Indiana schools have created and are making plans to offer a new diploma that seventh graders can now pursue. The new diploma is called the GPS diploma and is taking place of the academic and technical honors diploma. It has created many different reactions from students already pursuing an academic or technical honors diploma.

Originally, students could choose between the Academic Honors diploma, the Technical Honors diploma, or the Core 40 diploma to work towards so they could graduate high school with extra credits outside of the 40 you need. But, they are now removing the Academic Honors diploma and the Technical Honors diploma and now putting in place, the GPS diploma, and the GPS+ diploma which are now being offered to seventh graders.

Essentially, the new GPS diplomas will help students to have easier access to college courses in high school so that they can complete those college courses earlier on to get a headstart at whichever college they choose to attend. The GPS diploma is geared towards more students who want to attend college and have a high-paying career in the future from that college degree so that they don’t have to pay off a lot of debts. Mostly because Indiana is the number one state in the United States of America that has students complete at least one college course in high school. Therefore, Indiana wanted to improve upon that and produce a diploma that would greatly contribute to that statistic.

https://www.in.gov/sboe/files/3.27.24-SBOE-meeting_HS-Diploma-Redesign.pptx.pdf

Indiana is the first state in the United States of America that is significantly redesigning diplomas. This means, that this new diploma will not be perfect and mistakes will be made, but they are trying to start somewhere for the betterment of students, teachers, the state, and the country. Mainly, a huge goal Indiana wants to achieve by making and having this diploma offered to students is to get them into the swing of work ethic, service-based learning, and project-based learning. This is going to better help students to work with a team along with knowing those essential skills for working wherever their path takes them after high school. Along with teaching students those essential skills that have been offered for years but improving upon hands-on and work/team-based skills.