JACKSON — High school students who don’t want to go to college would have an option to pursue career-track studies under a bill being considered in the Mississippi Legislature.
The House bill up for debate this week in the Senate outlines 20 course unit requirements for the so-called career track curriculum. Students who choose to go that route would still have to earn four units of English and at least three in math and three in science.
“We’re not trying to dummy-down the curriculum,” said House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson. “The whole (educational) system is focused on trying to move kids in a path to get a four-year degree in college, but a number of kids don’t want to do that.”
It’s a concept that’s been discussed for a while.
Gov. Haley Barbour has said not all public school students should be encouraged to go to college if they’re not interested in pursuing a four-year degree. Some school districts already offer such curricula under the state Department of Education’s high school redesign program, which is still being expanded.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Videt Carmichael said he’s hoping the changes could reduce the state’s 16 percent dropout rate. He said students often drop out of school because they’re bored, and not necessarily because the coursework is too difficult.
“We’re talking about courses that are rigorous, but relevant to careers,” said Carmichael, R-Meridian.
For instance, some English classes in the career track might focus on reading and analyzing report or technical writing, he said.
The bill would allow local school boards, the state College Board and the state Board for Community and Junior Colleges to establish a dual enrollment system. The legislation allows a student to have a dual enrollment in a community or technical college or participate in an internship or work study program. The student also must have at least four credits in career and technical education courses.
Eric Clark, executive director of the state Board of Community and Junior Colleges, said initially there were some concerns about the bill. However, he said, the House made a few changes, including inserting language to show his board and the state College Board could recommend admission requirements for dual enrollment programs.
“We were concerned that what you would have is people who would graduate high school with lower standards than they would be required to meet now,” Clark said. “The bill that passed on the House floor is significantly better than the bill that was introduced.”
Mississippi isn’t the only state moving toward career paths in high schools. Louisiana began offering a career diploma in 2009. The diploma is for students who pursue a curriculum that emphasizes career and technical classes. It is supposed to prepare them for a job or a technical or community school.
Carmichael said there would only be one diploma in Mississippi, but different ways to obtain it.
The bill is House Bill 1210.
Local News
Bill seeks career-track courses for Miss. students
- Local News
-
-
PAINTING HYDRANTS
Firefighters with Picayune Fire Department conduct regular maintenance on the city’s many fire hydrants, such as giving them a fresh coat of paint.
-
Two charged with making meth around kids
Two parents were arrested for allegedly making and possessing methamphetamine, while their children were in the home.
-
Unemployment rate down slightly
Pearl River County’s unemployment rate dropped slightly between March and April of this year.
-
PMHS GRADUATION
Picayune Memorial High School held its graduation ceremony Thursday night where the school’s valedictorian Jared Christopher Bates, left, and salutatorian Bryce Austin Warden gave their speeches.
-
POPLARVILLE GRADUATION
Poplarville High School held its graduation ceremony Thursday night where the school’s valedictorian Rebecca Starke, left, and salutatorian Meagan Whitworth gave their speeches to the graduating class, parents and friends.
-
Local man paralyzed by juvenile shooting
Medical personnel were teaching a local man how to swallow again on Saturday after his spinal cord was severed by a .22 caliber bullet, fired by one of three juveniles, on Thursday.
-
Potential bridge replacement fund shortage draws discussion
Despite a lengthy agenda for Pearl River County supervisors Wednesday the board handled many of the items with a straight up and down 5-0 vote.
-
Glade Woods dies
Funeral services for Earl Glade Woods , 75 of Picayune, are Monday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Picayune. Woods passed away on Friday.
-
MHP on patrol for holiday
Even though there has been a remarkable reduction in the number of fatalities in Mississippi over the past seven years, last year’s Memorial Day Weekend was particularly deadly.
-
POLICE MEMORIAL
City employees were out at the Picayune Police Department memorial Thursday morning doing some upgrades to it.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
