THE NEW INDIANA
DIPLOMA:
IMPLICATIONS FOR ARTS EDUCATION his is the second of three articles on the proposal for the new Indiana High School Diploma. The first article, in the Back to School 2024 issue of INform, provided an overview of the proposal as a whole. This current article will focus on the new diploma’s implications for the arts, based on its second revision as it was presented in November 2024. Small changes may have been made with final approval in December 2024 after the press date for this article. The final article will discuss options that music educators have to maximize access and offerings for the arts under the new plan which goes into effect statewide for the graduating class of 2029. The purpose of the redesign for the new high school diploma comes in three parts: to streamline the diploma process to increase educational attainment, to develop key workplace skills, and allow for more individualized educational opportunities. The approved plan includes the standard diploma and a collection of “seals” that can be added to the diploma aligned to different post-high school outcomes. The Arts in the New High School Diploma The new diploma plan does not explicitly include credits for the arts, which is also true of the previous CORE 40 diploma. Unlike the CORE 40, there are now 12 possible elective credits (up from 5 credits in the CORE 40), and advanced world language credits can qualify for language arts, providing students with some more 16
flexibility regarding the use of those elective credits. The previous CORE 40 Honors diploma (used by around 35% of all Indiana students) included a requirement for the arts. Unfortunately, the equivalent of the Honors Diploma in the new diploma, the Enrollment Seal, does not include any requirement for the fine arts. Outside of the high school diploma, there are other programs that require the fine arts for Indiana high school students. The Indiana College Core curriculum require 3 credits of humanistic or artistic credit which transfer as college credit automatically at all public institutions and some private institutions in Indiana. Additionally, for college bound students, while fine arts are not typically included on admission requirements for college admissions, they do emphasize the desire to see well-rounded students who have engaged in a range of curricular and co-curricular activities, typically including curricular arts involvement. Impact of the Diploma on the Arts At this point, it is unclear as to what the actual impact of these changes are on fine arts opportunities in public high schools in the state of Indiana. A standalone requirement for the arts for all diplomas has not existed in Indiana statute for the past two decades. The current rule change continues to include the word “fine arts” when identifying coursework that can be used for the five personalized elective courses (specifically found in Indiana Register rule 511 IAC 6-7.1-4c.9.D.). W I N T E R 2024