Oklahoma Graduation Rates at Risk of Dropping Under New Federal Order

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Some Oklahoma schools might face a “significant” drop to their graduation rate because of a federal order affecting students on an alternate track to finish high school, state officials announced.

The U.S. Department of Education ordered the state to no longer count students completing the alternate CORE curriculum among the number who have graduated. The Oklahoma State Department of Education announced Tuesday the calculation change will take effect in 2025.

The state agency’s spokesperson, Dan Isett, said the affected students will be able to graduate next year. He said the agency is working with CareerTech, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the state Legislature to resolve the matter “so there are no graduation issues.”

The CORE curriculum allows students to replace a math and science credit with a career and technology course, often taken at a CareerTech center.

Only 6-7% of high school graduates in the state receive a diploma through the CORE curriculum, and they must have opted into it with parental consent. The CORE curriculum has existed in state law for decades, but legislative changes over the years “widened the gap” between it and the traditional college-preparatory track, state education officials said.

The U.S. Department of Education determined the CORE curriculum doesn’t meet college admission requirements and therefore is a “lesser credential” than the traditional graduation pathway, according to a report the federal agency released in July.

The federal report cited a letter Oklahoma sends to parents about the CORE curriculum that notifies them the alternate pathway “does not meet college entrance requirements, nor requirements for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship.”

However, these students still could qualify for college acceptance through alternative admission, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education said in a statement.

The state regents set admission criteria for all public colleges and universities in Oklahoma.

“Bottom line, students who do not strictly follow the curriculum for college-bound students are not barred from enrollment in an Oklahoma public higher education institution,” the agency said.

CareerTech Director Brent Haken said these students have the same opportunities to pursue college as other high school graduates.

“It’s not an accurate picture of what Oklahoma law allows,” Haken said of the federal order. “The statutes in place currently allow any student that wants to, whether traditional or non-traditional, to enter a college or university if they meet admissions requirements. And those admissions requirements can vary.”

The state Department of Education did not answer a question from Oklahoma Voice about whether it believes the CORE curriculum fulfills college admission criteria.

Haken said he is working weekly with the Education Department and the state regents to ensure policies from all three agencies are aligned and “that we explain that to the federal government.”

He said new high school graduation requirements that take effect for the class of 2030 could help address the discrepancy.

The new credit requirements merged the two graduation pathways into one, adding a required fourth math course and flexibility for extra career-focused classes.

Schools with CORE curriculum students could see a drop in their graduation rates if the federal government doesn’t accept the solution Oklahoma officials propose, the state Department of Education announced.

“For schools with many such students, the decrease will be significant,” the department wrote in its message to district superintendents Tuesday.

The agency suggested Oklahoma districts consider enrolling CORE curriculum students in online math and science classes to meet the traditional graduation requirements.

The state Education Department said it will release further guidance “as soon as practicable.”

Multiple districts told Oklahoma Voice they are now calculating how many CORE curriculum students they enroll to learn the extent of the potential impact.

The effect on Oklahoma’s largest district, Tulsa Public Schools, might be limited because it emphasizes the traditional college-ready track, spokesperson Luke Chitwood said.

Mustang Public Schools will consider the state’s recommendations and “will anxiously await” further guidance, said Kirk Wilson, the district’s communications director.

“We have not determined a course of action as this is so newly announced, but we will investigate the feasibility of those options as we move forward,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of questions about how this will impact our students and hope the forthcoming guidance will address them.”

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and X.

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