NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The new graduation requirements for high school students in Kansas start with the class that will be freshmen in the 2024-2025 school year.
"The ELA portion of it, the English/Language Arts, that's in the communications piece," said Buhler High School principal Michael Ellegood. "You say, well, English is communications. It is, but the major change that they are making there is they are making speech, debate, journalism and forensics required for all students, at least a semester worth of that."
Ellegood said HutchCC provides some of those classes and the rest are covered by Debate and Forensics coach Mr. Yates. There's also going to be a change in the STEM requirements.
"They have added a STEM elective," Ellegood said. "That just means that they have to take an advanced course. That can be in technology, it can also be in computer science, math or science, but the other one that's really fortunate for us is that it can be in agriculture. We're very fortunate to have one of the largest ag programs in the state of Kansas."
Graduates will also need two post-secondary assets.
"Post-secondary assets can be anything from some of the testing that we give, college credits, WorkKeys tests, ACT score of 21 or higher, CTE scholars, attendance, participation in activities, we have a high percentage of students there, it can be Eagle Scouts, or Gold Scouts, there's a list from the state of about 30 or 40 things that they allow us to do."
KSDE would also like to see all students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but students can opt out of this.
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