Career Council Meets To Discuss Core 40 Requirements

The amount of classes Indiana high schoolers must take to graduate could be changing as the state explores more rigorous requirements to earn a diploma.

The Indiana Career Council met Monday to discuss proposed changes to the default diploma option, known as Core 40.

As we reported last week, there are four types of diplomas for Hoosier high schoolers:

• the general diploma (the most basic)
• the Core 40
• Academic Honors
• Technical Honors

The proposed changes would offer three, combining the two honors diplomas.

The new default, referred to as the College and Career Ready Diploma, would require at least 44 credits, up from 40.  Students would be required to take more math, science, and social studies classes and two new classes will become mandatory – a career prep class and a financial literacy course.

State Superintendent Glenda Ritz says a major focus will be new college and career readiness sequences – pathways students can follow in a variety of areas, including career and technical education and fine arts.

“Making sure that we really have good, robust plans going forward for students and they really can map out where it is that they think they’re going to be headed,” Ritz explains,

Ritz says the proposed changes should be finalized by December and presented to the General Assembly, which would have to adopt them into law.

The changes wouldn’t take effect until the 2018-2019 school year.