WHAT DOES A DIPLOMA
WHAT DOES A DIPLOMA MEAN? That is basically the question that this op/ed poses. The author’s son is autistic and is making progress on his IEP but will not be awarded a diploma under the current system.
If the diploma could indicate my son’s drive and progress, the self-control he has learned by mastering his behavioral goal, for example, that skill set may be of more value to a potential employer than the fact that he could not perform 10th-grade mathematics. Tremendous improvement like that is invisible on the current MCAS-driven diploma, and would only be viewed as a failure by board policy.
If we are looking for ways to make children more marketable in this demanding economy, then we must allow them to earn real diplomas, provided they have been given by accountable schools like my sons’. Only then will we have a comprehensive and just system of public school education worthy of our children.
While I feel for this woman and her son, awarding a diploma to her son would only serve to confuse potential employers of MA graduates. How would they know if the diploma meant that the student had mastered the state curriculum or had drive, self-control and made progress? If potential employers don’t feel that the state curriculum is relevant to the job, they probably won’t care if the employee has a diploma or a certificate.