WESTFIELD — The future requirements to graduate from high school in Indiana are unclear.
The newest proposal by the Indiana Department of Education has some Westfield teachers concerned.
"The base diploma isn't qualifying our students for college,” Charlene Heinzman, a German Teacher at Westfield High School, said. “Which 76% of our students indicate that they would like to go to college."
Under the new proposal released Wednesday, foreign language is only required for one of the three seal options. Students must earn 42 credits to graduate, including 12 electives.
WATCH | Indiana Department of Education unveils new high school diploma plan
Heinzman worries requiring students to choose a track will pigeonhole them if they change their mind later.
"If a student thinks their freshman year that they would like to join the military and they work on that enlistment track, but then they develop some kind of health problem that excludes them from military services, is it too late now to go into one of the other tracks,” Heinzman questioned.
Other foreign language teachers worry that failing to require students to learn a different language could make them less competitive.
"Graduates need to be able to communicate in other languages and understand other cultures,” Jen Hasler-Troutman, a Spanish Teacher at Westfield High School, said. “So, it's not just multilingual, it's also intercultural that are important for all aspects of our communities and our state."
Career and technical education teachers worry the employment track may be difficult to offer in rural communities.
"Let's say a student wants to go into the restaurant industry and that's the pathway that they are following,” Nikki Heflin, a Culinary Arts Teacher at Westfield High School, said. “Some communities and school districts don't even have a restaurant in that area. So, how is that equitable?”
The teachers hope IDOE will take these questions into consideration. The agency is required to have a final draft of the new diploma requirements by the end of December.
