High school diploma
standard set for voteThe proposal would increase the
required credits to 24 from 22
Students at Hawaii's public high schools would have to pass two more yearlong courses to graduate, under a plan poised for a final vote by the Board of Education tomorrow.
How to share your opinion
To comment on proposed new graduation requirements:>> E-mail the Board of Education at boe_hawaii@notes.k12.hi.us.
>> Fax to 586-3433 by 8 a.m. tomorrow.
>> Attend the board meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Konawaena High School in Kealakekua on the Big Island.
The move would make the state's credit requirements among the toughest in the country, with students needing 24 credits for a diploma, up from 22.
"The impetus behind it is to raise the expectations of the kids and raise the rigor of the high school curriculum," said Tony Calabrese, director of the instructional services branch of the Department of Education.
Only seven states require 24 credits for graduation, with most requiring 19 to 22, according to a 2002 survey by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
The plan to boost the number of credits came in response to an outcry over an earlier proposal by the Graduation Requirements Task Force, which had recommended trimming physical education and social studies requirements to make time for other courses.
The task force wanted to mandate two years of either foreign language, fine arts, or career and technical education -- subjects that are now optional.
Instead of replacing courses, the Department of Education recommended -- and a board committee agreed in April -- to simply add those two new credits to the existing diploma requirements. If approved, the plan would take effect in the 2006-07 school year, for students graduating in 2010.
The new requirements for foreign language, career/technical education, or fine arts (including music), are designed to help students develop expertise in areas that will help them after graduation.
"The purpose is to encourage the kids to focus on something they're interested in," Calabrese said. "I think in the end, we came out with a win-win situation."
Board Chairman Breene Harimoto said he believes the proposal will pass the full board at its meeting at Konawaena High School in Kealakekua tomorrow evening. But there are reservations.
"We're all for high standards and increased rigor, but we don't want to set students up for failure," board member Karen Knudsen said yesterday. "When we implement this, we need to make certain that we have provisions in place that will assist students in succeeding."
Because schools traditionally offer six courses, or credits, a year, the new plan would mean students would have to pass all 24. As it is now, students have two credits of wiggle room.
Joan Husted, executive director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said remedial programs in school, which might be needed to help students meet the new requirements, take personnel and time.
"The biggest problem we see with it is that you're asking people to do more, but you're not giving them additional resources to do it," she said.
The department does not have figures on how many students graduate with just 22 credits, according to spokesman Greg Knudsen. About 30 percent of students now earn Board of Education Recognition diplomas, which require at least 24 credits and a 3.0 grade point average or better, he said.
Kimberly Shigeoka, who graduated from Aiea High School last year and is attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, predicted the new requirements would "definitely be a problem" for some students.
"Some of my friends, they just barely graduated," she said. "It wasn't necessarily because they weren't trying or anything. A lot of them had problems, personal or family. And not everyone can afford summer school. Some kids have jobs. Some have to work during the school year, too."
Shigeoka managed to earn 27.5 credits, she said, by taking band in a seventh period that met after school and an extra computer class, as well as summer courses. But those options aren't available to everyone, she said.
To make the new plan work, schools may have to alter curriculum and class schedules. Harimoto said he hoped it might spur a longer school day. Some high schools have already adopted schedules that allow students to take seven courses a year or more, without lengthening the school day.
"We basically do it by changing our bell schedule," said Waipahu High School Principal Pat Pedersen, a member of the Graduation Requirements Task Force. "It's just a matter of how you divide up the minutes within the week."
Students at her school take seven courses a year. Teachers teach for six periods, since their instructional time is limited by union contract, and use their seventh period for preparation and collaboration.
The graduation task force also advocated that students complete a senior project worth one credit. This individual research project could be developed in conjunction with other course work and presented to a panel. The board plans to make that part of the new Board of Education Recognition diploma, which would now require 25 credits.
