Washington looks at aligning K-12 graduation requirements with college and workplace expectations. It’s about time!

In the coming months, the Washington State Board of Education will hold community meetings across the state to hear public opinion on how to improve Washington's graduation requirements. The Board will discuss life after high school as it relates to current economic trends in our state, the projected job market, and the direct implication for our outdated graduation credit requirements established more than two decades ago.

 

The State Board will be examining key questions such as:

 

• What kinds of post-high school opportunities should a K-12 education prepare students for?
• Should there be one type of diploma for all students, or multiple diploma options?
• Should high school graduation requirements align with vocational/technical, 2-year community colleges or 4-year college readiness standards?

Feedback from these statewide meetings will help inform a set of recommended changes to the course credit requirements. Additional public meetings will be conducted in spring 2008 with a final decision by the Board that summer.

 

On a faster track is the discussion around the math requirements. Last session, the legislature increased the number of math credits from two to three but directed the State Board to specify what level of math should be required and what the implementation timeline should be. The Board's math recommendation must be presented to the State Legislature in December 2007.

This discussion presents an historic opportunity to ensure Washington's diploma is not just a rite of passage, but actually signifies students are ready for college and work.

The Partnership believes at a minimum, students should be ready to take credit-bearing coursework at a community or technical college without remediation.

But what do you think? Send us an email to let us know.

For more on these hearings, visit the State Board's website.

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Community meetings will be held in the evening in the following locations:

 

• Bremerton, October 30
• Bethel/Tacoma, November 5
• Everett, November 14 -- CANCELLED
• Yakima, November 27
• Vancouver, November 29
• Spokane, December 3
• Seattle area, December 4

 

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Partnership for Learning Launches New Website!

 

We’ve finally made the leap into the 21st century by bringing you a much more interactive and intuitive online experience!

Our Hall Monitor blog shares timely information on the hottest education issues of the day. Don't have time to read all those education reports, articles and stories you'd like? Already been to one too many hearings in Olympia or education conferences? Then check our blog! Chances are we've read it or were there and can give you the 30-second highlight reel.

Our new site also offers easier access to the latest education headlines, recent downloadable materials and resources, videos to view and even a tag cloud that allows you to quickly search the content on our site by topic.

But don’t take our word for it, check it out and please stop by often as we’ll continue to add and update information!