WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced the selection of three states—Pennsylvania, Kentucky and New Hampshire—to receive grant funds and technical assistance to develop policies that increase the options for students to earn high school credits toward graduation.
Many states are expanding the measure of their education systems from fixed timelines that do not necessarily mean a student has mastered course material to educational outcomes, such as a student’s readiness for college and career training. Flexibility in awarding credit could be beneficial to re-engage students who have dropped out or are at risk, and states could reduce the cost of education.
Several school districts and states have explored the option of allowing students to earn high school credits through various forms, including:
- online courses;
- college courses that earn both college and high school credits (commonly known as dual enrollment);
- expanded learning opportunities (ELOs);
- extracurricular activities;
- volunteerism; and
- internships/externships.
“Awarding credits based on inputs like enrollment and attendance leave educators with limited options to provide remedial services that will support students during the transition to more rigorous standards and assessments,” said Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear. “I am pleased that our state has this opportunity to learn how we can advance our credit awarding policies to better serve students.”
Grantee states will receive technical assistance from NGA staff, as well as consultants from the private sector, research organizations and academia as part of the project. They also will be provided with access to and training on how to use a policy audit tool designed to help them determine what new policies will need to be enacted to help students earn credit more flexibly.
Funding for this project was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
For more information, please visit www.nga.org/cms/center/edu.
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