While

earning a half-unit credit in speech, drama,

debate or broadcasting has long been a graduation

requirement for Fayette County's high school

students, there may soon be an "out"

for those swamped with advanced placement courses

and additional state requirements for the

"college preparatory plus seal" for

their diplomas.

Stuart

Bennett, Fayette County's assistant

superintendent for curriculum and instruction,

told the board Monday night that he had received

numerous complaints from top students in the

county who have had to go to summer school or

evening school to meet all the local and state

graduation requirements. In essence, there is not

enough time in the school day to squeeze

everything in.

"Seven

academic periods in a day is too much,"

Bennett said.

Rewording

the current local requirement for the benefit of

this "top tier" of students who are

taking a maximum load of academic classes or

endorsement programs in fine arts or vocational

studies may allow them to exempt the speech and

drama unit.

Bennett

said he checked on the transcripts of those

students facing a time crunch and found them to

rank in the top 3 to 4 percent of their classes.

Many were taking three or four advanced placement

classes.

"We

have more students taking advanced placement

classes than any county in the metro area,"

Bennett noted. Nearly 20 percent of the

district's high school students take some

advanced placement classes, according to Bennett,

and have an 82 percent success rate compared to a

national average of a 59 to 60 percent success

rate.

The

importance of speech and oral communication

should not be diminished in the schools, Bennett

said, and he proposed developing a curriculum for

all students in speech starting with

kindergarten.

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