INDIANA – State education leaders have unveiled a revised overhaul of high school diplomas.
On Wednesday, the Indiana State Board of Education unveiled its new plan for high school diplomas after the board and Education Secretary Dr. Katie Jenner received backlash over the GPS diploma plan.
The first proposal emphasized work-based learning. Middle school students would have chosen between the Graduated Prepared to Success (GPS) diploma and the GPS Plus diploma.
The new plan offers one base diploma.
The new plan will still seek the flexibility of the GPS plan, but Dr. Jenner says now students will be able to earn an “Honors Seal” or an “Honors Plus Seal,” which will cover many of the core courses they will need to meet college admission requirements.
The Honors seal requires language courses, while the Honors Plus seal requires getting an associate’s degree in high school.
The board will now seek input from Hoosiers about the second plan.
Dr. Jenner says the second plan will “maximize the flexibility for students to personalize the journey while maintaining rigor.
“This second one was probably, I would say, our weakest point, and I own that with the first proposal,” added Dr. Jenner. “The simplicity just was not there. It was too complex.”
