Graduation requirements getting tougher

It's getting tougher for students to earn a high school diploma in Oregon. In fact, under new graduation requirements being phased in between now and 2014, Sisters students who fall behind may have trouble graduating.

Students who are ninth graders now will have to pass an additional English/Language Arts class and learn more science to earn a State of Oregon Diploma. Current seventh graders will have to pass all their state testing and take math classes at Algebra I or higher to earn a state diploma.

Students will also have to gain career-related experience to graduate.

It's a standard designed to prepare students for life and work in a competitive 21st century environment - and it should be a wake-up call to parents: If your child starts high school behind, it's likely he or she will never catch up.

According to Sisters High School Principal Bob Macauley, there are seven sophomores at Sisters High School who wouldn't have a shot at a state diploma if the 2014 standards were in place today.

"They're already out of time," he said. "They can't take enough classes because they're behind in mathematics."

The new standards place a premium on early preparedness, Macauley says. Students need to hit the ground running when they reach high school.

"Fifth and sixth grade now become pretty important," Macauley said. "It really is a K-12 diploma. You've got to stay on task all the way through."

Specifically, students really need to have first-year algebra under their belts in middle school, because they really only have one shot to pass it in high school. Freshman year is late.

"If the kids aren't taking Algebra I as their freshman math course, they're in danger of not graduating."

The new standards push pressure down into earlier years and put a premium on getting kids on track early. Macauley thinks full-day kindergarten may be the single most important educational component in the system, along with Sisters Elementary School's intense focus on early development of reading skills.

"Quick intervention on kids who are falling behind is critical," Macauley said.

The new state certificate will be a 24-credit diploma. Sisters High School's diploma requires 26 credits and an honors diploma requires 28. Those standards won't change.

The stiffer state requirements are minimum standards, and many kids in Sisters easily exceed the minimum. But Macauley knows that meeting new minimum standards also affects how other students are taught.

"One of the concerns I have... is that we have to meet those requirements for all the students - and that takes a lot of resources - and we still have to keep our high-fliers pushed," he said.

The fundamental issue - as it always does - boils down to money. Mostly money to pay additional personnel to provide more class instruction. And while requirements are going up, funding is going down.

"I've been told already to turn in $100,000 in cuts from our building (for next year's budget)," Macauley said.

That's going to make a tough situation worse. There are currently no teachers available to help high school kids who are behind in reading skills. Students have been using Odyssey software for individual reading remediation, but licenses that were available through the Sisters Web Academy will be gone March 17 as the district and the Web academy part ways, Macauley said.

"I can't remediate a single kid right now," the principal said. "I'll have a great plan on March 18 - but I don't know what that is yet."

Macauley supports the higher standards, and he is grateful for the resources he does have to pursue them.

"Without the local option,. we'd just be toes pointed to the sky," he said. "We're going to find a way. I don't know what it is. I know our community has done its part."