Raising Graduation Requirements
Latest: May 24 – the School Board voted 6:1 to raise graduation requirements along with a firm commitment to secure new funding or “align current resources” for essential support programs. Testimony received during meeting helped board rethink wording of this proposal to include significant fiscal impacts needed for successful outcome.
May 25, 2005 - School board mulls change
May 26, 2005 - 9-R OKs new graduation requirements
Why not just go ahead and set higher expectations? Isn't that one of several well documented strategies for increasing achievement?
While everyone is in favor of setting high expectations for our children, and everyone wants higher academic achievements for all students, not everyone agrees on how best to go about it. This proposal opens up an enormous topic heavily researched in other communities.
We believe this could be a perfect moment for deeper discussions on the complex topic of achievement. In keeping with the purpose of this website, we urge genuine community engagement around this issue. Some of us are concerned about how the District will secure funds to implement recommendations from the Minority Achievement Task Force. Some believe that if the 9-R Board chooses to raise the bar, it will be obligated to guarantee that this increase in course requirements is accompanied by improved guidance and advisement systems, and more engaging, individualized, student-centered instructional strategies.
Using research and best practices elsewhere, key community residents already concerned about our own achievement gaps and the overall richness of our high school curriculum might well sit down together to collaborate. Exciting programs could take shape that would benefit all our children. In Maryland , community advocates recently collaborated to create a model five year program to close the achievement gap in Harford County.
We also believe the board has a responsibility to carefully consider the possibility of any unintended consequences. We recommend using this opportunity to listen to current high school students, DHS alumni, students who have dropped out and are pursuing GED's, school counselors, parents and anyone with an interest or expertise in achievement strategies. This is an opportunity to address underlying causes of achievement differences
Different people have different concerns:
Some worry that by just raising the bar without committing additional resources or implementing innovative new community based strategies, we will end up with a “quick fix” - an underfunded mandate like No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Many strong supporters of higher expectations are asking that answers be given to the following questions before this proposal is approved:
• What new support strategies and resources is the District committing to create to ensure all students can navigate the higher requirements?
• Students' counseling needs already exceed DHS staff's ability to cover them; Where will the money come from to fund the new support systems?
• Questions for current DHS students: How much time have you spent with your counselor on planning your courses in order to prepare for college entrance?
• The new proposed credit requirements decrease the number of required elective courses. How much attention will the District's new strategies pay to the role that electives -vocational courses, arts, drama, journalism, etc - play in students' lives. Electives are often the spark that ignites a student's engagement with learning. If over their four years, students take fewer electives on a fast track to graduation, how well will we have served them?
Are we going to support broader, not narrower visions for what a high school education can be about?
We believe healthy adolescents need to explore a wide variety of choices in their high school classes. High school is the time to discover unknown talents and pursue unique interests and passions. We want classroom choices available that will instill enthusiasm, sustain energy and efforts so students graduate with the best set of skills and experiences to reach their potential, not just with the numbers checked off on their transcripts, or against CCHE requirements.
Read Durango Herald Article from May 9th, 2005.
Board member Chris Paulson expressed concerns that “the tougher requirements could lead to higher dropout rates among minority students and others who struggle with their studies.” "I worry whether we've given appropriate notice to middle-school students and their parents," Paulson said. "Some kids may be headed to vo-tech or the military, but all the kids would be required to meet the CCHE requirements. … I have had some real problems with this."
To read the District's proposal and to comment via email, http://www.durango.k12.co.us/pio/GRADUATION/gradrequirements2009.htm
See this research on effective leadership strategies for engaging community stakeholders.
ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY: STRATEGIES THAT WORK (pdf) Partnerships that integrate community resources into the schools, offering academic, social, emotional, and other forms of support to students and their families so that, together, they can improve student learning and strengthen the fabric of their communities.