QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
What Does a Diploma Mean?
Last month we asked whether statewide test scores are relevant. This month we ask a related question: if those scores aren’t required for graduation, what is?
Every spring, thousands of New Hampshire students walk across a stage, receive a diploma, and are declared high school graduates.
But what does that actually mean? It’s a question most of us never think to ask.
Does a diploma mean a student: Is proficient in reading, writing, and math? Is ready for college or a career? Has mastered a specific body of knowledge?
Or does it mean something else entirely?
There Isn’t Just One Answer
Many people assume that a high school diploma has a single, statewide meaning. It doesn’t.
New Hampshire sets minimum graduation requirements. Local school districts may establish their own additional requirements. Private schools determine their own graduation standards. Parents educating their children at home decide when their child’s high school education is complete.
In other words, “graduating from high school” can mean different things depending on how and where a student is educated.
What Must Public School Students Do?
Most public school students earn a diploma by completing at least 20 credits across a number of subjects and satisfying local graduation requirements.
New Hampshire also requires students to complete a civics course and pass the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization civics test, which all immigrants seeking citizenship have to pass
Notice what’s missing from that list. Students are not required to pass the statewide NH SAS, the SAT, or any other statewide academic assessment in order to graduate.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the tests are unimportant. It simply means they are not used as graduation requirements.
So What Does a Diploma Tell Us?
A diploma certainly tells us that a student completed a program of study.
But does it also certify academic proficiency? That’s less clear.
If a graduate has not demonstrated proficiency on statewide assessments in reading or mathematics, should we assume the diploma represents those skills anyway? Or should we understand the diploma primarily as recognition that the student completed the school’s graduation requirements?
Reasonable people can disagree. The important thing is recognizing that these are different ideas.
Completion and proficiency are not the same thing.
What About Homeschoolers?
New Hampshire has long trusted parents educating their children at home to determine when their student’s secondary education is complete.
There is no statewide exit exam for homeschoolers (just like public school kids). There is no state official who certifies that they have graduated.
Families decide when their student’s high school education is complete, based on the goals and expectations they’ve established.
Whether one agrees with that approach or not, it raises an interesting question: If different educational settings define graduation differently, what does a diploma represent?
A Question Worth Asking
Perhaps we’ve been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Is a high school diploma enough?” maybe we should ask a more fundamental one:
What should graduation from high school mean?
Should it signify time spent in school? Credits earned? Mastery of essential knowledge? Readiness for college? Readiness for adulthood? Something else?
The answer isn’t obvious. But until we’re clear about what graduation is supposed to represent, it’s difficult to know what a diploma tells us — or whether it tells us enough.
Only after we’ve answered that question can we have a meaningful conversation about what students should be expected to know and be able to do before they graduate.
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More Fairs!
- Saturday October 3 from 2-4pm, Evergreen Elementary in Hudson (near Nashua) will host a fair. It’ll be a Fall Fest theme and be tons of fun. Education providers and attendees can register here.
- Saturday October 24 from 9am-1pm. Join us in Loudon (near Concord). It’ll be held indoors at the Benjamin Franklin Academy Charter School, 157 Chichester Rd in Loudon, in conjunction with a 5k run, so we expect a lot of families to show up. Education providers and attendees can register here.
Let us know if you want to organize a fair in your area. Anyone in the Laconia area interested? We haven’t had one in that region yet. We’re also interested in hosting fairs in the Lakes and Seacoast regions.
Let your friends know about these fairs. Word of mouth is the best way to advertise. Also, follow us and share our events and posts on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About EdOpt
EdOpt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose aim is to help families understand all their education options, from non-traditional (homeschooling, homeschool co-ops, microschools) to traditional (charter schools, private schools, tech centers, dual enrollment, learn everywhere).
Use our website to find education providers options around the state. If your organization isn’t there, please enter it!
EdOpt also provides guidance to help you figure out what will suit your children. Set up a FREE Education Options consultation today. And check out our new AI Assistant, the EdOpt Navigator, available on every page on our website. It’s wicked smaht about education in New Hampshire.
