Tusiime Baguma has always been interested in cars: The way they work, the sounds they make, how to tinker to make cars run louder or faster.
He loves it all.
As part of Arsenal Tech’s automotive program, he and his classmates will gut and rehab a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon.
The three-year program trains students in the basics of automotive technology and mechanics, and provides them with career opportunities in the field after high school.
Baguma, 16, is midway through the program, which he’s said has helped him become even more sure that he wants to work with cars in his career.
The high school junior hopes to enroll in Ivy Tech’s automotive program, maybe to earn his diesel technology certification so he can work on heavy engines and trucks.
“I just like fixing stuff,” he said.
State officials hope to see more students, like Baguma, get hands-on experience with their future careers while still in school. They’re incentivizing it through a new high school diploma that feels a bit like one of those “choose your own adventure” books.
Parts of the new diploma will feel familiar. Under the new structure, students will earn a base diploma of 42 class credits — similar to what’s required under today’s Core 40 system.
The biggest change is a new emphasis on helping students earn work experience.
Starting with the class of 2029, students will have the opportunity to add stackable endorsements to their diplomas — the state calls these “seals” — to show readiness for a certain path after high school. To earn a seal, students might need to complete anywhere from 75 to 650 hours of work experience.
The hours would only be required of students who choose to pursue certain paths.
Under this direction, schools across Indiana have evaluated existing programs and made major investments in career-focused opportunities.
Some schools are off to a strong start with career centers, apprenticeship programs and dual-credit courses already in place.
But, as 2029 nears, some parents and educators are raising concerns. They wonder whether these programs can be scaled quickly enough to offer quality opportunities to more of the tens of thousands of students who graduate from Indiana high schools every year.
They point to concerns about flexibility once students choose their high school path and wonder about how students will get to work opportunities. Schools say they’re also still figuring out how to fund the staff and programs needed to cater to a broad range of career interests among teens.
State officials say the effort requires a fundamental shift in how communities think about education. They believe it’s no longer only up to schools to help teens learn. Instead, educators are being encouraged to lean into partnerships with local employers to help students discover their interests.
“Schools are going to have to shift their mentality,” said Paul Ketcham, assistant education secretary with the Indiana Department of Education. “What the diplomas now do is signal to the field, it’s OK to think outside the box. It’s OK to be creative. It’s OK to be bold and take chances because we want you to give kids opportunities.”
What are Indiana’s new diploma seals?
The new diploma structure creates a new way of thinking about high school.
Many students will be encouraged to take their 42 required credits during 9th and 10th grade. After that, students can tailor their high school experience by pursuing one or more diploma seals.
These diploma seals follow three paths:
- Enrollment. This is for students thinking about college or other continued education after high school.
- Employment. This is for high schoolers considering entering the workforce directly after they graduate.
- Enlistment and service. This is for teens interested in joining the military or working in the police, fire or emergency services fields.
Each seal is different and offers students choices in how to complete them. The first level for each of the three seals is called “honors.” The next is called “honors plus.”
To complete the seals, students can pick from a menu of options that includes different levels of advanced classes, work experience and soft skills building.
Requirements for each type of seal build upon one another. For example, students seeking an Employment Honors seal must complete at least 150 hours of work experience while in high school. Students seeking out the Employment Honors Plus seal must complete 650 hours.
The seals are “stackable,” meaning students can earn multiple seals at a time. State officials say it’s a way for students to customize their high school experience and connect what they’re learning in classes to what they might do after they graduate.
“I always knew that the diploma felt like for so many, a stopping point, like the goal was to get a kid’s diploma and then we were done,” said Ketcham, a former school superintendent. “Students didn’t always see the relevance in what they were learning.”
Is the new diploma flexible?
With so many options for students to consider, educators say they’re beginning to talk about career interests earlier.
Some districts have begun offering a required career exploration class to eighth graders. IPS is piloting an expansion of its high school advising resource, called Future Centers, in middle schools. Wayne Township has hired seven grant-funded career coaches to work with high school students.
State officials say exposing students to career paths sooner allows teens to better understand their interests before making investments in college, a trades program or other forms of training.
If a high schooler tries a job they don’t like in high school, that’s OK. In fact, it’s encouraged.
“We consider it a win,” Ketcham said, using an analogy. “When kids try things on and go, ‘I don’t like corduroy. I don’t like denim,’ you’re trying things on. You just change your clothes.”
Some educators, however, say they find some of the new diploma paths are more flexible than others.
Requirements for an enrollment path, for example, leave open time for elective classes and extracurriculars. Students on this path could even have time to pursue other seals.
But students on an employment path may find their choices more limited, especially if they’re considering the Employment Honors Plus seal.
Apprenticeships — the state’s preferred path for meeting 650 hours of work experience — often require serious commitment. Students need to decide early on if they want to pursue an apprenticeship. If they wait too long, they might miss their opportunity to apply. Or, they could run out of time to complete the required work hours.
By their senior year, some high schoolers could spend up to three full school days at an apprenticeship. They might even have to choose between completing an apprenticeship and participating in after-school activities, like joining a sports team or marching band.
Claire Fiddian-Green, whose organization leads the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway program, said time commitments vary by employer. Some students may be able to find balance, especially considering they will get school credit for their apprenticeships.
“It’s not like a student has to take a full course load and go to the workplace,” Fiddian-Green told Mirror Indy.
Leaders say the apprenticeship program is designed to be flexible, but there are still challenges if students change their minds. If a student tries an apprenticeship and realizes they don’t like it, it may be tough to transition to something new.
The enrollment seals, for example, require more advanced classes than the base 42 credits all students need to graduate. If a student reaches their senior year without taking these classes, earning an enrollment seal and applying to college could become more difficult.
Some schools are thinking about how to get ahead of this. IPS, for example, is making sure all of its students sign up for higher level math classes regardless of what path they’re interested in. Students who don’t take the classes will be asked to sign an opt-out form stating they understand the risk.
“We have to design systems that acknowledge who young adults are and how they move through the world,” said Melody Coryell, IPS’ executive director of postsecondary readiness, “which means they’re going to have to be able to change.”
How will students get to work?
Concerns about accessibility have been raised from the earliest days the new diploma was discussed.
How are high schoolers, many of them too young to drive, going to get to these work experiences?
State officials acknowledge it’s a challenge and said they hope schools can share their ideas for overcoming the barrier.
IPS provides its students with IndyGo bus passes and uses a rideshare service called HopSkipDrive to help students get to off-campus locations. Some districts, however, have found that rideshare expenses add up fast.
Other schools have explored alternatives to in-person work experiences. Wayne Township piloted a virtual work-based learning program but pulled the plug after teens complained about its use of artificial intelligence.
More schools are studying student-run businesses as a way teens can earn work experience without leaving school. Ron Sandlin, chief innovation officer for the Indiana Department of Education, said he’s heard examples of students working in school coffee shops or operating their own print shop where students and the broader public can place orders for T-shirts.
In these cases, students study how to make and sell a product, but also learn about time management, bookkeeping, marketing and other skills needed to help a small business thrive.
“We’re not just producing workers,” Ketcham said. “We’re producing critical thinkers, problem solvers, collaborators.”
What support do schools need?
One major question that’s come up in planning is: how will schools assess the quality of a student’s work experience?
Will students gain the same education in an internship that they would from a trained teacher in a classroom? Who gets to decide what counts as work experience? And, should work for a family member’s company count for school credit?
Assessing the quality of work experience will largely be left up to local schools. State officials say their intention is for students to match their work experience to what they see themselves doing in a future career.
But that’s left open a question of whether teens could earn credit for the type of work often seen as a “first job” — things like waiting tables or lifeguarding at the local pool.
Ketcham said there’s room to argue these experiences offer learning opportunities. When schools approach the state with questions about individual experiences, he’ll have three questions in mind for them.
“What’s our north star? What are our core values? What do we want students to learn?” Ketcham said. “If that experience fits these things, then local control rules.”
Some school districts have already made large investments to provide work experiences on their own campuses. Lawrence Township is planning a $150 million expansion of its high school career center, which leads classes in construction trades, health sciences and culinary arts. Perry Township just broke ground on a new, $30 million innovation and entrepreneurship center on the University of Indianapolis campus.
But, some schools still say they need more help preparing for the changes. Rebecca Daugherty-Saunders, a college and career readiness director in Wayne Township, said state support hasn’t matched that of other recent priorities, such as a major push to improve third grade reading scores.
In 2022, the state and philanthropic partners announced investments of over $100 million to train teachers on a new reading curriculum. Today, schools are trying to balance their preparation for a new high school experience with keeping a tighter budget as districts adjust for inflation and changes to their share of local property tax revenue.
Schools are having a hard time finding money to help teachers pay for the additional training they need to teach dual-credit college classes incentivized by the new diploma, Daugherty-Saunders said. And, schools could use greater investment in their guidance counseling departments as students navigate the changes.
“Our counselors are already at 450-to-1,” Daugherty-Saunders said. “They can’t increase any more than that and be able to even follow where the kid is going. It takes time to do that.”
Ketcham framed it as a matter of priority setting, but also called upon local businesses to make investments in students — their future employees.
“Schools have lived in this environment for hundreds of years — finite revenue with a lot of expectations,” Ketcham said. “You’re going to find a way to fund what you find valuable.”
Resources to learn more about Indiana’s new high school diplomas
Want to learn more about the new diploma? Here’s some places to start:
- The Indiana Commission for Higher Education keeps a “Career Guide” that explains popular career paths and corresponding classes students can take in high school.
- The Indiana Department of Education keeps a course guide that gives a description of classes offered in Indiana high schools and indicates which graduation requirements the class helps fulfill.
- The Indiana Department of Education keeps this work-based learning guide which explains what types of work experiences can be pursued for high school credit.
- Learn more about youth apprenticeship on the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway website. The site has guidelines for what to expect for two-year and three-year apprenticeship programs.
You can also contact your student’s high school and request to speak to a guidance counselor or college and career coach.
Not finding an answer quickly? Share your questions with Mirror Indy. We may use your response to inform our future reporting.
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Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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