No public high school in Utah should deny a student credit for passing certain "rigorous" course work taken outside of that school's classrooms, state lawmakers say.
But schools in at least the Alpine and Jordan school districts are not giving credit where credit is due, according to Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.
"I think we've got a crisis coming," Stephenson told the Education Interim Committee in a meeting Wednesday.
At stake is a high school diploma, which schools — not the state — issue to students, Stephenson said.
Those schools, he added, put their "monikers" on the diplomas and therefore aren't as ready — and aren't forced — to accept credits toward graduation if the courses weren't taken inside their classrooms, according to Stephenson.
The committee considered proposed legislation that would require public schools to accept transfer credits from "certain accredited schools" toward fulfillment of core curriculum requirements. Those schools could be other public or private schools or Utah's Electronic High School.
The courses in question must meet standards and objectives set by the State Board of Education, according to the draft bill, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan.
Lawmakers Wednesday focused on courses students are taking electronically or over the Internet that are not being recognized or are only getting partial credit at some schools.
In some cases, students are told by school officials that they need to retake a course they already took electronically.
"It's foolishness," Buttars said. "Why in the world should they have to repeat it?"
Stephenson used the proposed bill as a reason to suggest that lawmakers or the State Board of Education should come up with an alternative diploma that lists levels of proficiency in certain subjects.
Courses students take outside of schools are sometimes more "rigorous" than some of the "meaningless" packets schools pass out to help students become more proficient in certain subjects, according to Stephenson.
The bill, however, was too new for lawmakers to pass out of committee — but there was plenty of support for the measure, which Buttars said will be back in time for the 2006 Legislature.
E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com