Starting in fall 2006, incoming freshman to Oxford High School may be facing new graduation requirements.
In December, the Michigan State Board of Education proposed a possible increase in requirements. The ultimate decision is now in the hands of the state Legislature.
Jim Schwarz, Executive Director of Curriculum for Oxford Schools, said the proposed requirements are on a fast-track through the legislature with a target approval date of March 1.
The new requirements, called the Michigan Merit Curriculum, combine a core list of academic classes, along with a list of 21st Century skill sets that will be integrated and taught in all courses.
Four credits of math ( including Algebra and Geometry) and English language arts and three credits of science (Physics or Chemistry) are among the changes, as well as three credits of social studies (which must include one credit of civics and one of economics), two credits of foreign languages and one credit each of health/physical education and visual performing arts.
Schwarz said Oxford currently requires three and a half credits for language arts, two credits for math and science and three for social studies.
Right now, only half a credit of civics is required for graduation under Michigan state law.
‘Every local high school has their own requirements that they’ve set forth that their own boards of education have approved,? Scwarz said.
Another new credit possibly being added to the graduation requirements is an online course, although Schwarz said the state board has been going back and forth on the issue.
‘Where the legislation is actually going to hone that down to we don’t know yet,? he said.
According to the State of Michigan website, the basis of the recommendations were collected by a research task force commissioned to study five other states that have created new graduation requirements.
To analyze the impacts of these possibly new requirements on the students in Oxford, Schwarz said committees of teachers and adminstrators have been established.
‘It’s going to be a fairly long process because there’s a lot of analysis that has to be done,? he said.
One area of concern for Schwarz is limiting the amount of elective classes students can take.
Currently, students have to have a total of 22 credits, which includes electives, to graduate. With the new requirements, 18 of those credits are mandated by the state, leaving only four electives.
‘If you’re a student who takes band you’re going to have virtually no electives in high school with that current number,? Schwarz said.
To help this problem, Schwarz said the district is looking at possibly increasing graduation credit requirements at Oxford High School.
The increased class credits may also have a negative effect on another area of students’vocational.
Schwarz said about 75 percent of the students at OHS already take more than the required credits in language arts, while only 25 percent of the students are studying vocational areas.
‘I think for those students that’s who’s going to be most effected by those changes because they will now be required to take those classes when normally they would’ve been able to take CAD and autoshop (before),? Schwarz said. ‘That’s my concern.?
If the state legislature hasn’t approved the changes by March 1 of this year, the changes would go into effect for the incoming freshman class of 2006-07.