THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510180111
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
In a move to raise academic standards, Norfolk school officials are holding two hearings next week to gather public comment on plans to eliminate the high school general diploma.
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. and his administration have endorsed the idea, arguing that too many students slide through school taking the minimum courses required by the state to get the diploma and thereby graduate unprepared for college or work.
Critics say the general diploma has allowed students to take watered-down courses in science, math and English, rather than more rigorous work required to get into college or hold down jobs in this increasingly technological age.
``It's way past time'' to dump the general diploma, said Carl Meredith, president of the Lafayette-Winona Civic League and father of two children in city schools. ``Too many kids are just skating through.''
Nichols pitched the idea to the School Board in July, based on the recommendations of an administrative committee he appointed that studied the matter over a year's time. School Board members, who seemed to be in general agreement, suggested that the public be given a chance to comment.
The hearings will be held Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Ruffner Middle School.
``This is a major shift,'' Nichols acknowledged. ``We've put a lot of thinking into this, but we might not have thought of everything.''
The committee recommended in July that the general diploma be eliminated beginning with the class of 2000, students who this year are in the eighth grade. If the School Board approves the plan, the city would be the first in South Hampton Roads to drop the diploma.
Students instead would have three choices: an advanced studies diploma for the college-bound; a tech-prep diploma for students who plan to attend college or technical school or who want to go straight to work; and a vocational diploma for students who plan to enter the world of work immediately.
``My first thought is that it is good because it sounds like academic rigor is not just going to be a catchword, and that they're actually going to do something - so that diploma is not just a piece of paper,'' said Marian Flickinger, president of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers.
Flickinger, however, said she is concerned that lower-achieving students might ``fall through the cracks'' and stressed the importance of giving them skills they can use.
Dropping the diploma could have broad consequences, particularly on minority students, who in 1995 made up 63 percent of the seniors who received a general diploma. In the school system overall, 61 percent of the students are African American.
College-prep students would lose a safety net. Seniors who slip up in their final year and fail to meet the requirements of an advanced studies diploma now can fall back on a general diploma.
Eliminating the general diploma also would leave fewer options for special education students. Last year, 50 special ed students earned a general or regular diploma. Without it, those students might have had to settle for a ``special'' diploma, which many parents of special ed children do not value as highly.
Besides that, eliminating the general diploma could be expensive. Nichols said that the school system probably would have to offer more summer school classes for students who fail courses they need to graduate and that it may take longer for some students to graduate.
To beef up academic requirements, the committee recommended tougher academic standards. Students shooting for an advanced studies diploma, for instance, would have to take a third year of foreign language and an essay-writing class.
And every student would have to pass algebra to graduate, no longer being able to slide by on ``general'' math. In the class of 1993, 36 percent of the seniors graduated without taking algebra.
Much of what Norfolk is discussing would come anyway, thanks to the state Board of Education's action last summer to adopt tough, new Standards of Learning, which spell out what students should learn in grades K-12. The new math standards, for instance, require that students pass at least one algebra course to graduate.
``All students, regardless of their race or socioeconomic background, need to be prepared for success after high school,'' said Pamela Kloeppel, coordinator of guidance for Norfolk Schools and the committee co-chair. ``We've got to open this gate for all students.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
HAVE YOUR SAY
Norfolk school administrators are holding hearings Monday and
Tuesday at Ruffner Middle School to take public comments on a plan
to eliminate the high school general diploma, beginning with the
Class of 2000. The hearings begin at 7 p.m. People who wish to speak
can sign up beginning at 6 p.m. Call 441-2237 for more information.
by CNB