Washington’s Board of Education is proposing new high school graduation requirements, which would give students more options to connect coursework with their career plans. The proposed changes, which have been in the works for over two years, aim to better prepare students for life after graduation.

Key Changes

The proposal would reduce the number of core credits required from 17 to 15, while increasing the number of Personalized Pathway Requirements credits from three to five. Students would still be required to complete 24 credit hours in total. The personalized track would include a half-credit health course and a one-credit course teaching financial literacy and life skills.

The board’s proposal also recommends developing a statewide model curriculum for the financial literacy course, which would allow schools to teach the subject matter as one class or spread it among multiple classes. Additionally, the proposal would combine the existing civics course with the contemporary world problems course to create a year-long, one-credit class.

The proposed changes would not take effect until implementation costs are funded by the Legislature. School board members are wary of new mandates, citing ongoing financial strain due to a lack of state funding. Ronda Litzenberger, Eatonville School Board president, expressed concerns about the potential implementation costs, including curriculum adoption, professional development for teachers, and updates to information systems.

Original reporting: Renton Reporter — read the source article.