Blue Bag Media
Graduation options added for high school students

GREENVILLE – “If this allows other doors to open for more people to advance in their training, I’m all for it,” said Greenville City Schools Superintendent Doug Fries. An added bonus from his perspective is the state will help pay for some of the costs.

Fries was referring to new graduation requirements approved by the Ohio House and Senate. The bill, HB 487, awaits Gov. John Kasich’s signature. According to a representative of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, “these changes reflect several of the concepts that we suggested and the State Board accepted.”

One of the concepts is course completions and a sufficiently high score on a nationally recognized college admission examination, or an industry-recognized job credential. The State Board also considered alternate routes to a diploma, especially for students on a path to a successful career with appropriate training in one of Ohio’s career-technical programs.

Fries did not think the new requirements, which will impact the Class of 2018, incoming freshmen this fall, would lower requirements. “They are just widening the options,” he said. He added the options would be designed around state standards.

The latest change replaces the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT); however it does not change the credit completion requirements...

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