Revamped high school diploma approved after 'messy' process

This story will be updated.

Indiana’s Class of 2029 will graduate with new high school diploma requirements after months of debate, three drafts and thousands of public comments.

A 2023 law tasked the State Board of Education with adopting new rules by the end of the year. The board unanimously voted Wednesday to approve a recently updated draft of the requirements, which are intended to promote work-based learning and apprenticeships.

“This is certainly a long time coming for the board,” Indiana’s Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said. “We have spent hours, hours and hours listening to the many comments and ideas, solutions from Hoosiers around our state. We absolutely we’re able to improve the draft from the original.”

The final version of new high school graduation requirements mirrors some parts of current rules. But rather than earning diplomas like the Core 40, students will be able to earn seals after completing a base diploma. 

Those seals focus on college, joining the workforce or enlisting in the armed forces. 

The Indiana Department of Education’s first draft of the diploma rules, shared in March, would have made drastic changes to how high schoolers learn in the state. 

The department’s second draft unveiled in August was closer to the current rules but featured an honors and honors-plus option for students on each track. 

Board member Scott Bess told WFYI that he was happy with the final requirements although the state’s first draft embraced innovation. 

“I was a fan of the first iteration of it because I thought it did push the boundaries,” Bess said in an interview before Wednesday. “The communication and the stakeholder engagement prior to putting it out in the public was something…I would have pushed for more of that.”

Board member B.J. Watts said drafting the diplomas was “messy” work but he’s proud of where the board landed for students. 

The Indiana State Teachers Association voiced support for the approved draft. 

The current version shows “considerable” improvements, said Jerrell Blakeley, ISTA’s director of government, community, racial and social justice. 

“Educator voices have clearly been heard,” Blakeley said. “And ISTA sincerely appreciates the progress on these elements of the proposal.” 

This story will be updated.

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