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State Board
Expands High School Requirements
Gongwer News Service, December 13, 2005
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As expected, the
State Board of Education adopted Tuesday a policy for high
school graduation requirements. But the board added to the
requirements before asking the Legislature to add them to the
School Code.
The policy adopted by the board, based on a proposal by
Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan, would
require, in addition to the original four years of mathematics,
four years of English, three years of science, three years of
social science, one year of health and physical education and
one year of art plus two years of foreign language.
Board members said the requirement was needed to ensure students
meet the needs of international employers.
The new curriculum now has to get past the Legislature, where
leaders have already indicated there may not be support for some
of the requirements beyond math, science and reading.
Governor Jennifer Granholm told the board personally Tuesday
that she would support the 18 credits of required coursework
laid out by the board. "Now that you've done this in a
bipartisan fashion ...let us work together to shepherd this
through," Ms. Granholm said.
The effort will face two obstacles: ideology and finance.
Republican conservatives have argued that some of the
requirements, particularly social science, open the door for
students to be propagandized as well as taught. And school
officials said the proposal would add costs to their already
tight budgets.
Mr. Flanagan said he supported the additions the board made to
the requirements. "I hope they'd consider more," he said of
legislators who have indicated they would want to cut back on
the requirements. "It's in their court now."
"We visited members of the House and Senate Education committees
and we generally got a very positive response," said board
President Kathleen Straus (D-Bloomfield Township), though those
visits were made before the board expanded the requirements. She
said the board members were able to answer many of the questions
and alleviate many of the concerns legislators raised.
School superintendents said they did not have the money in their
budgets to meet the new requirements on the timeline that Mr.
Flanagan announced. If the legislation is in place by March 1,
the proposal calls for the new requirements to be effective for
the Class of 2010, meaning ninth graders in 2006-07 would have
to be offered the first round of classes under the requirements.
Bruce Kefgen, superintendent of East Detroit Public Schools
agreed on the need to move quickly on approving graduation
requirements. "We must do it right this time or precious time
and future students will be lost," he said.
But he said the proposed timeline for these requirements is too
quick. In many cases schools will have to hire and train new
teachers, particularly for the math and science requirements, he
said.
In addition to time on certain skills, the requirements include
all students taking at least through algebra II, biology and
either chemistry or physics.
"That supply of highly qualified teachers will be quickly
exhausted by the requirement," he said.
But Justin King, executive director of the Michigan Association
of School Boards which has opposed mandates on local districts,
said this does not qualify as a mandate. "What you're really
saying to us is the state is going to set the parameters and how
that gets carried out is in the hands of local school boards,"
he said. "That's a lot of flexibility in all that."
He noted that the policy requires credits, not specific courses.
And Mr. Flanagan has made clear at all of his presentations that
the plan is to allow districts to provide the coursework through
alternative classes as long as they can show the classes are
providing the required information.
Some board members, following public comments collected, also
raised concerns that the requirements may be too high for many
students.
"I want children to stretch and strive, but I'm also realistic
enough to think there could be a rise in dropout rates over
this," said board Secretary Carolyn Curtin (R-Evart). "I will
support the requirements, but I'm scared of that one provision,"
she said of the algebra II requirement.
"If we're offering an opt-out situation, there's going to be a
rush to do that," said board member Marianne McGuire
(D-Detroit). "I'd rather see us with three years of math with
algebra II as an elective."
"We have to get over this mindset that we cant get past a
certain point with certain kids," Mr. Flanagan said. "The bottom
line is virtually all kids can do this."
Chief Academic Officer Jeremy Hughes said both universities and
employers are looking for people with at least advanced algebra
skills. "From the research that we've done, that seems to be a
minimal level of mathematics for success in the career field as
well as in higher education," he said of the algebra II class.
And while the policy would allow for students to move away from
the state-mandated curriculum in their junior year if they were
not going to be able to complete it on time, Mr. Flanagan said
that was intended as a "fail safe", not as an opportunity to opt
out. Mr. Hughes noted that officials in one of the states that
has offered an alternative, less rigorous, curriculum said they
would not do that had they to create their program over because
too many students are selecting that less rigorous option.
The addition of the language requirement raised additional
concerns that students would not have time to take alternative
programs such as career and technical education. But in addition
to allowing those technical education classes to absorb some of
the required curriculum, board members also offered additional
thoughts on options.
Mr. Hughes pointed to a program in New York where technical
education and traditional subject teachers work cooperatively,
trading classrooms to ensure those in the technical classes have
time with a qualified teacher in mathematics or other subject.
And he said in some states they have put the topics not covered
in an alternative programt into special classes that can be
taken during the summer or other alternative time.
Board member Nancy Danhof (R-East Lansing) argued that courses
did not necessarily have to be taught five days a week. Students
could then take more than six classes (the normal course load)
every term.
Ms. Granholm said the schools needed simply to recognize the
need for the change and adapt to it. "This is really an
imperative," she said. "They will need to put the pedal to the
metal and meet these expectations."
Labor and Economic Growth Director David Hollister said the
requirements were essential to bringing the state out of the
economic doldrums. "Workforce development is critical to
improving our economy," he told the board. "Today's action is
critical to our long term ability to compete in an increasingly
competitive, technological world."
The board also worked to make the policy more flexible. The art
requirement is now for visual or performing arts, which board
members indicated would include programs ranging from theater,
painting and art history to photography and graphic design.
The requirements are more strict for the health and physical
education course, however, as it would not longer allow
participation in team sports as an option.
The English requirement also expanded some, with the board
adding that expository as well as creative writing would be
among the subjects, as would understanding informational texts.
Students would also be expected to have grammar lessons.
The board's approval of the standards Tuesday began the
opportunity for work on the proposal in the Legislature, but it
may not end there. Board members will be working with
legislators in the coming weeks and months to move a package
through that would put the graduation requirements in the School
Code, but they also worded the resolution adopting the standards
to allow them non-legislative options as well.
The resolution called on the Legislature and the governor to
enact "complementary" legislation to the policy of the board.
Mr. Flanagan stood firmly on the opinion that the standards
could not happen without legislative approval. "The bottom line
is the governor and the Legislature need to do this," he said.
"They want to show that as a state board they can set this out
there," he said of the language of the resolution.
But Ms. Danhof, who wrote the original motion and approved the
modifications to it, said the language designed to specifically
not limit the board to recommending legislative action. "I was
merely trying to create some room," Ms. Danhof said. "If the
legislation were never ever to come about, the state board is
not going to stop doing the right thing."
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