Three North Olympic Peninsula school districts likely will have to change graduation requirements for hundreds of members of the graduation class of 2016.
The state Board of Education approved earlier this month a recommendation for the requirement of an additional year of English and a half-credit of social studies, beginning with students graduating in 2016.
“We are confident that these new requirements will result in more students graduating better-prepared for the challenges ahead,” board Chairman Jeff Vincent said.
The new requirements must be approved by the state Legislature; a smooth approval process is expected.
On the Peninsula, Port Angeles, Chimacum and Cape Flattery school districts would be affected by the new rule.
Quillayute Valley, Quilcene, Sequim, Port Townsend and Crescent school districts’ current graduation standards already meet the 2016 requirements.
The state now requires three credits — which equal years — of English and 2.5 credits of social studies for a high school diploma.
Statewide, 28 districts would need to add a semester of social studies, 32 districts would need to add a half to one of English and 12 districts would need to add credits in both subjects.
Quillayute Valley in Forks and Quilcene school districts’ current graduation standards exceed new state requirements, while Sequim, Port Townsend and the Crescent School District in Joyce meet the standard.
Cape Flattery
The Cape Flattery district has been preparing for this change for a year, Superintendent Kandy Ritter said.
District officials knew that the proposal under consideration would force the district to add another semester of social studies to its graduation requirements, Ritter said.
“It’s actually a pretty positive move, putting us in line with major state university admissions requirements,” she said.
Most colleges and universities require four years of English for admission.
The district already requires a semester of civics, which is included in the new social studies requirement.
There is no solid decision on what kind of new social studies class will be offered, but changing the one-semester civics class to a yearlong class is a strong possibility, Ritter said.
Students would lose one semester of electives, she said, and the school’s master schedule will need to be reworked.
Chimacum
In Chimacum, where students take courses divided by trimesters instead of semesters, next year’s freshmen would need to add two trimesters of English to their four years of study.
Superintendent Craig Downs said there would be some shifting of teaching assignments: Those with multiple qualifications will substitute a period or two for classes in their current subjects for English.
Increasing academic requirements mean less time for electives, Downs said.
For many students, that means fewer opportunities for students to take vocational classes, business, advanced math and science, and the arts, Downs said.
Port Angeles
The Port Angeles district, the largest on the Peninsula, would be required to add a semester of English to current requirements.
“We will be fine with our current staffing,” Superintendent Jane Pryne said.
About two-thirds of Port Angeles students already take four years of English, she said.
The district is getting used to making changes, which Pryne said keeps counselors on their toes making sure each student has the right credits to graduate.
“Every year I’ve been here, we’ve had to redo the graduation policy,” she said, noting that the classes of 2012 and 2013 each saw changes from the classes before them.
Current high school seniors, the Class of 2012, are required to complete 19 credits, with two math credits at the level of algebra or higher.
The class of 2013 is required to complete 20 credits, with three math credits, algebra I or higher.
The changes would keep the total number of credits at 20 but increase the percentage of core academic classes.
The new rule would:
■ Increase English from three to four credits.
■ Increase social studies from 2.5 to three credits, adding a half-credit of civics.
■ Decrease electives from 5.5 to four credits.
The additional credits bring Washington state more in line with the high school graduation requirements of other states.
Until the changes are made in 2016, 45 states require more English than Washington, and 39 states require more social studies.
The state board indicated the possibility of adding more credit opportunities in the future but agreed to put it on hold until state funds are available.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
