Graduation

Dumbing down or what?

May 8, , 2008 - Alabama finalized new graduation requirements. The changes are effective immediately, and the relaxed diploma requirements apply to the class of 2008.

The state Board of Education this morning approved changes in Alabama's high school graduation requirements that will put many students into a tougher curriculum but also will help weaker students earn diplomas on time.

Under the changes, students must pass only three of the five sections of the graduation exam to receive diplomas; two of those sections must be reading and math. Previously, students had to pass all five sections to get diplomas. However, incoming freshmen will automatically be placed on the advanced diploma track, also known as the college track, and won't be able to switch to the less demanding "regular" track without parents' permission.

TT - The newspaper does not link to the new requirements. They can be found at the Alabama Department of Education site. (The proposal is difficult to open and you have no option to open it in another web page.)

Found at the same site, a March 11, 2008 letter from the state Superintendent of Education to the state Board of Education members says that "Currently, 92% of all seniors pass 5/5 parts of the Graduation Exam."

The logical question should be, then, "Why should they change the requirement to 3/5 parts to graduate?"

Other requirements being considered.
October 29 - Dr. Eric Mackey, superintendent of the Jacksonville City School System, updated the Board of Education on new graduation requirements being considered by the state board during their work session Monday night.
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TT - The unhealthy preoccupation with graduation rates (see our previous coverage here and here) means that a lot of states are now focusing on unrealistic graduation rates. In Alabama, that goal is 90 percent. The reason is, one suspects, that secondary education in Alabama is a cash cow and a political patronage haven and source of political power and corruption. (the latest sentencing.) Most states expect 70% of their students to graduate.

The problem with graduation rates is that they focus on access to college, not preparation for college. What good does it do to graduate a student from high school who is functionally illiterate and unable to find a decent job? Only to send him or her to college where the dropout rate is more than 30% in the first year and 50% never graduate? Meanwhile, the student - 2/3rds of which receive student aid - wastes their time while the taxpayer assumes the burden for unpaid student loans. "What's the point of that?" was the question in this 2005 article.

That was three years ago. Before the financial aid scandals revealed how lucrative student loans could be for the colleges and universities. The financial interests of colleges and universities in student loans are still coming under fire. And not just in Iowa. Only New Jersey seems alone in tying state student scholarships to preparation and grades. Students will have to pay for their own remedial classes.

In the meantime, Alabama told local schools today that the state did not have enough money to make the October payroll for local schools.