LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A second draft of Indiana's diploma requirements has been released and addresses state universities' concerns about the decrease in required credit hours.

Indiana must change its high school diploma requirements before the end of the year because of a state law passed in 2023.

The latest degree requirement proposal includes one base diploma.

One difference between the current Indiana diploma and the proposed diploma is that it changes the required credit hours in certain subjects.

Students will also have the option to include an honors seal, and choose an emphasis in employment (work force), enlistment (military), or education (college).

Depending on the specialty, students will have to complete additional classes, work-based learning credit hours or reach other benchmarks, like a certain score on the ACT or SAT.

Ind. State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser (D-Jeffersonville) will host a town hall meeting on Monday about the proposed changes.

"I'm much more excited about the second draft as I understand it, and again, it's still a draft and there are still details to come out," Dant Chesser said. "I think the concept of continuous improvement with public education is always a good idea." 

The first draft received major criticism from state universities, like Purdue.

The first draft included two diplomas: the Indiana GPS diploma, and Indiana GPS Plus diploma. Either would include a "seal" specialized in employment (work force), enlistment (military), or education (college).

Under that proposal, the GPS diploma require ninth and tenth grade students to focus on "foundational knowledge and competencies."

Then in eleventh and twelfth grade, students would work towards a minimum of 20 additional courses and competencies. That would be determined by what is known as "points," and achieved by things like continuing traditional courses, electives, SAT/ACT scores, JROTC, or work-based learning.

According to IDOE, students will use an individual graduation plan, completed in middle school to determine course sequences to achieve the 20 points.

The Indiana GPS Plus diploma requires all the above, in addition to work-based learning experiences like apprenticeships or capstone projects. 

On July 22, Purdue University President Mung Chiang wrote a letter to the Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, and Indiana Commission for Higher Education Commissioner Chris Lowery. 

Chiang asked Jenner and Lowery to "respectfully" reconsider an enrollment seal better aligned with Indiana's universities. 

In it, Chiang wrote, "the proposed GPS and GPS+ diplomas do not meet Purdue admission requirements in the subject areas of math, lab sciences, social studies and world language."

According to IDOE's presentation on the second draft, it had support from Purdue and Indiana University.

Dant Chesser's town hall will begin at 6 p.m., Monday at Jeffersonville City Hall, 500 Quartermaster Ct., #205. 

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