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Representative Woods’ bill would expand outreach to high-school dropouts, lower diploma age to 18
Summary
A bill to require state reporting of students who withdraw from high school and to codify a nontraditional diploma pathway for 18-year-olds received a favorable committee report after discussion of curriculum, credit transfer and dropout-prevention concerns.
Representative Woods introduced HB 266, the ‘‘Restoring Educational Attainment of Completing High School Act’’ (the REACH Act), saying the bill is intended to “reach students who have dropped out of high school to give them a second chance” and to increase employability by putting students on an educational pathway.
The bill would require the State Department of Education to report, at least quarterly, withdrawing high-school students to the adult education department within the Alabama Community College System so adult education programs can contact them. It also codifies the state’s nontraditional high-school diploma option as an alternative pathway for individuals age 18 (currently the program requires age 19) who have withdrawn from high school.
Sponsor Representative Woods told the committee the adult-education system already offers GED preparation, skills-based training and a nontraditional diploma option but that many students do not know those options exist. He said the reporting requirement is intended to “help our adult education departments in the state know these students exist.”
David, an adult education representative with the community college system, told the committee the programs are evidence- and research-based, can incorporate portions of the GED assessment and ACT WorkKeys, and can award college credits for integrated education and skills training. He said credits earned through GED work can transfer and that students with at least 10 high-school credits can be moved into the high-school diploma option and eventually issued a diploma by the local high school after transcript review.
Senator Smitherman pressed the sponsor on parity between the nontraditional diploma and the traditional 4-by-4 curriculum, saying he was concerned the bill might create an “easy pathway” that shortchanges the traditional curriculum’s rigor. Representative Woods and the adult-education representative responded that the nontraditional pathway aligns to college-level and industry-aligned training, and that the bill was amended on the House floor to ensure students pursuing the nontraditional diploma are not counted as dropouts on state report cards while they are trying to complete a diploma.
After debate, Representative Kitchens moved and Representative Price seconded a motion to give HB 266 a favorable report. The committee recorded the bill as given a favorable report, 9-0.
Votes at a glance: HB 266 — favorable report (motion to give favorable report moved by Representative Kitchens; seconded by Representative Price). Recorded roll-call ayes: Senator Butler; Senator Chastain; Senator Hatcher; Senator Hovey; Senator Kitchens; Senator Price; Senator Shellnut; Senator Smitherman; Senator Stutz. Tally: 9 yes, 0 no. The committee’s chair announced, “Bill’s given a favorable report.”
