Ohio Won’t Approve Weak Credentials That Students Use as ‘Shortcut’ to Graduate
Hoping to make sure high school students don’t waste time earning career credentials that won’t help them find jobs, Ohio is slashing the credentials counted towards graduation, axing easy ones that thousands of students earn, but don’t…
Concerns over students earning credentials that don't lead to job opportunities have led Ohio to reduce the number of credentials counted toward graduation from 164 to 70. The change, mandated by the state legislature, aims to ensure high school graduates are better prepared for the workforce. Ohio has been encouraging students to earn recognized employer credentials since 2019 as a path to graduation.
However, a growing mismatch between school offerings and employer demands, with only 18 percent of credentials being valued by employers, has raised concerns. Schools in Ohio have been criticized for helping academically struggling students with weak credentials as a "workaround" to graduation, which do little to improve their prospects for earning at least $30,000 annually.
The most affected credentials include those for retail sales and government emergency management, with thousands of students earning credentials for just three jobs each. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Steve Dackin emphasized that this change is significant for workforce readiness.
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- Ohio Won’t Approve Weak Credentials That Students Use as ‘Shortcut’ to Graduate winnipegfreepress.com
