By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
New core requirements for high school graduation,
first reading, were looked at by school board members last
Wednesday. Darren Owens, counselor, brought a copy of the
requirements for review, and asked the school board to
consider how they would like to differentiate the two
different diplomas that will be available this year.
Owens said that Juab High School would offer either a
basic diploma, alternative diploma, or a Certificate of
Completion which, he felt, would be obsolete in the
future.
To receive a basic diploma, students must pass all
subtests of UBSCT AND successfully complete all state and
district course requirements for graduation.
He said that students are given five chances to pass
the UBSCT tests: once as a sophomore, and twice as juniors
and seniors. As of now, only twelve seniors had not passed
all the tests, and seven of them were in the special
education program. Susan Cowan, special ed, said that these
were some of her severely handicapped students.
Owens said that 9 out of 12 had not passed the math
portion, 3 of 12 had not passed reading, and 8 of 12 had not
passed writing. The seniors who have not passed yet have
been notified of the upcoming exam and can choose to
remediate before taking the tests.
Out of the junior class, 41 had not passed. Twenty-one
of those were classified as special education students. The
other 20 were other students. Thirty-three have not passed
math, 20 in reading and 25 in writing. They will have two
more chances to pass as seniors.
To receive an alternative completion diploma, students
did not pass all subtests of the UBSCT, but did provide
documentation stating that at least 3 attempts had been made
to pass OR participated, under an IEP (Individual
Educational Plan), in the statewide assessment through the
Utah Alternate Assessment AND successfully completed all
state and district course requirements for graduation.
A certificate of completion means that a student
lacked documentation of at least 3 attempts to take and pass
the UBSCT subtests AND/OR did not meet all state or district
requirements for a diploma AND completed senior year and is
exciting the school system.
An alternative completion diploma can be converted to
a Basic Diploma after graduation whenever the student
completes all current state and district diploma
requirements.
The question before the board was how to differentiate
between the basic and alternative diplomas. According to
Superintendent Kirk Wright, the state office and the law
require that each school have different diplomas. He said
that other schools around the state were hesitant to do
this, especially where special ed students were concerned
because they didn't want to belittle them.
Wright suggested that a seal on the bottom lefthand
corner of the diploma would be the best way to go. It would
be the most discreet way to differentiate. The seal would
either say basic or alternative diploma. President Leon
Pexton was frustrated with the suggestion of a seal
separating the ones who received a basic diploma from those
who received an alternative diploma.
He said that it was belittling to the ones who worked
hard, to get the same diploma as the ones who didn't work as
hard, and the only thing to separate the two would be a
little sticker in the corner. He excluded special ed
students saying that they were a different matter
altogether.
Board member Rick Welsh said that it all came down to
a student's transcripts that would "tell the story" to
potential colleges and employers, not the diploma, but if
that was what the state and federal law required, then
they'd do what was necessary.
The board decided to approve the new core graduation
requirements, but tabled the decision of what to do with the
diplomas until some examples could be looked at.
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