Graduation Requirements

The Maryland State Board of Education is expected to adopt an emergency regulation today to allow superintendents to waive passage of the high school assessment as a graduation requirement in certain circumstances. The superintendents in each district would gain the power to rescue hundreds of students who would not graduate from high school in June because they have been unable to pass four subject exams or complete projects. Some educators had raised concerns that whole groups of students in certain school systems had not taken government until their senior year and might not have enough time to take the test and get extra help if they failed.

Anne Arundel school officials are considering whether to require four more credits for a high school diploma under a proposal aimed at helping students make the most of the four-period day that high schools began last year. Under a plan that goes before the school board for a first look Wednesday, students would have to complete an additional period of math every other day, as well as a freshman seminar and a personal finance course that would be worth half a credit each. Students also would have to take an additional 1.5 credits of electives and half a credit of physical education, bringing the total needed for graduation to 26 credits.

The Carroll County Board of Education is considering a request that would reduce the graduation requirements for students who attend the Forbush School, a nonpublic school for Carroll students with significant mental, behavioral or emotional challenges. If the board approves the change, Carroll students at the Towson campus would need only 21 credits to graduate, instead of the 25 required by county public schools. It could also save money -- namely, the average $50,000 per year for each student in nonpublic schools.

Katie Cimbolic knew exactly what she wanted to tell the state Board of Education about its proposed changes to graduation requirements.Cool it.A senior at Annapolis High and president of the Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils, Cimbolic delivered a message thatwas clear and direct."

State school Superintendent Joseph L. Shilling proposed yesterday that community service become a graduation requirement for Maryland students, who would also be required to take a third year of science and a year each of algebra and geometry.Currently, students are required to take only two years of science and three years of unspecified math courses to graduate.The recommendations are Dr. Shilling's response to a state task force report that is expected to culminate this summer in passage of new and tougher graduation requirements starting with incoming ninth graders in the 1992-1993 school year.

The Carroll County Board of Education proposed yesterday increasing graduation requirements and granting high school credit for high school courses offered in middle school. Board members and administrators say both measures would raise the bar in secondary schools and increase the likelihood that students would take challenging courses up to graduation, rather than slacking off in the final semester of their senior year. The board hopes to receive comments and input from parents, students and teachers before voting on the proposals at its meeting Sept.

With 4,000 high school seniors in Maryland still failing to meet new graduation requirements, the state school board yesterday decided to allow principals and local superintendents to waive the requirements for students with extenuating circumstances. The emergency regulation, which passed unanimously, is designed for those students who can't meet the requirements "through no fault of their own," said state schools chief Nancy S. Grasmick. She estimated that a few hundred students would receive the waiver.

After several months of debate, the Baltimore County school board last night adopted high school graduation requirements that exceed state standards in social studies and physical education but are lower than current county requirements.The vote was 5-3.The majority was concerned that students would not get all the lessons they need to become good citizens if the social studies requirement was lowered. They also felt that students would not get enough exercise and would not get in the habit of healthy exercise with a lowered physical education requirement.

Responding to the "sensitivity of the needs of all students," Carroll County school officials yesterday outlined their positions on stateproposals to raise high school graduation requirements.In brief testimony before the state Board of Education, Carroll SuperintendentR. Edward Shilling and board Vice President Cheryl A. McFalls focused on proposals that would require students to take more credits in math and social studies and "volunteer" 75 hours of community service before they graduate.