Saturday, November 21, 2009
Board alters graduation requirements
More emphasis on math, science classes at South Dakota high schools
BY BOB MERCER, American News Correspondent
Published on Tuesday, November 03, 2009
PIERRE - High school graduation didn't get any easier Monday. And for those who struggle with algebra, graduation very possibly became twice as difficult.
The state Board of Education adopted new requirements that mandate students in South Dakota must take one unit each of Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry.
Students can seek a waiver for either Algebra II or geometry, but not both, and they must take another math course as a replacement.
Students also must take at least one unit of chemistry or physics unless they get a waiver and take a replacement course in lab science.
“This has been more fun than a trip to the dentist,” Kelly Duncan of Dakota Dunes, the board's chairman, said after three hours of hearing and deliberations were finished late Monday afternoon.
Students currently in high school can graduate under the new requirements or the requirements that have been in place the past five years. Freshmen students entering high school in fall 2010 will be subject to the new requirements.
Legislative reversal
The changes came in response to a reversal by the Legislature last winter.
Since 2004, South Dakota had been operating under two sets of graduation requirements for high school students. Students had been automatically enrolled in the advanced curriculum designed to prepare students for college, unless their parents opted that they take the basic curriculum that placed less emphasis on higher math and science.
This year, the Legislature changed its mind and eliminated the basic curriculum, in effect forcing the state board to rewrite the graduation requirements in a way to fit all students' needs and abilities.
State Education Secretary Tom Oster said the new requirements will be “a much more rigorous mandated curriculum than we have today.”
The state Board of Regents, whose members govern South Dakota's public universities, continued to push Monday for requirements to remain as high as possible in math and science.
Regents Harvey Jewett of Aberdeen testified that students and their parents need counseling so they understand the economic consequences of waiving Algebra II, geometry, physics or chemistry.
Controversy
Oddly, much of the controversy on Monday came over requirements for physical education, health education and fine arts.
School districts will be allowed to fulfill the requirement of one-half unit of health in either middle school or high school. The health requirement takes effect with the freshman class of 2013.
School districts will be granted a local to option to decide whether to give credit for extracurricular activities to fulfill the requirement of one unit of fine art.
But districts won't be allowed to count extracurricular activities for meeting the requirement of one-half unit of physical education.
One other change important to some legislators is the flexibility students will now receive to apply career and technical education courses toward meeting graduation requirements.
A complaint about the two-track system that has been in place was that the advanced curriculum didn't provide enough flexibility for career and technical education courses.
Required units
Under South Dakota's new graduation requirements, high school students will need to take:
Four units of language arts, including 1.5 units of writing, 1.5 units of literature including one-half unit of American literature, one-half unit of speech or debate and one-half unit of a language elective.
Three units of mathematics, including one unit of Algebra I, one unit of Algebra II and one unit of geometry. Students can seek a waiver for either Algebra II or geometry and need to take one unit of other math as a substitute.
Three units of lab science, including one unit of biology, one unit of any physical science, and one unit of chemistry or physics. Students can seek a waiver for the chemistry/physics unit, but need to take one unit of another lab science as a substitute.
Three units of social science, including one unit of U.S. history, one-half unit of U.S. government, one-half unit of world history, and one-half unit of geography, along with one-half unit of their choice.
One unit in any combination from world language, career and technical education courses, and service learning or what's known as a “capstone experience” such as an internship, pre-apprenticeship, research project or business model development. This requirement takes effect for the freshman class of 2013.
One unit of fine arts, with school districts receiving the option to give credit for extracurricular activities.
One-half unit of personal finance or economics.
One-half unit of physical education.
One-half unit of health or health integration, starting with the freshman class of 2013, with districts having the option of providing the coursework in middle school or high school.
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The state Board of Education adopted new requirements that mandate students in South Dakota must take one unit each of Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry.
Students can seek a waiver for either Algebra II or geometry, but not both, and they must take another math course as a replacement.
Students also must take at least one unit of chemistry or physics unless they get a waiver and take a replacement course in lab science.
“This has been more fun than a trip to the dentist,” Kelly Duncan of Dakota Dunes, the board's chairman, said after three hours of hearing and deliberations were finished late Monday afternoon.
Students currently in high school can graduate under the new requirements or the requirements that have been in place the past five years. Freshmen students entering high school in fall 2010 will be subject to the new requirements.
Legislative reversal
The changes came in response to a reversal by the Legislature last winter.
Since 2004, South Dakota had been operating under two sets of graduation requirements for high school students. Students had been automatically enrolled in the advanced curriculum designed to prepare students for college, unless their parents opted that they take the basic curriculum that placed less emphasis on higher math and science.
This year, the Legislature changed its mind and eliminated the basic curriculum, in effect forcing the state board to rewrite the graduation requirements in a way to fit all students' needs and abilities.
State Education Secretary Tom Oster said the new requirements will be “a much more rigorous mandated curriculum than we have today.”
The state Board of Regents, whose members govern South Dakota's public universities, continued to push Monday for requirements to remain as high as possible in math and science.
Regents Harvey Jewett of Aberdeen testified that students and their parents need counseling so they understand the economic consequences of waiving Algebra II, geometry, physics or chemistry.
Controversy
Oddly, much of the controversy on Monday came over requirements for physical education, health education and fine arts.
School districts will be allowed to fulfill the requirement of one-half unit of health in either middle school or high school. The health requirement takes effect with the freshman class of 2013.
School districts will be granted a local to option to decide whether to give credit for extracurricular activities to fulfill the requirement of one unit of fine art.
But districts won't be allowed to count extracurricular activities for meeting the requirement of one-half unit of physical education.
One other change important to some legislators is the flexibility students will now receive to apply career and technical education courses toward meeting graduation requirements.
A complaint about the two-track system that has been in place was that the advanced curriculum didn't provide enough flexibility for career and technical education courses.
Required units
Under South Dakota's new graduation requirements, high school students will need to take:
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