Jennifer McCormick leads the State Board of Education meeting May 10. (photo credit: Eric Weddle/WFYI)
A new federal education law would make thousands of diplomas known as general diplomas no longer count toward a school’s graduation rate. It’s a move that Indiana’s schools chief says “blindsided” the state.
“Obviously the state recognizes those diplomas, employers are recognizing those diplomas,” says Jennifer McCormick, Indiana superintendent of public instruction. “This will just make it more problematic.”
Students with significant cognitive disabilities can pursue a credential known as a certificate of completion, which is less rigorous than a high school diploma. (Photo Credit: Alexander McCall/WFIU News)
State officials plan to develop new courses of study for special education students on track to receive a certificate instead of a high school diploma. Officials are expected to present a plan to the Indiana State Board of Education Wednesday.
Students with significant cognitive disabilities can pursue a credential known as a certificate of completion, which is less rigorous than a high school diploma. This typically extends to students who may communicate using few phrases, be medically fragile or have severe motor challenges.
A new study shows college students who set clear studying goals earn better grades.(Chris Moncus/Wikimedia)
If college students want a better chance at getting As in their classes, new research says setting goals at the beginning of the semester increases the opportunity to earn better grades.
Victoria Prowse is an associate professor of economics at Purdue University and helped conduct research on how goal setting affected the grades of college students. The study worked with 4,000 students at a large, public university, all taking a required class.
Graduation rates will now be calculated using only Core 40, a state diploma aimed at students who want to go on to four-year colleges or professional fields, and International Baccalaureate diplomas. (Lauren Chapman/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
Indiana’s general diploma will no longer be considered when calculating school and district graduation rates, state officials announced Friday.
In a memo to principals and superintendents, the state said it will also no longer count students who earn general diplomas in the state’s A-F rating system.
Sen. Kenley, R-Noblesville, will retire in September. He was a leader in crafting budgets. (photo credit: Bill Shaw/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
The future of education legislation at the Statehouse could change with Senate budget architect Luke Kenley retiring this fall.
As one of the people in charge of crafting the state budget, Kenley is known for being frugal and a moderate voice when it comes to financial choices in a Republican super majority.
English learner proficiency and chronic absenteeism will now be included in school A-F calculations. (photo credit: Claire McInerny/ Indiana Public Broadcasting)
The state will now consider chronic absenteeism and how non-native speakers are learning English when calculating school A-F grades.
Indiana’s career and technical education programs are growing rapidly. Students from around the nation compete each year in job skills contests at the SkillsUSA national competition, pictured here. (Peter Balonon-Rosen/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
What’s the point of high school? To get students ready for college or the workforce?
For years, Indiana officials have gone back and forth.
“Indiana has tended to shift one way and say ‘everyone needs a four year degree’ and then we shift the other way and say ‘we just need technical certifications,'” says Molly Deuberry, Indiana Department of Education spokesperson. “Really, the truth is in the middle, we need a great mix of all of those things.”
The Indiana Statehouse. (Peter Balonon-Rosen/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
The majority of bills Gov. Eric Holcomb signed after this past legislative session take effect Saturday. Here’s a quick recap of which education laws will soon be official.
Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, has been chair of the House Education Committee since 2011 when the General Assembly passed the law to create the private school voucher system. (Credit: General Assembly)
Results from the first-ever study of Indiana’s school voucher system found negative academic effects among low-income students in math, but also showed the same students could match or outperform public school peers in English – if they remained in the private school long enough.
The data set off a wave of response in the state and nation. Critics and champions of the controversial program used the results to back their notions of whether private school vouchers benefit students who leave public schools.
It is the education debate of the Trump era. With the president and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos using policy and the bully pulpit to champion private school vouchers, supporters and critics have tangled over the question:
Do low-income, public school students perform better when they’re given a voucher to attend a private school?
For years, the answer from researchers has been a muddle, while a handful of recent studies have clearly shown voucher students backsliding academically. But no one has studied the largest, single statewide program in the nation …
Until now.
More than 34,000 students are enrolled in Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program. That’s 3 percent of students statewide. In a recent investigation of the program, NPR found some private schools turning away children with disabilities and LGBTQ students, but it was impossible to say, at the time, whether those students who are using vouchers are any better off academically.
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