Future Missouri high school students may not appreciate the recommendations issued by a task force today. If the recommendations are approved by the State Board of Education, students will soon have exit tests to get out of high school and will have to take more units of core classes.
The High School Task Force, appointed last year by Commissioner of Education Kent King presented its findings to the State Board of Education today, according to a news release from the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Among the task force's recommendations:
-Increase minimum graduation requirements from 22 to 24 credits, including 4 units of English, and three units each of math, science, and social studies. Even though some schools already have some of those amounts in place, at the present time, all that is required is three units of English, and two each in the other core areas.
-Develop a new exit test to take the place of the MAP tests. The task force suggested Missouri students should take a test such as the ACT or SAT with an added area to address Missouri academic standards.
-Adopt a two-tiered diploma for public high schools. Students who complete the 24 credits would be eligible for the standard diploma, while those who reach a specified score on the exit tests would receive an advanced diploma.
Another suggestion, which fell short of a recommendation from the task force would call for a state requirement that all students take a course in personal finance.
The recommendations and suggestions will be taken up by the State Board of Education when it meets in June.
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Perhaps Webb City R-7 officials should be grateful that all their school has been hit with are a few T-shirts supporting gay pride.
The Associated Press is reporting today that the American Civil Liberties Union is offering to help two high school students in Winona, Minn., who were disciplined for wearing buttons inspired by the hit off-Broadway play, "The Vagina Monologues."
After the girls were disciplined, more than 100 of their fellow students wore t-shirts supporting them. Girls were reportedly wearing shirts that said, "I Love My Vagina," while boys were wearing buttons that said, "I Support Your Vagina."