Committee outlines April public panel and task force next steps on graduation requirements

Committee leaders said the April public meeting will present preliminary task force recommendations on graduation requirements and invited discussion about who should appear on a limited panel. Members settled on a panel approach that favors representatives who speak for organizations — for example District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), DME, a charter-sector representative and a Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) representative — and discussed adding a special-education or higher-education/workforce voice such as Dean Roma. Committee members emphasized panels should be limited (four panelists preferred) to allow meaningful back-and-forth.

Representative Johnson Law told the committee that selecting panelists who can represent groups is important because the task force has many individual members and the board needs a manageable set of perspectives. Members also discussed having task force members present rationale for recommendations or inviting outside commenters to provide reaction; both formats were considered acceptable and could be mixed if time allows.

Task force debrief: Co-chairs reported the task force discussed community-service recommendations (debate over the definition and whether school-day service counts, and whether paid opportunities should qualify), endorsements (whether all local education agencies must offer all endorsements and equity concerns for smaller single-site LEAs) and core course requirements. On course requirements, members debated whether Algebra II (or an equivalent such as Integrated Math III) and chemistry should be required for graduation, with arguments that Algebra II opens STEM opportunities and counterarguments that it may be an unnecessary barrier for some students.

Scheduling and logistics: Committee members agreed the task force will meet on April 9 (virtual) and hold a public meeting on April 22; they discussed extending an upcoming task force meeting to three hours to finish unresolved items and set committee meeting dates for April 29 at 3:00 p.m., May 27 and June 24. Members also flagged site visits — a River Terrace visit and an ATC visit involving Andrew Gaul — and asked staff to follow up.

Next steps: Staff was asked to notice the agreed dates, invite potential panelists and circulate any proposed modifications in writing prior to the next meeting. The committee did not take final votes on graduation recommendations in this session and deferred formal decisions until the task force completes further work.