New graduation requirements include career emphasis

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

In the future, students graduating from Poudre School District high schools should be further along in their preparation for careers – and better able to balance their checkbooks.

The PSD Board of Education adopted new graduation requirements on April 13, affecting students entering the ninth grade in 2011 and beyond. One of the new required courses is "financial literacy," focused on personal money management.

The new guidelines require students to earn a total of 240 credit hours, an increase of 20 hours. That's the equivalent of about four more semester-length courses, according to Assistant Superintendent Manny Ortega.

The new requirements reflect a greater focus on career readiness and planning. Students will have more opportunities to take classes at Front Range Community College and Colorado State University. In fact, it may be possible for students to earn college associate degrees by the time they graduate from high school, according to Ortega.

A big advantage to taking college courses while in high school, Ortega pointed out, is that PSD pays the tuition costs. That advantage could keep students in high school longer, even if they have already earned the required number of credits to graduate. There are some exceptions to the tuition arrangement involving CSU courses, however.

Over time, Ortega said, there will also be more opportunities for off-campus vocational education. Another change means that middle-school students will be able to earn high school credits for some classes.

The changes are the result of two years' work by a PSD committee called Preparing Children for the 21st Century.

"The work we've done and how we look at graduation requirements for students is groundbreaking for Colorado," said Ortega. "I believe many school districts will use this document as a benchmark to develop their own policies and requirements."

Ortega added that a goal of the new requirements is to make the work in high school "as relevant as possible for students."

For career planning, students will be able to pursue a variety of pathways. Each student will develop an academic plan, which will include graduation requirements, career exploration and specific course selection.

Besides personal finance, there will be new requirements in the arts and economics. In addition, credit requirements for both math and science will increase.

The new core credit requirements are as follows: math, 30 credits (formerly 20); science, 30 (formerly 20); language arts, 40; social studies, 25; humanities, 5; world language or world culture, 10; fine and applied arts, 10; wellness, 15; financial literacy and economics, 10. The remaining 65 required hours may be fulfilled with elective courses.