The last two years of high school are generally spent preparing for college and enjoying the last hurrahs of senior year, but what if it were the first two years of high school, grades nine and ten where this took place, instead of grades 11 and 12?
An announcement made by education officials of one state may speed up graduation from high school from senior year to sophomore year, with graduation at tenth grade instead of 12th.
On October 30th, education officials in New Hampshire announced that they will be giving students a rigorous new series of state board exams to tenth graders. Students who pass the test will be allowed to move on to any of the state’s community or technical colleges. For those students who wish to get into more prestigious colleges or universities, or for whom their chosen colleges and universities don’t accept the tenth grade graduation, students will be allowed to continue for two more years in high school and then take a second more intensive series of exams.
The reasoning behind these new tests and tenth grade graduation is a belief that it will “guarantee higher competency in core school subjects, lower dropout rates and free up millions of education dollars,” the officials say. By graduation some students earlier, they believe, there will be more resources available for students who require more help to graduate.
Many other industrialized countries expect students to be ready for college at 16.
The recommendation for this new system comes from the New Commission on Skills of the American Workforce. New Hampshire has been very progressive in terms of education and has as its goal to bring New Hampshire classrooms much closer to the classrooms of high-performing European and Asian ones.
What do you think? Is it a good idea for students to be given the chance to graduate in tenth grade?
Mary Ann Romans.
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