Best Practices

 

 

As published in the College Ready New England e-Newsbrief, July 2007

Indiana Core 40

In 2006, the Indiana State Board of Education adopted a branded, default, statewide college and career preparatory curriculum. The new curriculum, which includes academically rigorous instruction in the core subjects: English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, aims to provide the academic foundation needed to succeed in college and in the workforce.  Along with efforts in Ohio, Texas, Michigan, etc., course requirements outlined by Core 40 pave the way for a national dialogue on how college readiness can be defined in terms of rigorous, standards-based high school graduation requirements. 

Core 40 resulted from state legislation, and although being phased in, it will become the mandatory, default curriculum in Indiana for high school students, beginning with those entering high school in Fall 2007.  It is required that students complete a formal opt-out process if they chose to pursue the General Diploma. Core 40 also has financial incentives and benefits that include opportunities for students to earn money for college.  Students and parents in the state are well aware of the new curriculum and its benefits due to its branding—it is easily understood and well recognized.  The new curriculum addresses both college and career readiness, and prepares students for meeting the demands of postsecondary education and the workforce.

In Fall 2006, Indiana high school-bound students had more to think about than who to sit with at lunch or what outfit to wear.  The newly implemented graduation requirements gave them the option of earning the following four diploma types: General, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, and Core 40 with Technical Honors.  However, legislators chose to phase in the Core 40 curriculum, and for all students entering Indiana high schools in Fall 2007, completion of Core 40 is required for graduation.  New legislation also makes this curriculum the minimum college admission requirement for all of Indiana’s public four-year universities beginning in Fall 2011.

But, Indiana students entering high school in 2007 still retain some element of educational choice.  They will have the option to pursue either the Core 40 with Academic Honors or the Core 40 with Technical Honors.  Although Core 40 is mandatory, students who want to graduate with a General Diploma must complete a formal opt-out process.  To do so, parents or guardians must determine that their student could benefit more from the General Diploma, a process that requires a meeting between the student’s parent or guardian and counselor.

The Core 40 diploma also contains financial incentives and benefits, as it enables students to earn financial aid for college.  Indiana students who complete the Core 40 and meet other financial aid and grade requirements can receive up to 90 percent of approved tuition and fees at eligible state colleges.  Graduates of the Core 40 with Academic Honors can receive up to 100 percent.  Furthermore, several colleges already offer scholarships to students who earn this diploma.

In 2006, for instance, approximately 9,000 low-income Indiana college students were eligible for roughly $8.7 million in financial aid under the Academic Competitiveness Grant offered by the new federal Pell Grant program that rewards Core 40 completers.  The program “provides an added incentive for more students to take the challenging courses that will ensure their success after high school," says Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Core 40 contributed to Indiana’s number one ranking in the nation for its academic standards, assessments and accountability system in Education Week’s 2007 Quality Counts report.  “Indiana has consistently received national recognition in these areas since revising state standards in 2000 and aligning its assessments and accountability system with these rigorous expectations,” trumpets the Indiana Department of Education.  Indiana has taken the lead with statewide implementation of a branded, default college and career preparatory curriculum, beginning the national dialogue on the link between college readiness and standards-based high school graduation requirements.