Trustees delay diploma decision

By NANCY KIMBALL

The Daily Inter Lake

The Kalispell high-school classes of 2010 and later will graduate under a tiered recognition system, but the school board will decide soon whether that means two distinct diplomas.

Students have been told now, however, that by 2010 they will need to earn at least two credits more than their current diplomas require.

That is how school trustees left a committee's recommendation Tuesday night for the additional credits and two diplomas to be offered beginning in 2010. The committee's work was prompted by the school board's October decision to shift from a six-period to a seven-period class day, beginning next fall.

Under their proposal, to be phased in during the next three years, minimum credits required to graduate with a standard diploma would be increased from the current 20 credits to 22.

But students who pass six or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes during high school and compile at least 24 credits would earn a "merit diploma."

In subsequent years, students who focus their electives in a specific career area and complete senior projects, internships and a career-field communications course could add a career-field distinction designation to either of those diplomas. The committee had not finished its work on that point before presenting its recommendation at a school board work session last week.

During lengthy discussion at Tuesday's regular board meeting, trustees wholeheartedly agreed with increasing the number of credits required for graduation.

But they stopped short of setting up what could be viewed as two levels of quality in diplomas - by pulling out the merit diploma for further consideration.

"When you start creating a tiered diploma, I can't support that," trustee Mark Lalum told his fellow trustees.

"It creates a hierarchy. It tells the band student" - and others who pursue interests outside the courses recognized by the tiered diploma - " 'Your diploma is not as good.' It's against my philosophy," Lalum said.

Several trustees who had backed the proposal acknowledged that Lalum had a valid point, and reconsidered their positions.

Ultimately, they agreed to offer some type of recognition for students who complete course work beyond the minimum. But they agreed the recognition could come as an honors cord at graduation or means other than a separate diploma.

The committee's proposal phases in the extra two-credit requirement during the next three years and adds the merit diploma option in the third year. Students scheduling classes will tailor their choices to the new requirements.

The 22-credit minimum for a standard diploma brings Flathead High School and, beginning next fall, Glacier High School in line with the Flathead Valley's other public schools.

It does not, however, provide the minimum credits for university admission without the student choosing another half-credit of social studies and a full credit of math in place of electives. It would provide the basics for admission to a community college. Any post-secondary education depends on the student meeting requirements for grade-point average, college admission testing, high-school course rigor and other standards.

Those points are the same as Flathead's current diploma.

Trustees had a number of concerns with the committee's proposal.

One was whether requiring two more credits will increase the dropout rate. Glacier High Principal Callie Langohr showed that current students must pass 80 percent of their classes under the six-hour day to earn 20 credits. They will need to pass 79 percent under a seven-hour day to earn 22 credits. For a merit diploma, it jumps to 86 percent.

Running Start classes at the college do not count as AP or IB classes, because the high school does not control the rigor of courses taken, she said. Flathead High Principal Peter Fusaro answered another question - the merit diploma's requirement for two years of international language in the same language, not in different languages, aligns with university standards.

There also was concern about whether the school's commitment to a career-cluster curriculum could be thwarted by the tiered diploma, which specifies AP and IB classes and does not leave enough electives to firm up a career base.

The impression of inequality with tiered diplomas is what bothered trustees the most.

Trustee Keith Regier compared the distinction with honor roll recognition.

"No," Lalum countered, "we are creating a whole separate diploma."

Trustee Colleen Unterreiner argued that the merit diploma would not require any student to take AP or IB courses, but encourage them to push themselves academically.

"My motivation is to build that into school," Unterreiner said, "to tell them they can try harder."

Trustee Eve Dixon argued to raise the academic bar by requiring the extra two credits for a standard diploma, but still acknowledge a student's work in advanced and career classes.

Trustee Ivan Lorentzen noted that separating students based on accomplishments is a classroom reality. It would be the same as recognizing valedictorians and honors students at graduation, Unterreiner said.

"But why do we have to honor them with a diploma?" Dixon asked. "Why can't there be a distinction? It's fine to have more credits, but not a separate diploma."

Superintendent Darlene Schottle explained the committee's rationale that students are not likely to step up to the bar unless 24 credits and AP or IB classes are required for the merit diploma.

Trustee Don Murray praised the proposal, but questioned the process.

"What we are doing indicates very fundamental concerns" for academic rigor, dropout rates and more, Murray said. "The committee did a wonderful job, but what we got back was a … sanitized report. We didn't get the benefit of hearing your debate. We missed out on some of these weighty debates that help us form the impressions we do."

"We really didn't have a lot of that type of debate," said Anna Marie Bailey, a trustee who also sat on the committee. Students on the committee, she said, were high achievers who may not have been able to represent the full spectrum of the student body.

"So I'm hearing [that we need] to hold off on the two tiers, but to vote to raise the requirement to 22 credits," Bailey summarized.

Several agreed that college admissions offices examine high-school transcripts, so a merit diploma could be less important than academic rigor.

"But this merit diploma might be the only thing a kid will take away that says, 'You are smart,'" Murray said.

"That's exactly why I oppose it," Lalum countered. "The curriculum should be rigorous regardless if you are in auto mechanics [or something else] … We don't need to second-class our students. It all needs to be rigorous."

Dixon argued that career clusters would help motivate students, without the merit diploma.

Many Flathead students take far more credits than required. Despite the 20-credit minimum, last year 98 seniors graduated with 26 or more credits, 217 had 23 or more, and 30 had 22 or more. At the other end of the spectrum, 38 senior had fewer than 20 credits.

By adding a seventh class period, administrators argued, that latter group could have more chances to earn required credits.