When the

state of Georgia did away with the general high school

diploma three years ago, school districts including

Fayette County's were faced with navigating students

through a confusing maze of new requirements.

Ninth

graders now must elect to pursue one of two programs of

study - an academic program for college preparation,

or technical career preparation for a job upon graduation

or continuing education in a specific field.

"In

1998, we put together a group to look at this," Dr.

John DeCotis, Fayette County school superintendent, said

during a roundtable discussion Thursday night. Options

such as block scheduling and alternative flexible

scheduling were considered. "We looked at creative

ways for students to take electives," DeCotis

explained.

The new

system had a significant impact on time formerly

available to students who wished to take band, for

example, and still acquire enough units for a college

prep diploma, according to DeCotis.

What has

emerged is a four-track system that determines the course

requirements students must have to graduate and be

considered for admission to a two-year or four-year

college, university or technical school.

During

Thursday's roundtable, parents and educators took a

closer look at the current state requirements and local

requirements for graduation. The session is one in a

series conducted by DeCotis and school district staff.

One

district-mandated requirement for high school graduation

in Fayette is a half unit of speech, drama or debate.

"There is a strong rationale for having oral

communication," Stuart Bennett, assistant

superintendent for instruction, told the group. While

there have been pro and con discussions on why the

requirement is needed, Bennett said students must develop

an ability to speak and present.

Fayette

County is the only district in the state to maintain this

requirement and its status may change as the pressure

mounts for students to meet all their necessary classes.

A total of

22 units of study are required for students to graduate

from high school. An additional two units are required

for a "college plus" or "tech plus"

diploma.

One way the

district will opt to offer extra classes to students who

may have gotten off track, or for electives, is through

an on-line course of study. Bennett said the program will

be offered initially to 50 students and should be ready

to start within 30 days. The provider is Virtual Learning

Academy, which offers 600 courses on the computer.

While

students and teachers continue to balance time and

requirements, Bennett indicated the state is already

talking about changing the current slate of requirements

back to a single diploma. "We're going through

cycles of change. Students entering the middle grades

could be facing a different set of graduation

requirements," he said.

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