Des Moines' core diploma offers pathway to graduation

An army of volunteers went door-to-door in Des Moines neighborhoods this weekend to share the importance of earning a high school diploma with students at risk of dropping out. 

The Graduation Walk is an annual tradition, part of a growing effort to help more high school students graduate. This year, Des Moines schools added a new weapon to its arsenal.

The district is now offering a "core diploma" that requires five fewer electives than a traditional diploma. It can speed up the time it takes to finish school and potentially help struggling students. 

More than 600 Des Moines students in grades 9-12 dropped out during the 2015-16 school year, according to state education data. In addition, only about 81 percent of the class of 2016 graduated in four years, below the state average of 91 percent.

DATABASE:Search Iowa graduation and dropout rates

"We need to recognize that our students come to us with a wide range of life circumstances and needs, and create as much flexibility within our district as possible," Des Moines Superintendent Tom Ahart said.

The core diploma is part of a multi-pronged approach the district is taking to help more students graduate from high school. Other efforts include credit-recovery courses and a Flex Academy program that works with students who struggle in traditional classroom settings.

"High school graduation is the gateway to most of the opportunities to which our students aspire," Ahart said. "We need to ... market those options to our families so they don’t disengage before understanding that there is more than one pathway to graduation."

Acknowledging hardships 

Many Des Moines students face challenges, Ahart said. Some are teen parents or involved in the juvenile court system. Others have bounced around the foster care system or lived in homeless shelters.

District officials say the core diploma is an option that might help some. It is open to all Des Moines students, not just drop-outs, and is being presented to teens on a case-by-case basis through school counselors.

To earn the core diploma, students must meet all of Iowa's graduation requirements, including four credits of English, and three credits each of math, social studies and science. They must earn 18 total credits, rather then the 23 required for a traditional diploma. 

Multiple districts in the metro and around the state offer a diploma with pared-down elective requirements.

"We thought it appropriate and equitable to create an alternative to the standard diploma that still meets the state requirements," Ahart said.

Students who meet the minimum requirements can apply for the core diploma program.

School leaders will consider individual hardships when deciding whether to grant the core option, said Mimi Willoughby, who oversees the district's Flex Academy.

Core diploma applications are reviewed by a committee of educators without any guarantees. There were eight applicants this summer, for example, and only four were approved — two graduated and two more may finish this fall.

Returning to class 

Students are supposed to take elective courses as they progress through high school. Many take subjects that interest them, such as art, band or shop classes.

"You get to the end and you should have most of your electives by your senior year," said teacher Stephanie Fowler.

But for many reasons, some students don't take or pass the electives they need to graduate. And the longer teens put off classes, the harder it can be.

Older students who return to school after dropping out can have trouble fitting in needed electives before turning 21 and "aging out" of the public school system.

Some students make up classes through alternative programs that help teens quickly complete classes through intensive and focused work. 

About 2,000 Des Moines students, mostly juniors and seniors, participate in the district's Flex Academy program each school year. It is available at each of the district's traditional high schools as well as Scavo High.

Roosevelt student Alivia Peer is making up credits through the school's Flex Academy program after falling behind earlier in her high school career. Now a senior, she's enrolled in both flex and traditional courses.

"I dug myself a hole; it's hard to get out of," Peer said in the spring. "It would have been a lot easier to not have to do this all at the same time."

The Flex Academy allows students to earn credits through online programs, one-on-one independent studies, or a combined hybrid model that pairs online learning with teacher direction.

Once enrolled, many teens find the drive to push through to graduation, at times finishing more classes in a semester than a traditional student would.

Others simply need a class or two to graduate. 

Demarius Fisher recalled his struggle to focus in traditional classrooms and saw the Flex Academy as a way to graduate with his peers this past spring, which he did. 

When asked what advice he'd give his younger self, Fisher said: "Wake up every day and say, 'This is what I'm going to do, this is what I'm going to do to graduate, this is how I'm going to be successful toward the career I'm going to pursue.'"

Des Moines diploma options

Des Moines Public Schools' new core diploma requires five fewer electives than the traditional high school diploma, but the same credits in English, math, science, social studies and physical education.

Both the traditional and core diplomas require elective classes in technology literacy, finance literacy, health literacy and employability skills.

Traditional diploma: 23 credits

• 4 credits: English   
• 3 credits: Math
• 3 credits: Science  
• 3 credits: Social studies
• 1 credit: Physical education  
• 9 credits: Electives

Core diploma: 18 credits

• 4 credits: English  
• 3 credits: Math  
• 3 credits: Science  
• 3 credits: Social studies  
• 1 credit: Physical education
• 4 credits: Electives
• Must have a viable postsecondary plan

Source: Des Moines Public Schools