As state education officials pump the brakes on a plan to overhaul Indiana’s high school diplomas, concerns from Hoosier teachers, students and families are mounting over the proposed graduation requirements.
With the deadline fast approaching for the State Board of Education (SBOE) to finalize the changes, state leaders are asking for more statewide feedback — including what’s expected to be a lengthy public forum scheduled for next week.
Although the original plan was for the state board to vote on the new diplomas in September, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said at a board meeting last week that — in response to feedback received already — the process is slowing down, at least somewhat.
Jenner said the board will hear a revised draft proposal at the August meeting, followed by a second round of feedback, including a public hearing, before the board releases a final proposal.
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Under a law passed by Indiana legislators in 2023, the state must adopt new diploma requirements by December.
Schools could choose to opt in and start offering the new diplomas as early as the 2025-26 academic year. The new diplomas will take effect for all Hoosier students beginning with the Class of 2029, who are entering eighth grade this fall.
Paramount to the new plan, according to state officials, is maximized “flexibility” for students to personalize learning pathways and experiences, including with college courses taken while still in high school, as well as the ability to count internships, apprenticeships, military experience and other work-based learning toward their graduation requirements.
While the plan answers repeated calls for the state’s curriculum to better prepare students for post-high school employment and boost the state’s declining college-going rate, the draft plan has garnered increasing criticism for its exclusion of certain course requirements, like those in history, foreign language and fine arts.
Some educators are also worried about plans to eliminate the current Academic Honors diploma, linked to college-going.
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What’s proposed, so far?
Currently, Hoosier students can work toward one of numerous diploma designations, including the general, Core 40, academic honors, or technical honors options. Some schools additionally offer the International Baccalaureate diploma, which is dependent on successful completion of specific assessments and examinations during grades 11 and 12.
State education officials conceded that the existing diploma system is outdated and confusing for both parents and students. Jenner previously said it especially lacks options for students to get hands-on training or earn high-value credentials, given the various course requirements. The move now, however, is to be less “course-obsessed.”
As laid out in the proposal, Indiana’s future diplomas would include the “Indiana GPS Diploma” — a more flexible, personalized version of the current Core 40 diploma — and the “Indiana GPS Diploma Plus.”
Three transcript seals added to their diplomas would allow students to show they’re ready for enrollment, employment or enlistment.
Ron Sandlin, the state education department’s senior director of school performance and transformation, said the proposed seals would focus on readiness — but not eligibility. Each seal track would have required courses, and students could earn multiple seals and apply seals to both diploma types.
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Students, parents, teachers push back
But students and parents expressed worries about the model during last week’s SBOE meeting, which lasted more than four hours.
That included a trio of Hamilton Southeastern High School students who pleaded for state education leaders to keep fine arts courses as part of the diplomas’ foundational skills requirements.
All rising seniors and members of the high school’s marching band, each highlighted the benefits of music education and asked that marching band, jazz band, symphony, orchestra, drama and choir be considered co-curricular classes — which could count towards foundational graduation requirements — rather than extracurricular activities.
“I can vouch that the skills I learned through playing my instrument every day during marching camp actually gave me more resources and time to grow my abilities compared to my classmates that did not participate in those extra activities,” said Kayla Wease, a 17-year-old senior at Hamilton Southeastern.
Dylan Balka, another of the students, further asked the board to count band activities as work-based learning experiences under the new diploma requirements for juniors and seniors.
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“Without the fine arts program,” he said, “I wouldn’t have as strong of a dedication for anything else in my life.”
Separately ,numerous foreign language teachers have spoken against the lack of credits awarded to students who take foreign language courses under the new proposal. Many colleges require foreign language credits or entry.
And parents like Leslie Wells, whose two children attend Perry Township schools, said they’re concerned that requirements under the “GPS Diploma Plus” won’t be attainable for many students.
“Dual credit AP honors courses require more work inside and outside the classroom,” Wells said at last week’s SBOE meeting. “Adding work-based learning requirements on top of that makes it impossible. … If there’s concern about forcing non-college-bound students to take college-ready courses, we should have an equal concern about forcing college-bound students to fulfill these workplace learning requirements.”
Rep. Sheila Klinker, D-Lafayette, additionally called for board members to create diplomas that prepare non-college-bound students, but still offer an equivalent to the current academic honors diploma for those who want to pursue higher education.
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Doing so, she said, ensures those students are “competitive applicants for university admissions and prospective scholarships.”
“Our state desperately needs well-rounded, comprehensive diplomas that encourage our youth to be critical thinkers. Students who want to work after graduation must be introduced to skilled trade apprenticeships and employment opportunities. However, we must continue to foster excitement about the arts,” Klinker, a former teacher, said in a statement.
“I fear our smaller, public high schools will be forced to cut some arts and humanities classes. They are severely underfunded, and if these classes are not required, they are on the cutting block,” she continued. “Let’s give our Hoosier youth the best chance in life by inspiring them to be professionally ambitious and passionately creative.”
How Hoosiers can weigh in
Hoosiers are invited to offer a first round of online feedback through July 30. So far, the state has received more than 6,300 digital feedback submissions.
An in-person public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. the same day in Conference Rooms Four and Five of the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis.
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SBOE officials emphasized earlier this month that all comments given online will be reviewed and weighed equally as those provided in-person.
Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, has additionally scheduled a town hall meeting for Friday to discuss the restructuring of Indiana’s high school diploma system.
The meeting, open to the public, will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kennedy Library, located at 1700 W. McGalliard Road in Muncie.
In a news release, Errington said the proposed plan “would completely erase” the state’s existing diplomas and reduce requirements for multiple subjects — “entirely restructuring high school education as we know it.”
She cautioned that there is no academic honors diploma under the plan and said neither of the proposed diplomas’ baseline requirements meet admissions requirements for Ball State University — located in her district — or other in-state universities.
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“I have received an outpouring of concern from House District 34 parents and educators about the proposed diploma redesign,” Errington said in a statement. “I hope to see you at a public listening session so you can get your questions answered and share your thoughts on the proposal with stakeholders.”
Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, is also holding two public listening sessions for district constituents to learn about and discuss the proposal. One focused on Carmel Clay Schools and Washington Township Schools took place Monday evening, and another — from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 29, in the Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers — will center around the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation.
“I have received an outpouring of concern from House District 32 parents and educators about the proposed diploma redesign,” Garcia Wilburn said in a news release. “People move to House District 32 for our great public schools that set students up for success in life, success in higher education and success in their careers. The focus of this plan on career training at the expense of rigorous academic coursework is threatening to derail our district public high schools’ track record of success.”
(CHALKBEAT INDIANA) — When Pete Hinnefeld and his wife started looking for a preschool for their daughter, they hoped to send her to the same school her brother attended, which was just down the road from their house and offered Spanish-language immersion.
To do this for Lydia, then age 3, they were prepared to pay the $600 monthly cost.
But after voters approved a property tax referendum to fund early learning for children living within the Monroe County Community School Corporation, the family’s preschool bill was cut by more than half. Nearby preschool cut down time spent commuting to their parents’ house for babysitting, and helped Lydia build social skills.
The family are one of hundreds now benefitting from the 2023 referendum, which has more than doubled the number of children attending 3- and 4-year-old preschools in the district.
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“For us, this is why you pay taxes,” Hinnefeld said. “It’s important for young kids to have access to school and if parents need to work, it’s an opportunity to let them work.”
The referendum put forward by the district, located in Bloomington, is a first in the state, offering all families tuition support on a sliding scale based on income, no matter whether children attend a district preschool or a partner provider.
It represents a local solution to problems with accessing and affording early learning that have left thousands of Indiana families waiting for help. Indiana in December 2024 froze its Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF, and On My Way Pre-K dollars, which provide funding for early learning for income-eligible households.
A $200 million funding increase for CCDF approved by the State Budget Committee this week will allow Indiana to begin issuing vouchers againin May to around 14,000 more children, for a total enrollment of around 57,000. Those funds will last around one year.
Still, around 20,000 children will remain on the waitlist, and families may have fewer options for where to use their vouchers as hundreds of providers have closed since the freeze was announced, according to early learning advocates in the state. In a recent survey of early childhood educators in Indiana — which includes those working in a variety of settings — 90% of respondents said families are struggling to pay tuition.
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A statewide universal preschool program is unlikely, Republican leaders have said. Instead, a legislative proposal this year would have let cities and counties — not just school districts — ask voters to fund preschool seats. It failed to get traction, but its advocates expect it to return.
The political climate isn’t especially promising for local tax increases: A new Indiana law has placed caps on property tax revenue that are already affecting local budgets. Lawmakers also recently restricted when schools can place referendums on the ballot.
Still, a new local revenue stream could be a boon in some Indiana communities, such as those with high demand for preschool, existing programs, and high social cohesion, said Sam Snideman, vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana.
“There are going to be communities where this makes a ton of sense,” Snideman said. “The increasing challenge for an entity that goes before the public for a referendum is making a very clear value case. What is the common good and what is in the community interest is very important.”
School district’s pre-K enrollment doubles after referendum
Before Monroe schools brought the referendum request to voters, the district conducted a study that showed there were not enough early learning seats to serve children in the community, said Timothy Dowling, director of early learning and enrollment at Monroe schools. And families couldn’t always afford the seats that were available.
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But the district also knew that research links quality early learning improved later academic outcomes, Dowling said.
“We wanted to do everything we can to help our students get the benefit of early learning, because we know it pays off in huge dividends,” Dowling said.
The referendum equated to around a $50 increase yearly for a home with an assessed value of $250,000, according to the district website, and also paid for instructional supplies for K-12 students. It passed with 55% of the vote; Dowling said the community study and transparency about how the referendum funds would be used were key to its success.
As a result of the successful referendum, all families in the district qualify for at least $4,000 in tuition assistance for preschool for 4-year-olds, whether their children attend a district school or at one of seven community providers.
Around 76% students in the district’s program attend for free based on their family’s income, Dowling said. Families in the lowest income tier who send their children to community providers receive $8,000 in tuition assistance.
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The program also offers tuition assistance for 3-year-old preschool based on income and where the student attends school. For families making 225% or less of the federal poverty level, preschool is free at district programs. Often those families struggled the most to afford child care, even when state child care vouchers were available, Dowling said.
In 2024-25, the year after the referendum passed, the number of 4-year-olds attending preschool doubled from 184 to 378, with 64 of those children attending preschool at outside centers. This year, the district expanded preschool for 3-year-olds, based on the timeline laid out in the referendum. Enrollment jumped from 78 to 123, with another 33 students attending community child care centers, Dowling said.
With multiple types of providers, families have options, said Kelly Sipes, the executive director for Penny Lane Childcare Centers, which is a partner provider with the district. Those who need transportation might choose a district-run preschool, she said, but those who need year-round care during school holidays can choose a center like Penny Lane instead.
Her centers are usually at capacity, Sipes said, and child care needs in the community persist. When CCDF funding was cut, some of her families turned to the funding from the district instead.
“It’s awesome for the families,” Sipes said. “We should be all in this together as a community.”
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Pitching child care: ‘We live in a society’
Replicating referendum-funded preschool might work well in communities where school-based providers already exist, and where there’s a sufficient tax base and steady demand for child care, Snideman said. It would also be an incentive to attract working families.
But it could be a harder sell in rural districts, where there are fewer families and less demand.
Generally, school referendums pass in districts that are wealthier, and in areas with less farmland, said Larry DeBoer, a Purdue University professor emeritus of agricultural economics, who has studied school referendums in depth.One of the biggest predictors of success is whether a school district has tried to pass a referendum before — even if they’ve failed, a second referendum is more likely to pass, DeBoer said.
Monroe schools had previously passed an operating referendum the year before its 2023 preschool referendum. As a county, Monroe has a slightly lower per-person income than Indiana as a whole, and has more students than the small and medium-sized districts most likely to propose successful ballot measures. It’s home to Indiana University, and tends to vote Democratic in a largely conservative state.
A legislative proposal this year, HB 1430, would have given the power to levy preschool referendums to counties and cities, potentially casting a wider net for both family demand and child care providers.
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The bill did not receive a hearing, in part because Indiana legislative leaders are usually reluctant to consider bills with a fiscal impact in even-numbered years where they don’t pass a state budget. And the most recent state budget passed in 2025 was tight, with cuts to spending and programs due to a revenue shortfall.
The bill’s author, Rep. Blake Johnson, a Democrat, said that conversations about the bill have been fruitful, and that he expects the idea to return in a future session.
Given budget concerns, a locally funded solution that communities can tailor to their own needs may be more successful than a statewide one, said Patrick McAlister, who leads the Preschool Choice Alliance, a statewide group.
“This is an economic development need. Here’s the tool and the option to exercise it or not,” Johnson said.
A successful referendum would be a boon to working parents who struggle to afford the cost of early learning, said McAlister, who used to be the director of the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation. But even for non-parents, a preschool referendum could have a positive impact on property values and in other ways, McAlister said.
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Ultimately, it would be one part of an “all and above strategy” addressing care for children from birth to age 2.
“We live in a society,” McAlister said. “There are certain things we hold true and caring for children is a value many people share.”
Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.
Ty Simpson was a guest on the “Downs 2 Business” podcast with Caleb Downs and Josh Downs, and he discussed why he believed Indiana beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
The Crimson Tide’s offense was unable to score a touchdown against the Hoosiers in the 38-3 loss. Simpson shone a light on why he felt Indiana had so much success against Alabama on X.
“From my point of view, I was like they don’t much,” Simpson said. “I was like they do the same thing every down and so when I get the ball, I knew exactly what was going to happen. They just didn’t mess up, bro. They were in the exact same spot they were supposed to be, and they were so well coached. It was so much different than the SEC. In the SEC, they’ll play man, they’ll do these unorthodox coverages because kind of how it is. That game was crazy to me. Of course, I got hurt; that was a bummer. But I just knew what they were going to do, but we couldn’t really run the ball. We didn’t really throw it. It was so crazy to me how it happened.”
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Indiana went on to beat Oregon in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, and the Hoosiers defeated Miami in the National Championship after defeating the Crimson Tide.
Simpson and Caleb Downs are now both gearing up to be drafted this month.
Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
Indiana may be one of the most decorated programs in college basketball history, but a brand name no longer has the recruiting pull it used to. In the past, the Hoosiers had a foolproof sell: it’s Indiana. Nowadays, in the NIL era, the playing field has been leveled.
To win in the transfer portal and recruiting as a whole, a program like Indiana needs a premier recruiter – and it has one in Darian DeVries.
Heading into his second season as the Hoosiers head man, DeVries is on an absolute heater, as he just landed his sixth transfer (Villanova guard Bryce Lindsay) on Wednesday night.
With the addition of Lindsay, the Hoosiers have arguably the No. 1 transfer class in the nation and certainly one of the top three. Here are three takeaways from Indiana’s offseason thus far:
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian Devries reacts in the first half of the NCAA game at Value City Arena on Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Indiana won’t have a talent problem in 2026-27
On one hand, the expectations are high in Bloomington – especially after the turnaround Curt Cignetti engineered in just two quick years on the gridiron. And an NCAA Tournament appearance isn’t exactly the Herculean task a College Football Playoff berth, let alone a national title, is.
Then again, DeVries didn’t have much time to craft his 2025-26 roster, and the end result wound up being less-than ideal from a talent perspective. All things considered, DeVries didn’t do a poor job given the roster he had. But it was also his roster.
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Coaching is a balance of roster-building, X’s and O’s and culture. It’s up to DeVries to tailor a roster fit to his coaching strengths. Here in the 2026 offseason, he’s sent a message: recruiting will not be a problem. As a result, talent won’t be a weakness – it’ll be a strength.
The question now: can DeVries take advantage of an uber-skilled crew? Can he mesh the pieces and, ideally, create a product better than the sum of its parts? If the 2025-26 season was any sign, the answer is yes – which means a Big Dance appearance should be the bare minimum next year.
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How will the backcourt depth chart shake out?
Notre Dame guard Markus Burton celebrates during a NCAA men’s basketball game against Missouri at Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Hoosiers are going to have a loaded guard rotation, and DeVries has a variety of options in terms of a starting backcourt.
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Markus Burton is a surefire starter at lead guard, but then DeVries can choose between Bryce Lindsay and Jaeden Mustaf at the two, or, potentially, he could run both together at shooting guard and small forward.
What about Duke transfer Darren Harris, though? He’s more of a wing, but it’s not exactly clear how he’ll fit in the fold. And incoming combo guard Prince-Alexander Moody can also compete for minutes.
Fortunately, DeVries can’t exactly go wrong. A Burton-Lindsay starting backcourt would be undersized but loaded, chock-full of shooting and playmaking, while a Burton-Mustaf combo would be a slashing nightmare for opponents, strong defensively and tough on the boards.
And if Moody shocks the college hoops world and manages to sneak in over both Lindsay and Mustaf, that means the Hoosiers have a bona fide star on their hands.
With the addition of Lindsay, the Hoosiers have arguably the No. 1 transfer class in the nation and certainly one of the top three. Here are three takeaways from Indiana’s offseason thus far.
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The Hoosiers should be much better on the glass
Indiana could have been a lot better on the boards a year ago. The Hoosiers were No. 296 in offensive rebounding rate and No. 122 in defensive rebounding rate, per Bart Torvik. As a squad, Indiana was often undersized – and sometimes by a huge margin. Naturally, the glass suffered, affecting both sides of the floor.
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Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) shoots against Hofstra Pride forward Victory Onuetu (6) in the second half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
In 2026-27, the Hoosiers should flip the script in that department. With incoming big men Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) and Samet Yigitoglu (SMU) combining for 14.1 total rebounds per outing despite neither playing more than 30 minutes per game in this past campaign, Indiana should have a dominant glass-cleaning unit in the frontcourt in 2026-27.
