THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250445
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
A proposal to raise academic standards by eliminating a high school diploma currently awarded to about half of the city's high school graduates has alarmed some parents who worry that many kids will end up failing or dropping out without it.
Others, however, agree with city school administrators that such a move is essential to equip children with the skills they'll need to compete in a global, high-tech economy.
School officials contend that too many students are leaving school unprepared for work or college because the general diploma allows students to slip by with the minimum required by the state to graduate.
Many residents at public hearings Monday and Tuesday night spoke passionately about their concerns.
Becky Ellis of Ocean View, mother of a fifth-grader, said: ``Don't make it so hard that the kids don't want to finish school. If we push the kids too hard, they're going to back away from the education, and that's bad.''
The Rev. Olah Moore of Park Place, who works with kids who attend schools near his church, supported the idea: ``We have to make a statement to our children and the community. . . . We need to do this thing. We need to put a standard there, and I know our kids can make it.''
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. strongly favors dropping the general diploma. But he said he may ask the School Board to delay action for another year to give the idea time to take root.
``I want to make sure we've got most people on board and understanding it,'' Nichols said.
Norfolk's school district would be the first in Hampton Roads to ditch the diploma, although several school systems, such as Newport News, have approached the problem by eliminating lower-level courses.
Denise Wiggins, a vocational administrator in Norfolk, told parents that the general diploma ``is no longer valid.''
``The world has changed,'' Wiggins said. ``We have to keep up with the economy to prepare our students.''
As proof that change is needed, Wiggins pointed to statistics from Tidewater Community College: 79 percent of Norfolk graduates who attended the two-year college had to take remedial courses in math or English their freshmen year.
``You're paying college money, but your children aren't getting college credit, and you simply don't have that money to waste,'' Wiggins told parents at the hearing.
A school committee has recommended eliminating the diploma beginning with the class of 2000, which this year is in eighth grade.
Students then would have three diploma options:
Advanced studies, for the college-bound.
Tech-prep, for those planning to attend a technical school or two-year community college or enter the work force.
Vocational, for those entering jobs out of high school.
Nichols said students would gain a competitive edge and be more attractive to employers. All students would have to take algebra and more science, while essay writing and a third year of foreign languages would be added to advanced studies.
Barry Bishop, executive vice president of the Greater Norfolk Corp., said local business executives applauded the move. ``If we want them (students) to successfully compete, they've got to have the tools to do so.''
Parents worried most about the impact to special-education children and ``average'' kids who might have problems passing higher-level courses. The broadest effect might be on black students, who last year made up 63 percent of students in Norfolk getting a general diploma.
Debbie Eddings argued for smaller classes: ``You can give them all the challenges you want, but to put them in a room where they can barely move around in, those challenges can't be addressed.''
Parents of special-ed children said they feared that they'd have to settle for a ``special'' seal, which they said does not carry weight among potential employers.
School officials acknowledged that more kids probably would need summer school to pass courses.
``Who's going to pay for this summer school?'' said Wayne Norton. ``We're working people.'' by CNB