Advocates for Indiana's special-needs students worry that a proposed revamping of the state's diploma system could make it much harder for them to get a high school diploma. The proposals would require special-needs students to take more math courses and meet a number of new requirements. The concerns about those changes are heightened because not all Indiana school districts offer the current basic-level diploma. And if they do, they impose additional graduation requirements on students. Special-needs students who don't meet those requirements often leave school with a certificate, which doesn't carry as much clout as a diploma during job searches. The State Board of Education must act by December on the changes that would begin for the class of 2022.
