INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Department of Education in a board meeting Wednesday unanimously voted to pass the state’s proposed redesign of the high school diploma. The final version is a 42-credit diploma that includes three pathways, or “readiness” seals, that students can follow through “enrollment,” “employment,” and “enlistment & service.” Each student can earn up to 60 credits. The board says this change will not affect the availability of the alternative diploma for special education students. The diploma in its earliest forms was subjected to intense criticism from parents, educators, and even higher education institutions. The first-draft diplomas emphasized workplace readiness, averting the gaze from “college-going as the pinnacle of education” to helping graduating seniors feel prepared to enter the work force. But the proposed work requirement is that students must also complete at least 75 hours of work experience gained no popularity with students and parents who felt “pressured to work in order to earn the higher-tier diploma.” The first proposal was scrapped in August and replaced by their second plan, which Secretary of Education Katie Jenner previously said “maximized the flexibility for students so that they can personalize the journey while maintaining rigor.” After further months of discussion, the diploma’s final draft passed 11 – 0. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Indiana schools can opt to award the new diploma, but students must earn a seal to opt in. By 2028-29, the new diploma will be effective for all graduating seniors. Embargoed-Diploma-Comparison-8.13.24_FINAL-1Download