Michigan's tougher graduation standards causing headaches

Michigan's tougher graduation standards causing headaches

by Tim Martin | The Associated Press
Sunday June 08, 2008, 9:45 AM

LANSING — As high school freshmen finish their first year of dealing with new, tougher high school graduation requirements, debate is breaking out over whether the standards ask too much of some students.

Chad Hoard, finishing his freshman year at Lowell High School, got a D in Algebra I, typically the first of four math credits now being required of those graduating in 2011. He worries about what will happen when the math classes get even more stringent.

"If you want to take these kinds of classes, you should be able to take them," the 14-year-old said. "But I don't think you should be forced into it."

Graduation Standards:
Michigan's new high school graduation standards are considered among the toughest in the nation. The requirements start with the graduating class of 2011, which finishes ninth grade this month.

• Four years (or credits) each of math (including Algebra I and II and geometry) and English.

• Three years each of science and social studies.

• One year each of physical education and the arts.

• An online learning experience.

• Two years of foreign language are added to requirements starting with the class of 2016, which finishes fourth grade this month.

• Some students may get approval because of special circumstances to slightly alter the requirements, and still get diplomas.

• Most special education students are expected to finish the regular Michigan curriculum and earn diplomas. Individualized education plans, however, will determine cases where a student can still get a diploma by completing as much as is deemed practicable for the student. In some cases where a student can't meet the requirements, a local district may choose to give the student a certificate of completion rather than a diploma.

Hoard, who gets B's and C's in most subjects, has spent countless hours doing extra work to try and keep pace in math, work he'll likely continue this summer.

His mother, Sherri Hoard, is among those worried there might not be enough flexibility built into the new requirements. Starting with the freshmen who are wrapping up the school year this month, students won't get a diploma unless they complete four years or credits of math and English and three years of science and social studies.

"I see a lot of kids becoming frustrated by this," she said.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan says the new graduation standards -- considered among the nation's toughest -- are crucial to Michigan's economic future and to having a well-educated, well-prepared work force. Students have to be better prepared or they won't be able to compete for jobs, he and others say. They're fighting to keep the requirements intact.

"Most of the districts see the writing on the wall. Most of them are not on board with watering it down," Flanagan said. "And the ones that are, I think they need to be challenged."

Representatives from some school districts are telling lawmakers that the new standards could force more of this year's freshmen to eventually drop out of school. Michigan's high school graduation rate already is only 70 percent, by some estimates, and some educators say the likelihood of failure will cause more students to leave.

They note that, in some districts, a third of freshmen failed either algebra or English last fall during the first semester. But the failure rate was well under 10 percent in some districts.

Some district saw rates improve in the second half of the school year. Other districts aren't ready to draw conclusions about how well students are adapting because not all the second semester grades are in.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the new requirements into law in 2006, so school districts have had two years to prepare students to meet them. Some districts are launching programs to help struggling students deal with classes that students in earlier years may have simply avoided.

Hazel Park High School, for instance, is adding a summer program so this year's freshmen can catch up on algebra or English credits they were unable to complete. Signup is this week, and organizers say they wouldn't be surprised if more than 150 students from Hazel Park and surrounding suburban Detroit districts apply for the program.

Some districts have changed how and when they teach the required math classes, spreading subjects such as Algebra II over more than one year or having students take Algebra I in middle school.

Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte started preparing for the new high school requirements two years ago. It now teaches Algebra I in 8th grade, giving students more flexibility and time to earn the necessary credits to graduate. Geometry, normally taught to sophomores, now is taught in 9th grade.

"We need to do the right things for the right reasons," Principal Mary McFarlane said. "It doesn't make any sense to throw up your hands and say, 'The kids can't do this.' The majority can."

Advocates of the new standards argue students will rise to meet the expectations if they're given the proper support and motivation. Knowing they have to pass the classes to graduate could provide incentive to work hard, supporters add.

Ogemaw Heights High School in the northern Lower Peninsula has started academic centers to give students extra help and arrange tutoring in math, science and English. Nearly one in five freshmen took advantage of the program during the school year. The district also has stepped up its community mentoring program.

But the concerns of parents in the district caused Democratic state Rep. Joel Sheltrown to introduce a bill that would create a dual diploma system. The West Branch lawmaker's proposal would allow students who don't complete Algebra II to get a separate diploma equal to a regular one. He said that would help students stay in vocational training programs.

"The real question here in my eyes is relevancy," Sheltrown said. "I just think that we are putting everyone in the same mold, trying to pound everybody into the same box."

But state education officials argue the math requirements reflect what students need to know to succeed in the global economy. Lowering standards, they say, would limit a student's options.

State officials also say Michigan's graduation requirements are more flexible than many parents, educators and lawmakers realize. Some math credits can be earned, for example, through career and technical training programs. And in some cases, diplomas can be awarded with only partial completion of Algebra II.

Students also could stay a fifth year in high school if they haven't finished meeting the requirements.

"We're still very early in the process," Flanagan said. "Why would we give up? We're in the first quarter of the football game here."