OPINION: One size doesn't fit all in education

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

As an educator with 20-plus years of teaching experience, I would like to commend the Florida House and Senate for their common-sense decision to put forth legislation to offer options for high school graduation to Florida students in lieu of the one-size-fits-all, everyone-must-go-to-college graduation requirements that are currently mandated.

Contrary to some reports, these options do not make less stringent or dumb down graduation requirements; they simply offer options to students, thus validating students who choose to pursue careers that require industry certifications rather than college degrees.

Students will not be allowed to graduate with any fewer English, math, science, or social studies credits than under the current mandate. Under both House Bill 7091 and Senate Bill 1076, all students would still be required to successfully complete four credits of English, four credits of math (including Algebra I), three credits of science (including biology and at least one additional lab class), and three credits of social studies, and various requirements for classes outside the core content areas.

The difference is that under the current mandates, specific math and science courses are required. To earn a standard high school diploma, current freshmen will have to pass FCAT Reading, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, and Chemistry or Physics.

In order to graduate high school in four years, under the current mandate, students minimally must take the following progression of math courses: ninth grade: Algebra Ia (a full-year course that covers the first half of the Algebra I curriculum), 10th: Algebra Ib; 11th: Geometry; 12: Algebra II. Due to the “building” nature of math skills, one cannot successfully take a higher-level math class concurrently with a lower-level one, so students entering high school who do not have the math skills requisite to be successful in Algebra Ia as freshmen cannot possibly graduate high school in four years under the current mandate.

Under the proposed graduation requirements, all students would still be required to successfully complete Algebra I, but if they do not come to high school with the requisite math skills to be successful in Algebra I, they would be able to take other math courses such as Applied Mathematics, Intensive Mathematics, or Integrated Mathematics to build those skills prior to taking Algebra I and still graduate in four years.

Furthermore, students who do not plan to enter upper-level, math-heavy career fields can take math classes that align with or are included in their chosen industry certification areas, making their education much more relevant than if they were being required to take and pass a class that focuses on concepts that the vast majority of even college-degreed professionals do not use in their jobs or daily lives.

Critics of the proposed bills should read them carefully and look at the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for the classes. Examination of these items will show that the state is not dumbing down education. I have seen hundreds of students pass through my doors who would not be considered “college material” yet are very successful in industries that do not require a college degree.

I am thrilled that Florida is finally validating the 60%-plus of career fields that do not require a college degree by giving all students rigorous, yet flexible diploma options.