Campbell testifies at Indiana State Board of Education public hearing about proposed diplomas

Today, July 30, the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) held another public hearing about the new, proposed high school diplomas: GPS Diploma and GPS Diploma Plus. The meeting allowed educators, parents, students and legislators to provide feedback on the new requirements.   

State Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) released the following statement regarding her remarks at the hearing:

“I testified today to share the concerns I’ve heard from West Lafayette teachers, parents, students and Purdue professors. Their concerns are all nearly identical: that these diplomas will limit students’ pathways post-grad, discouraging them from venturing into higher education.

“Work-based learning is valuable and important, but we’ve eliminated an honors diploma that will get our students into college. Purdue University, the most recognized university in the nation, submitted feedback confirming the new diplomas fail to meet their admission requirements. 

“This means high schoolers who live in West Lafayette, whose parents potentially work for Purdue, will not be eligible to attend one of the best public universities in the world if they only meet the base requirements of either diploma. Our students will be ineligible for Indiana’s public universities, and the lack of academic rigor means they won’t be competitive applicants at out-of-state universities. 

“I also asked the State Board of Education why they chose to focus intently on work-based learning. Work-based learning has experienced a revival in the past decade, especially post-COVID, whereas our college-going rate has continued to drop. Does a doctor with two sick patients simply give up on the sicker one to ensure the healthier one lives? The bottom line is these diplomas are short sighted, and we can have career-focused learning while still promoting college readiness.”