Indiana's new high school diplomas spark concerns among university leaders

Indiana’s universities are raising the alarm of the state’s overhaul of high school diplomas, with some warning the current plan tips students toward the workforce instead of emphasizing academic rigor and preparing them for higher education or other post-graduate options.

In letters sent last month to top Indiana education leaders, presidents and administrators of the public institutions called for a reconsideration of the proposed graduation requirements.

Read letters from Indiana’s universities here

“Providing Indiana students more flexibility and opportunity in their education is certainly
a supportable concept,” wrote Aaron C. Trump, University of Southern Indiana’s vice president for government affairs, in a July 28 letter. But he told the Indiana’s Department of Education the proposed changes “do not appear to be able to achieve these goals and may have the unintended consequence of the opposite effect.”

In one of two letters from Purdue University, President Mung Chiang said the state’s current diploma proposal would not meet the university’s admission requirements. Indiana University’s admission standards for the Bloomington campus, which closely mirror Purdue’s, would also not be met.

For admission, Purdue and IU call for more courses in science, math, world languages and social studies. In the initial diploma proposal, students are not required to take Algebra II or geometry.

The state’s proposed plan would stop offering most existing diplomas — the Core 40, honors and technical — with the Class of 2028. The proposal creates two new diplomas with options for students to receive seals on their transcripts that emphasize their readiness for military enlistment, employment or college enrollment.

So far other universities in the state have joined Purdue and Southern Indiana and gave feedback, including: Indiana University, Indiana State University, Ball State University and Vincennes University.

Chris Lowery, commissioner of the Commission for Higher Education, who also received these letters, wrote in a statement that they are committed to preparing students for postsecondary education.

“The future of Indiana’s workforce, its ability to compete in a global economy, and the strength of its overall civil society depends on a highly skilled and educated workforce,” Lowery said.

Molly Williams, a spokeswoman for IDOE, said in a statement that feedback from higher education institutions is an “indispensable and statutorily required part of the process”.

IDOE said a continued partnership with ICHE and higher education institutions will be essential to developing new diplomas. The department provided WFYI the letters.

State Republican lawmakers have pushed a vision to “reinvent” traditional high school curriculum with an emphasis on more work-based learning options.  Gov. Eric Holcomb signed laws in the past two legislative sessions to alter high school curriculum and graduation requirements. A 2023 state law tasks the State Board of Education to adopt new requirements by the end of the year.

The education department said in August a revised draft of diplomas — known as GPS and GPS Plus — will be made public.

‘Particularly concerned’

Several universities were interested in further defining the enrollment seal, like Purdue and IU. They hope it will make applicants more “competitive” in the admissions process and “prepared” for college coursework, according to some letters.

A second letter from Purdue leadership offered up an enrollment seal model, which would meet the school’s admission requirements and provide a step toward solution. The idea is, a student would earn this type of seal on their diploma if they took courses that satisfied admission requirements.

But in Indiana State University’s letter, they shared fears about diploma seals confusing high school students and families, especially first-generation students.

“We are particularly concerned about the impact this proposal could have on their understanding of college preparation and decisions about higher education,” the university’s president wrote.

In its statement, IDOE said feedback from these situations is shaping the state’s proposed endorsement for students who complete college admission requirements. ICHE concurred that responses inform the seal’s development.

“As we review all of the feedback we have heard to date, the enrollment-ready seal will be key to ensuring every Hoosier student and their parents clearly understand the specific courses and experiences they need in high school in order to be successful in higher education,” Williams wrote.

Students who pursue one of the proposed diplomas can take classes beyond the requirements in a variety of subjects but what’s needed to graduate is less “rigorous,” some universities said.

The new diplomas, which focus significantly on work-based learning, would debut with the Class of 2029 although school districts can opt-in sooner.

Letters from university leaders

In a series of letters, the state’s major universities raised issues with whether or not these drafted diplomas will prepare students for demanding educational standards at the collegiate level.

Some specifically called for more math, science and world languages in the proposed curriculum plan. Currently, students would not be required to take any language courses.

IU President Pamela Whitten suggests that student performance at IU closely correlates college students who earned grades in higher-level high school courses, like U.S. History, anatomy, biochemistry and some math courses, rather than grades earned in lower-level high school classes.

In addition to the letter, IU staff have directly shared feedback and concerns with state education officials regarding these diploma requirements, according to a university spokesman.

The University of Southern Indiana was among the state’s tougher critics in the letters. They echoed concerns of their peers but added that the proposed diplomas will limit flexibility rather than extending it to students. That will have consequences, they wrote.

“It appears that workforce preparation, creating a pathway directly from high school to entry level employment, is given priority rather than aiming to provide all students with the necessary education and skills to access pathways to multiple opportunities, and ultimately be successful in all,” the letter said.

Ball State university leadership wants students’ preparedness to be at the forefront of diploma changes. They also suggested a communications plan to aid families and students who are interested in pursuing higher education.

Vincennes leaders said that comparable standards in math and english, like the current Core 40 diploma, which adds “expense and increases time to completion.”

The university said “GPS and GPS Plus requirements meet at least the same credit requirement, rigor, and annual quantitative reasoning coursework requirement of Core 40” in those subjects.

Rachel Fradette is the WFYI Statehouse education reporter. Contact Rachel at rfradette@wfyi.org.