacy category reads much the same… students must show they’re competent at the mastery level, although it is unclear exactly what that means. The State has suggested activities such as:
- Election poll worker
- Statehouse page
- Student-Led Business
- Entrepreneurship
- Develop a Personal Budget
- Join a Robotics Team
- Computer Science Credential or Certification
- IT Credential or Certification
The State has also added internal and external verification of competencies. What does “external verification” mean? It means that the State wants to force the student into extra curricular activities such as “leading a boy/girl scout troop, church youth group, volunteering at a community organization, student-run enterprise,” etc. The burden of that will all fall to the parent. As it is currently written, the parent must ensure their child attends the extracurricular, must attain the verification from the third party, keep track of it, and present it to the school. Did you notice that the State does not trust the parent to verify their student participated in an extracurricular? Not only will the State require a student to participate in an activity against the student’s will, but it will also increase burdens on the parents. What will single parents, parents with disabilities, children who have difficulty completing daily work at school, etc., do?
Below, we have included details of the currently proposed diplomas, credit totals, and competencies. You will note the added importance of American nationalism with the removal of foreign language, world history, and world geography. In an attempt to add flexibility, the State has removed many of the hallmarks of a liberal arts education, which is an education worthy of every man.
Loss of Parental Rights
Many of the “flexibilities” and added complexities the State is attempting to implement remove family decision-making abilities. These unalienable rights have been stripped away steadily over the last 200 years and has increased greatly recently with added regulation that all Indiana publicly-funded students must complete the FASFA, participate in national standardized testing (SAT, ACT, and ASVAB), and for those scores to be included on the student’s transcripts, digital literacy and personal finance requirements, and more. Decisions and responsibilities that once belonged to the family are now mandated and regulated by the State. Parental rights of the masses are being eroded.
We know homeschooling freedom hinges on a parent’s right to direct the upbringing and education of their children free from the Government. When parental rights are eroded, the freedom of all Hoosier homeschoolers is also eroded.
This is why we fight.
Stakeholders Have A Say
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) presented its “Rethinking High School: The Future of the Indiana Diploma” to the State Board of Education (SBOE) on March 27, 2024. In the presentation, IDOE presented data stating that 53% of Indiana high school graduates, including public schools and state-accredited nonpublic schools, plan to continue their education in some way after graduation. Thirty-two percent of graduating seniors’ parents believe their children are not prepared for life after high school. Only 21% believe their children are very well prepared. In an attempt to remedy this, Indiana is drastically rethinking education. To explore these new ideas, they consulted “stakeholders.”
Who are the stakeholders?
Isn’t it interesting that community organizations, philanthropists, advocacy groups, and “policy experts” are now being identified as stakeholders in K12 education?
Said stakeholders brought these “major themes” to IDOE:
- “Make the high school experience more learner-centric and relevant.” (Who defines “relevant”?)
- “Streamline the overall number of diplomas while maximizing flexibility to personalize pathways and experiences.”
- “Rebrand the diploma and consider a “diploma plus” approach that goes beyond a checklist of requirements.”
- “Increase focus on skills and competencies that matter most to current and future employers, as opposed to just courses (i.e. the Carnegie unit).”
“Consider several applied math course sequences aligned to learner pathways, including data science.” - “Prioritize access to experiential and work-based learning.”
- “Ensure credentials have value and relevance for students, as well as connect them to market-driven careers.”
- “Evaluate and align existing policies and support to help schools and teachers transition to a more learner-centric approach (diploma redesign is one part of rethinking high school).”
Indiana Graduates to Succeed (GPS) Diploma
The proposed Indiana GPS Diploma will focus on three components:
- Required Courses and Competencies
GPS Diploma Plus students must take additional courses and complete additional competencies that include work-based learning. - Employability Skills
GPS Diploma Plus students will complete up to 4 levels of work-based learning, including a capstone, modern youth apprenticeship, and/or registered apprenticeship. - Postsecondary-Ready Competencies
GPS Diploma Plus students will complete “market-driving credentials” and “core content and career technical education”, apprenticeships, Indiana College Core, AP Scholar with Distinction, Cambridge AICE Diploma, or International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
In addition, IDOE has created a “profile of a graduate.” Each graduate will have to fulfill the requirements of the following categories:
- Academic Mastery
- Career & Postsecondary Readiness through Credentials and Experience
- Communication & Collaboration
- Work Ethic
- Civic, Financial & Digital Literacy
It is important to note that “competencies” equate to points. IDOE will assign points to each student it profiles.
What should homeschool families do?
While Indiana homeschoolers aren’t beholden to these proposed requirements, many families choose to mirror them in preparation for their child’s vocational or educational future. It is important parents remain up-to-date on proposed and finalized changes to state graduation requirements of publicly funded students and how they may possibly impact Indiana homeschoolers. The State Board of Education is currently in Public Comment Phase 2.
To express your concerns about the proposed change, complete the form linked below.