Last year, the Kansas State Board of Education introduced significant changes to the state's high school graduation requirements. The new requirements are set to begin with the Class of 2028, which are this school year’s sophomores.

There was a slight change to requirements related to class credits. While the core credit requirement remains the same, there were changes to some required courses:

• Financial Literacy: A one-half unit course in financial literacy is now a required course for graduation.
• STEM Focus: A dedicated STEM elective credit is required, which can include advanced math, advanced science, computer science, or a technical/application-level Career and Technical Education (CTE) course.
• Communications: A minimum of a half-unit of communications (such as speech or debate) is now specified within the English Language Arts requirements.

Beyond those adjustments to course credits, the graduation requirement change mostly centered around the additional requirement of two or more Post-Secondary Assets (PSAs). To help students better understand this change, Turner High School staff has been messaging it as “25 + 2” which refers to the requirement of 25 course credits and 2 PSAs.

A Post-Secondary Asset is a recognized achievement, experience, or credential that demonstrates a student's readiness for their goals after high school, whether that be entering the workforce, military service, or pursuing further education.

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has provided a list of approved assets meant to give students flexibility based on their future goals. From that list, Turner High School staff separated the PSAs into three categories: College Readiness, Career Readiness & Experience, and Extracurricular & Leadership.

Turner High School counselors are prepared to help students navigate this change. In addition to creating a PSA tracking system, they are working one-on-one with students to personalize their Individual Plan of Study (IPS), matching each student’s interests and strengths with the most relevant Post-Secondary Assets.

The district’s Real World Learning (RWL) initiative pairs well with the new Post-Secondary Assets, particularly client-centered projects, youth apprenticeships, and workplace learning experience. District staff are actively building local partnerships and creating opportunities within the district to increase availability of these types of PSAs for students.

It’s important for parents to be informed of this change so they can help their student make decisions over their four years in high school to ensure they meet these new requirements. If parents or students have questions, they can speak with their school counselor.