Washington State Passes 24 Credit Graduation Requirement
I'll let Representative Gerry Pollet - who worked his ass off to make sure this law was fair to Sped students - tell you about it (written on March 12th):
Earlier today we did something terrific for our children and schools. We were faced with a punitive Senate bill to require every student to finish 24 credits to graduate from high school even if they were sick or homeless for some period of time, or had special education needs that were not met, and couldn't complete courses.
We would drive up the dropout rate when students who are behind discover there is no way to make up and graduate with their classmates.
As I pointed out repeatedly, the state and districts (like Seattle) don't even provide for free make-up, summer and remedial courses. This would have kicked in with students becoming freshmen a year from now - before we added guidance counselors, lowered class sizes, or provided students with options for career and technical education courses.
Earlier today we did something terrific for our children and schools. We were faced with a punitive Senate bill to require every student to finish 24 credits to graduate from high school even if they were sick or homeless for some period of time, or had special education needs that were not met, and couldn't complete courses.
We would drive up the dropout rate when students who are behind discover there is no way to make up and graduate with their classmates.
As I pointed out repeatedly, the state and districts (like Seattle) don't even provide for free make-up, summer and remedial courses. This would have kicked in with students becoming freshmen a year from now - before we added guidance counselors, lowered class sizes, or provided students with options for career and technical education courses.
The battle lines were firmly drawn on this bill for weeks.
A small group of my colleagues and I started Tuesday and worked through the night - touching base with every set of stakeholders from PTSA, our teachers, school directors, advocacy and business groups - finding a way to give every student the OPPORTUNITY to graduate from high school with 24 credits, requiring districts to take into account if students have unique hardships, and creating a commitment to provide those remedial and make-up courses. Students will be able to choose a career and technical path based equivalent alternative for their third year of math or science.
We also adopted into the bill an amendment of mine to review how to remove barriers to access for our students with disabilities (including dyslexia for the first time).
The bill passed the House 93 to 5! We went from a NO and fight with the Senate to a bill that everyone says is a great step forward for our children. Now, it will be a fair opportunity for our children with resources to help them graduate with a meaningful 24 credits.
Qur group of House Democrats fought against rigid implementation for the class of 2019. We provided that districts can extend the date if they don't have the resources to provide students with a meaningful opportunity.
Thanks to Representative Pollet for watching out for ALL our kids.
A small group of my colleagues and I started Tuesday and worked through the night - touching base with every set of stakeholders from PTSA, our teachers, school directors, advocacy and business groups - finding a way to give every student the OPPORTUNITY to graduate from high school with 24 credits, requiring districts to take into account if students have unique hardships, and creating a commitment to provide those remedial and make-up courses. Students will be able to choose a career and technical path based equivalent alternative for their third year of math or science.
We also adopted into the bill an amendment of mine to review how to remove barriers to access for our students with disabilities (including dyslexia for the first time).
The bill passed the House 93 to 5! We went from a NO and fight with the Senate to a bill that everyone says is a great step forward for our children. Now, it will be a fair opportunity for our children with resources to help them graduate with a meaningful 24 credits.
Qur group of House Democrats fought against rigid implementation for the class of 2019. We provided that districts can extend the date if they don't have the resources to provide students with a meaningful opportunity.
Thanks to Representative Pollet for watching out for ALL our kids.
Comments
I am completely baffled by this. It just seems like wishful thinking, in this wreck-public-education environment. Crazy, really.
The state currently requires 20 credits. See this web page for additional details.
Some school districts, however, have higher graduation requirements. Bellevue, for example, requires 23.5 credits.
Here in Seattle, the district requires 20 credits, but some schools require more. Hale, for example, requires 23.5 credits. How's that for equity and an aligned curriculum for ya?
Beyond the credits, students are required to do a project, prepare a plan, and, in some cases, perform community service. Each district and school interprets these requirements differently.
The state does not fund any credit recovery. So even if the state stepped up and fully funded six classes a day it would still mean that students who fail a class - even a single class - would have to find some way to make up the failed class - some way that isn't funded by the state.
Like plans
Impressed with Pollet and Co.? Hardly. In fact, this public education supporter is furious. The special education and community service and planning provisions are frosting on a cake of dog excrement.
What are we going to do in Seattle? Hold another PTA bake sale? Stupid.
46th Unbeliever
But Pollet fought to make this equitable and that's something.
As for the "senior plan"? Really, it's mostly a joke (as is the senior project). I think what would be better is to give the kids the resources to graduate their classes with good grades, some solid career/college counseling and some community service.
WAC 180-51-115 states "Special accommodations for individual students, or in lieu thereof, exemption from any requirement in this chapter, if such requirement impedes the student's progress toward graduation and there is a direct relationship between the failure to meet the requirement and the student's limitation."
This WAC only applies to credits, plans, and projects. It does not apply to assessment requirements.
--- swk
My senior thinks the senior project is worthless and busy work. She is doing something half-assed to fulfill the requirement and she is an honor student who will be going to college.
--- swke
The bill says: effective with the graduating class of 2015, the state board of education may not establish a requirement for students to complete a culminating project for graduation.
Here's a link to the bill. I found that language on page 8.
CCA
-FedMomof2
-sleeper
Colleges and universities would still have minimum entrance requirements and those students who aspire to attend a 4-year college or university would need to meet or exceed those, but students wouldn't be required to meet those for high school graduation.
--- swk