PROVO -- As the day nears for donning caps and gowns and staging processionals to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance," most seniors in the Provo City School District are still one credit shy of meeting state graduation requirements.
But they'll receive diplomas anyway, thanks to members of the Utah Board of Education who voted to give the district an exemption to the policy.The board looked favorably at an academic program in Provo that requires students to take fewer elective courses and more English and computer-science classes than their counterparts at other high schools.
According to district policy, students at Timpview and Provo high schools must complete 23 credits in English, mathematics, science, computers, social students, arts, health, applied-technology education and elective courses.
The state education office requires students to complete 24 credits in the same subjects but asks for one fewer credit in English and 1.5 more credits of elective classes.
Superintendent Michael Jacobsen said Provo's graduation requirements vary mostly in the elective-credit category, which allows students to take such classes as drama and debate. He also noted that class periods at Provo high schools are longer than at most schools, giving more instruction time.
Timpview, with an average of 53 minutes per class period, logged 159 hours of instruction per class annually. Provo counts about 50 minutes in each class, giving students 150 hours in class each year.
"Class periods at most Utah high schools average 47 minutes per day, which equates to 141 hours of instruction per class per year," Jacobsen said. "Thus, Timpview students receive 18 more hours and Provo students receive nine more hours of instructional time per class per year than the majority of Utah high school students."
Additionally, seniors at Timpview and Provo must meet a "rigor requirement." Students must chose an academic emphasis -- including agriculture, art, foreign language or performing arts -- and complete four quarters of classes in that subject. Simply meeting minimum credit requirements is not enough.
"The state's policy is built around time rather than ability," said Patti Harrington, assistant superintendent. "(But) our kids have more seat time than in any other Utah school."
Members of the state elected panel voiced some concern about districts lowering the number of credits needed to graduate when the board is trying to boost requirements. Elective credits, which often allow students to participate to a greater extent in fine arts programs, should not be minimized, the board said.
But of 15 votes, only one was cast to deny the exemption.
"Given the rationale, we had a very strong case," Jacobsen said. "We filled the mandatory classes. When the board made the policy, they didn't start by saying, 'Let's have nine electives and fill in the rest around that.' "