PORT ANGELES — If a new set of academic state high school graduation requirements is approved by the state Legislature, vocational education as we know it could come to an end, Port Angeles School Board Member Lonnie Lynn said.
The recommendation for new state high school graduation requirements approved by the state Board of Education increases the number of academic courses by 1.5 credits for the class of 2016 — taking away classes that vocational students need to get skilled-labor jobs when they finish high school, he said.
Lynn, who has been working as an advisor with the vocational program for 18 years, said the people creating the new requirements are academics with university preparation in mind for students — not blue collar careers.
Many vocational students have no interest in required higher academic coursework that is being touted as making students “college-ready,” he said.
“There’s only one standard, and that doesn’t work,” Lynn said. “Not all kids are academic-minded.”
Vocational classes, now called career and technical education, or CTE, include auto technology, machine shop, drafting, robotics, computer programming, pre-nursing and medical-technical education.
Limit access
Graduation requirements already include a year of CTE or the arts, but fewer elective hours available will limit students’ access to vocational programs, Lynn said.
Fewer students mean fewer classes are offered, and the eliminated classes are hard to bring back, he said.
Many four-year high school vocational programs offer professional certificates on graduation from high school.
Last year, the Future Builders of America club at Port Angeles High School was disbanded because there weren’t enough students remaining in the program.
Basic life-preparation classes, such as home economics and car maintenance, have disappeared, leaving young adults without skills learned by previous generations of high school students.
“I believe every kid should take shop,” he said. “It is something they can use for the rest of their lives.”
The rules would allow some vocational classes to be counted twice to cover some math and art requirements, but that is not the case for the new social studies and English requirements.
The new requirements also would take a bite out of time students have for music, fine arts and business courses.
“It’s an equal opportunity destroyer,” Lynn said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
