MSBSD seeks to increase graduation requirements for Class of 2025

As students and families gear up for high school graduations across the Borough next week, the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) is seeking to change the minimum graduation standards for the Class of 2025.

Under the proposed revisions, students would now need to acquire a minimum of 25.5 credits in required and elective subjects to receive a diploma.

This new proposal see the biggest change in the math requirements, which would bump up to 4 credits needed for graduation. Currently, students only need 3 math credits to graduate.

“The substantive change in the graduation requirements would be from 3 math credits to 4,” Dr. Randy Trani, MSBSD Superintendent, told the school board. In the past, he has expressed concerns over students underperforming in math, regardless of whether students choose to go into a trade or vocational training or go to college.

In addition to the traditional high school math courses such as Algebra, Geometry, or Trigonometry, Dr. Trani did provided a sample list of alternative math courses already being offered throughout the district that students could take to fulfill the additional math credit, particularly with an emphasis on Career and Technical Education math.

A sampling of courses for students to obtain math credits includes Cabinet Making, Digital Electronics, and Welding Technologies. There was also listed Personal Finance, Accounting, and Technical Math, to name a few.

“There’s currently 49 CTE courses that a student can earn a math credit…so there’s lots and lots of other opportunities.” He also stated there are perhaps a number of science courses that could also fulfill the math requirement.

“There’s no problem with us being able to provide enough math courses for kids, to provide the incentive for them to take the math, and that’s what this does.”

However, it wasn’t the additional math credit that parents took an issue with, but instead the requirement of a credit in AP Seminar to graduate.

Dina McCarg, who is a parent with students who attend Su Valley spoke about the change in graduation requirements, specifically the advanced placement credits, asking that the requirement for AP credits be repealed for numerous reasons.

“Only a minority of high school students are proficient in language arts or math, let alone advanced in prepared to tackle multiple college level AP courses.”

She also stated that the policy to not hold students back who may not yet reach proficiency in key subject areas during elementary school has been hurting schools and students.

“Since grade school, the continual advancement of non-proficient students has meant not one of our elementary schools has reached over 50% proficiency rate in Language Arts or Math, according to the State Department of Education statistics.”

McCarg also told the board that making mandatory an AP course could ultimately lead to a less challenging course, which could be counter-productive to the rigors intended by AP courses in the first place.

“This requirement erodes the sanctity of a merit-based classroom. No longer will students earn their way into an AP course and be rewarded with the rigorous lessons and prestigious learning amongst a motivated peer group. Contrarily, college equivalent classrooms are dissolved by dilution when students who aren’t at that level are admitted,” she told the school board.

She then told board members that the cadence of the AP courses will either outpace unfit students or decelerate to keep them within the flow.

“AP is a choice for parents and students. Parents and students freely choose to enroll in AP courses…under your current and proposed policy, AP is never a choice.”

Another parent, Stacey Bobea, a high school teacher for Anchorage and Valdez City school districts, and parent of 4 children in grades 5 through 11, also spoke about the graduation requirements

“They are unfair and unrealistic,” she told the school board, adding, “They place an unreasonable burden on our students. Not all kids do not need or desire to go to college…there are many paths to a successful career that can be found outside of a college degree.”

She went on to say that it is acceptable that not all children are academically advanced, then asked why the emphasis on academics before suggesting making mandatory requirements for other avenues students might pursue once they graduate from high school.

“Why are we stressing only academics? Why not require every student to excel above school levels in athletics, or maybe every student should be required to play a varsity sport, try out for a college team? Why not music or fine arts? Are these not equally celebrated by our district?”

She too suggested that AP and college-level courses are a choice.

“I love that our district offers the opportunity for students to excel in academics. It’s a great choice for kids to have that want to put in the extra effort to study beyond high school. Requiring students to take this opportunity is increasing expectations without giving them the tools to be more successful.” She fears that having students take a required AP course could in fact deter students from going to college.

Bobea also addressed the addition of 1 more credit for graduation, upset that it could be difficult and impact families with students who

“Our current schedule allows students to earn 6 credits per year, times 4 years, making that 24 credits available. Add in ¼ credit per year for ‘4 Cs’ and you get to 25, a half credit short of the required 25.5. This means kids would have no opportunities to retake classes, including those advanced placement classes that we are asking regular kids to take. No chance for a student that scores a ‘D’ in biology and wants to try again for a better grade. There’s no room for improvement with these models. You are asking kids to take additional classes outside of what is offered at high school.” She told the school board that her kids would be resistant to taking summer classes to meet the new requirement, and that for others, online classes might not be a good fit either.

“You have made it so difficult for working parents already, and now you’ll be asking us to find a way to have our kids educated in the summer or outside the regular school day. This is ridiculous.”

When asked for clarification about the AP requirement, Dr. Trani said that this is not a change from before

“That’s existing language in our graduation requirements. Students take AP seminar or an equivalent for the 2025 class. In the 2026 class they would be required to take an additional AP course, IB equivalent, dual college credit, or a number of other possibilities.”

This proposal has not yet been approved by the school board.

The next regularly scheduled MSBSD School Board meeting is scheduled for May 24 at 6 p.m. at the MSBSD Administration Building.