Doctor Morrow told the Bentonville School District board that guidance on Arkansas "merit" and "distinction" diplomas is still developing but already affects school accountability and scholarship eligibility. He said the designations account for 1/9 of a high school’s state report-card score and that, for the class of 2024, the state awarded points where students had one of a small set of indicators: "They either had 2 classes in a higher wage, high demand pathway, or they had 3 college classes, or they had 3 AP classes, or 3 IB classes, or a seal of biliteracy," he said.

Morrow emphasized the difference between the short-term calculation used for the 2025 report card and the longer-term diploma requirements scheduled for the class of 2028. For the class of 2028 and beyond, students will generally need a credential or higher-education credit threshold — examples he gave include 12 college credit hours, specific industry certifications, an associate degree (about 60 credit hours) or successful completion of approved apprenticeships. "In the future, for the class of 2028 ... students in the class of 2028 and beyond will need an actual certification in one of those higher wage, high demand pathways, not just the classes," Morrow said.

District staff flagged practical data limits that shape current rules: the state had to use measures it already collects, and some items (for example, military enlistment and AP exam scores) can be delayed or missing in early reporting cycles. Morrow described the immediate scholarship impacts: the Arkansas Academic Challenge (the lottery scholarship) uses the diploma-with-merit criteria, while the governor’s scholarship ties to the diploma-with-distinction standard. He noted also that concurrent-credit funding usage can affect eligibility for the top-tier lottery scholarship.

Board members asked technical questions about whether a student must earn a particular course grade and how military enlistment is reported; Morrow said for the accountability calculation the district is counting earned credits shown on transcripts rather than AP exam outcomes and that enlistment reporting is still being developed between state agencies. He closed by pointing board members to district checklists and to planned professional development to align district practice with the new state system.

The presentation was informational; no board action was taken on diploma rules during the meeting.