SOME OFFICIALS SAY ALTERNATIVE DIPLOMA WOULD HURT TRADE PROGRAMS
By SONU MUNSHI
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Tuesday, Nov. 13) _ A state proposal to allow college-bound high school students to pursue an optional “Regents’ Diploma” would hurt enrollment in programs teaching trade skills, several school officials said Tuesday.
At a state Board of Education hearing on proposed changes to graduation requirements, the officials noted with concern that students pursuing Regents’ Diplomas wouldn’t receive credit for vocational programs used by about 80 school districts.
Arizona has 11 Joint Technological Educational Districts allowing high school students to earn course credit for learning trade skills in areas such as construction, cosmetology and nursing.
In the last school year, nearly 135,000 students earned vocational credit.
“The way this proposal is set up right now, it’ll be real hard to attract students to technical courses,” said Chester Crandell, superintendent of Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology, used by 11 districts in northeastern Arizona.
“This is taking what we’re doing and widening the gap again, where career and technical education becomes the red-headed stepchild and everybody is going to be on track to go to college,” said Brian Forstall, industrial technology coordinator for the Tucson Unified School District.
That suggests to the community, parents and schools that technical school is inferior to going to college, Forstall said.
According to the state Board of Education proposal, part of a plan to raise high school math and science requirements, high schools would offer a standard diploma and a Regents’ Diploma.
Beginning in 2008, for a standard high school diploma incoming freshmen will have to complete three years of math rather than two. Beginning 2009, that requirement increases to four years of math and three years of science, up from two.
To get a Regents’ Diploma, which meets admissions requirements for state universities, students must take an advanced math class and two years of a foreign language.
While students seeking a standard diploma can take a year of fine arts or vocational education, those seeking a Regents’ Diploma have only the option of taking a fine arts class.
Some of those at Tuesday’s hearing said officials risk creating an elitist system.
“The Regents’ Diploma will make the standard diploma ‘less than’ and will be termed less rigorous, which is not the case,” said Tony Maldonado, director of Star Tech Professional Center, which serves Paradise Valley Unified School District.
Kyle Kelman, career and technical education literacy coach at Paradise Valley High School, said giving students the Regents’ Diploma option is negating the effort by trade schools to include practical math and science applications.
“Are you saying our cabinet-making program doesn’t require math?” Kelman said. “Calculus doesn’t always work in reality.”
Karen Nicodemus, the board’s president, said in a telephone interview after the hearing that the feedback echoed sentiments received via e-mails and letters in the past few weeks.
“The board is well aware and is concerned about the questions raised,” Nicodemus said.
The board’s intent was to provide flexibility and multiple routes to get a diploma, not to create a two-tier system, Nicodemus said.
“Some adjustments need to be added for greater flexibility, and I’ll bring that up with the board,” Nicodemus said.
Another public hearing is set for Nov. 30. The board is likely to take final action on the proposed changes Dec. 10.
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Web Link:
_ Arizona Department of Education: www.azed.gov