‘Career diploma’ comes under fire

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 12, 2009 - Page: 7A

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Legislation that would offer public high-school students a new curriculum to try to trim Louisiana’s dropout rate came under fire Thursday from three national education groups.

The groups said the bills “may end up lowering expectations for Louisiana’s students at the very time other states are raising their standards.”

The proposals are House Bill 612 and Senate Bill 259. One is expected to win final approval before adjournment on June 25.

Both measures would offer high-school students a new curriculum and a “career diploma” for those that meet the requirements.

Backers said students likely to drop out need new options to stay in school.

Opponents said the bills would lower state education standards, which have won praise from the three groups.

The organizations are the American Diploma Project Network, which calls itself a nonprofit, education reform group based in Washington, D.C.; The Education Trust, which says it works for education achievement, based in Washington D.C.; and Jobs for the Future, which does advocacy and research on education issues, based in Boston.

Their opinions were sought by officials of the Council for a Better Louisiana, a Baton Rouge-based non-profit group that opposes the legislation.

Under the bills, students could pursue a different curriculum than two others offered to high-school students now.

But the groups said the new courses would be less rigorous than those offered now.

“In attempting to design a work readiness path for students, you may inadvertently recreate the type of tracking system that leaves many students, particularly poor and minority students, unprepared for good careers and for further education after high school,” they said in a letter to top state officials.

The letter says the idea that students headed for the workplace need a lower level of education “is a flawed premise that is not supported by research.”

The message was sent to the chairmen of the state Senate and House education committees, state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, and Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education advisor.