HANCOCK COUNTY — When freshmen enter high school in coming days, they not only will need to get accustomed to more rigorous classes and schedule changes; they’ll also have to peer into the future and choose the best pathway to graduation.
The class of 2023 will have to meet three graduation pathways — approved by the Indiana State Board of Education in 2017 — over the next four years, rather than passing necessary courses and a graduation qualifying exam. They will have to complete project-, service- or work-based experiences, requirements officials say will help improve a student’s employability.
Students also have to do one of the following: pass the ACT or SAT; complete an honors diploma; earn industry certifications and apprenticeships; complete career-technical education credits; finish three AP or dual-credit classes; pass a U.S. military readiness exam; or go through a locally created pathway.
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The graduation requirements aren’t news to school corporations, as administrators have been preparing freshmen and other high schoolers over the past few school years. But they are a major change in how students will approach high school.
Harold Olin, superintendent of Greenfield-Central Schools, said leaders have had “deliberate conversations” with families as well as high school counselors about the newly created pathways.
“You can’t wait until senior year and say, oh by the way, you’ve got to check off all these boxes,” Olin said. “We’ve had those conversations before the kids have even walked into the high school.”
At New Palestine High School, a handful of graduates over the past two school years earned the new pathways, said Wes Anderson, director of school and community relations for Southern Hancock schools.
“Since we have those two years of familiarity, we feel pretty good about where we’re at,” he said.
For students who pursue the work-based learning experience at Greenfield-Central, Olin said some students can choose to learn technical skills through programs such as the aviation program that started last year in cooperation with Mt. Vernon schools; courses at the Walker Career Center; and a new HVAC class offered at the high school through Ivy Tech Community College.
Olin said the career-oriented classes are other opportunities for students to earn industry certifications and credentials that can help them become “employable in a high-wage, high-demand job.”
“We don’t want kids to have barriers to seeking out learning opportunities in the trades,” Olin said.
Students who wish to complete service-based learning experiences will have to do ongoing service opportunities, and project-based credits can be earned through capstone and research projects.
Adam Barton, principal of Eastern Hancock Middle/High School, said faculty will inform students about the opportunities available to them that will help them harness skills required by the new pathways and boost their appeal to future employers.
“One of the things that we will stress with them as they start their high school career,” Barton said, “is that they get involved in activities, clubs, sports, whatever they can get involved with to show evidence that they’re employable.”
Students will learn about jobs, clubs, 4-H, sports, band, choir and “anything that will get them active and involved in their education,” Barton said. Eastern Hancock students who attend the New Castle Career Center will also be able to fulfill the work-based pathway credit through vocational training.
Casey Dodd, principal at Mt. Vernon High School, also said students at the high school can earn the mandated learning experience skills through after-school activities and vocational school classes.
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The Indiana State Board of Education approved the following graduation pathway requirements for Indiana students, which first goes into effect for the class of 2023, this year’s freshmen.
1. High School Diploma. Meet the statutorily defined diploma credit and curricular requirements.
2. Employability Skills. Complete one of the following: Project-Based Learning Experience; Service-Based Learning Experience; or Work-Based Learning Experience.
3. Postsecondary-ready competencies. Complete one of the following: honors diploma; ACT; SAT; Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery exam; state- and industry-recognized credential or certification; federally-recognized apprenticeship; career technical education courses; AP/IB/dual credit courses; or a locally created pathway.
Source: Indiana Department of Education
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"One of the things that we will stress with them as they start their high school career is that they get involved in activities, clubs, sports, whatever they can get involved with to show evidence that they’re employable."
–Adam Barton, principal of Eastern Hancock High School and Middle School
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