Gov. Bobby Jindal signed legislation Thursday that will create a career diploma pathway for high school students who are currently at risk of dropping out of school.
Jindal said that this new program is a critical part of enhancing the state’s workforce training and economic development systems so that Louisiana can continue to attract business investment and create jobs as well as ensure that Louisianians do not have to leave home to pursue a career.
Jindal emphasized that the number of students dropping out of school before earning a diploma is a serious problem in Louisiana. In fact, he cited a number of statistics, including that approximately 13,500 students are dropping out of high school yearly, and that number climbs to almost 16,000 if middle school students are included. The governor said that these statistics also show that the current GED program is not working as only five percent of students who are placed on a traditional GED pathway actually earn a GED.
Jindal said, “This legislation will help to reduce the number of dropouts we see in our schools today. The fact that we are losing 95 percent of our GED students is just unacceptable. This program will help identify those students most at risk of dropping out and give them a pathway to success and a good career.
“This legislation gives us an opportunity to reach students that might otherwise slip through the cracks of our education system. Now – with these bills – we can cultivate these students’ interests and skills and help align them with a successful career path.
“Because we know that an education is the key to opportunity for every Louisiana child – we cannot afford to let any of our kids be left without the opportunity to succeed.
“The creation of the career diploma program represents another positive step forward in our central goal of creating more Louisiana jobs. This program will help us to better train and educate our Louisiana workforce, which will help attract the investment of more businesses to our state, expand our economy, and create more jobs for our people.”
Jindal signed Senate Bill 259 by Sen. Bob Kostelka and House Bill 612 by Rep. Jim Fannin which are companion bills to create the career diploma plan.
Kostelka said, “The intent of this legislation is to keep young people in schools. Every four years we have enough drop outs to nearly fill Tiger Stadium. These kids are dropping out because they don’t find the things they are studying relevant – and worse yet – they are dropping out of school without any type of technical training. With this program, we’re giving all of our kids an opportunity to succeed.”
BESE President Keith Guice said, “It is obvious from the 7th Grade Cohort Graduation Rate of 53.7 percent that all children do not choose to go to college and that Louisiana has a significant dropout problem that can no longer be ignored. Apparently, the curriculum in our schools does not meet the needs of a very large number of students.
This career option diploma is designed to give these students and their parents the opportunity to choose another curriculum they feel is more relevant to their desires. Jindal, Kostelka and Fannin, along with other legislators, should be commended for addressing the needs of the students who wish to become productive citizens in a career that does not require a college degree.”
President of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents Gary Jones said, “The goal of public education is to produce useful and productive citizens and this legislation will be a great tool to accomplish that mission.”
Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said, "This act represents a victory for common sense.
Our curriculum had gotten out of balance in stressing rigor over relevance. The Kostelka/Fannin bill makes it possible for many students in danger of dropping out of school to continue their educations and learn the skills they need to succeed in the modern economy."
Tom Tate of the Louisiana Association of Educators said, "We believe that this legislation will provide greater opportunity for all our students. Merely providing a college preparatory curricula for high school students has proven ineffective and counterproductive for building Louisiana’s economy. This is not watering down the standards, but it will provide more economic opportunities for many more high school students. We applaud the efforts of Sen. Bob kostelka and Rep. Jim Fannin."
The governor said that students who pursue a career major will be required to earn many of the same credits required in the state’s college preparatory curriculum, including, four English and math credits, and three science and social studies credits.
Jindal said the career diploma program also allows for students to take applied courses related to their chosen career focus.
Jindal said, “We want the standards of this program to be just as high as other current educational programs and indeed the courses in this program meet or exceed similar standards at Louisiana’s technical colleges.”
He said the program also requires students to take seven BESE-approved career and technical education courses, including a career readiness course.
Jindal said, “We must have relevance and rigor in our classrooms. We must have strong accountability standards and a strong dropout prevention plan so that we can prepare kids for the workforce and a postsecondary education. Every Louisiana student deserves a pathway to success in life.”
The governor said students in the program must also have a record of good attendance, good behavior and meet a minimum GPA requirement. They must also participate in a dropout prevention and mentoring program.
Jindal noted that the event was held at West Ouachita High School in West Monroe where they have instituted a program for all students – non-college bound and college bound – to pursue vocational training. He said this type of program can serve as a model for the legislation signed today.
The governor said the program has various vocational classes available, including wood-crafting, carpentry and welding.
Bossier News 
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