State lawmaker says the new diploma plan is missing some important subjects

Indianapolis, Indiana – A senator from Hamilton County is concerned that key academic areas are missing from a proposed overhaul of Indiana’s high school graduation criteria.

The Indiana Department of Education announced that new possibilities for work-based learning will be included in the revised criteria.

Requirements for language, health education, and international history will be eliminated, according to Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers).

“I’m concerned that my Hoosier graduates wouldn’t be able to receive acceptance into Indiana University or Purdue [University],” Garcia Wilburn said. “Two universities that attract students from all over the globe.”

The standards for the present diploma are out of date, according to State Education Secretary Dr. Katie Jenner. According to Jenner, the revised plan offers students the choice of selecting a course that prioritizes academic or professional abilities.

To introduce the suggested revisions, the Indiana Department of Education hosted a number of hearings this summer. There will be another meeting on Tuesday, July 30 at 10 a.m., so parents can voice any issues they may have.

Garcia Wilburn voted against a bill that was enacted by the state legislature in 2023, and which gives the state until December to adopt the new diploma standards.

“The emphasis of the bill was to quote reimagine high school,” Garcia Wilburn said. “I believed at the time that we already had significant structures in place in partnerships with our community colleges that would really allow those students that desired a more vocational pathway to pursue that.”

On Monday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m., Garcia Wilburn will host a listening session for her constituents at the Hamilton-East Library.