Washington State should replace its current
one-size fits all diploma with three diplomas, similar to New York State’s Local,
Regents, and Advanced Regents diplomas.
It is my belief that Washington State
needs three different diplomas to radically improve the current system for all
students. The current requirements for a
diploma are inadequate because they contribute to a system operating largely as
a one-size fits-all system instead of respecting the vast diversity in the student
population. It fails to provide an appropriate educational opportunity that
meets each student’s needs.
Politicians like aspirational
goals that are strong on rhetoric and weak on contact with reality. No Child Left Behind was going to have 100% of
students proficient by 2014. Our state
legislators want “internationally competitive standards” achieved by all. The
current plan of one-diploma with high stakes testing and college ready courses,
when universally applied to all students as a graduation requirement, has no
chance of success because it makes no sense.
On August 5, the State Board of
Education lowered the cut score on the SBAC testing for passing to below the
“standard score for proficient”. Then explained
that this was done to ease the transition for our system and demonstrate
fairness to students. This statement was needed to maintain the dual illusions
of fairness and quality in this unfair one-diploma system.
This current system is incredibly
weak on fairness to students. If the current
monolithic graduation requirements were rigorously applied it would be a
“school to unemployment pipeline” for a significant number of pupils. Thus we find fakery and dishonesty in place
of rigor. The current system results in
teachers fudging the passing requirements for many courses as well as the
lowering of cut scores on state assessments.
For
several years, 25% of 8th grade students have been scoring at far below basic
on the MSP Math assessment. The SBE’s
expectations for high school students avoid reality and harm many students. We must offer appropriate remedial courses and revise the diploma
situation to move forward with a system that provides appropriate instruction
for all and maximizes the educational opportunity for each student regardless
of ability.
For the betterment of all
students we should put in place three levels of diplomas and the instruction to
support students in attaining these diplomas:
(1) The Academic Diploma with current graduation requirements in place in
regard to credits in required courses and measures of proficiency.
(2) An Advanced Academic Diploma (similar to NY State’s Advanced Regents
Diploma) that requires ACT or International Baccalaureate proficiency in at
least four subject areas as well as Math credits through Pre-Calculus, a
foreign language and meets all other current course requirements for
graduation.
(3) The General Diploma, which would require math through Algebra and
the passing of an End of Course Algebra assessment
as well as other realistic graduation requirements. (See NY State’s local diploma.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2mcoqb1prc8305u/SBE%20letter%202015%2008-12-15.docx?dl=0
1 comment:
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