SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington State Board of Education’s May 13 meeting this week in Spokane will include
a review of Core 24, the State Board’s proposed high school graduation requirements framework.

Much of that review will center on the input gathered from state superintendents, state and local school
directors, administrators, teachers, parents, community and business members, and students. The Board will
also discuss the findings of the recently published Core 24 final report, a paper analyzing design and
implementation issues central to the adoption of a 24 credit state minimum requirement for graduation.

"The Board felt it was time to review the subject area requirements in light of the fact that the last review was in
1985. We have to answer the question, ‘Is the state requiring the right credits for a graduation diploma in the
21st century?’” said State Board of Education Member, Vice Chair, and Co-Lead of the Core 24
Implementation Task Force, Dr. Steve Dal Porto.

Graduating college/career ready students is the central tenet of the State Board’s drive to create a meaningful
high school diploma, work that began officially in 2007.

States across the nation are focusing on preparing high school graduates to be college/career ready. The U.S.
Department of Education and President Obama are seeking revisions to the Elementary and Secondary
Education that high schools must graduate college and career ready students to be eligible for federal funding.
The Board’s May 13 discussion of college/career ready requirements will set the course for potential draft rules
drafted this fall. At the earliest, and with the necessary funding secured, the new graduation requirements
could go into effect for the graduating class of 2017.

"With all the talk now of reform and restructuring, some feel that we may be moving too fast,” said Jack
Schuster, State Board of Education Member and Co-Lead of the Core 24 Implementation Task Force. "But this
has been a long, thoughtful, and deliberate process, and with 1985 as our starting point, we will have seen
over thirty years pass by before substantial new graduation credit requirements go into effect. It is time to
clearly define what we expect of our high school graduates and to make sure the funds are there to support
those expectations.”

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

The meeting agenda and materials are now available at: sbe.wa.gov/materials.

Time for public comment will be provided. The public and news media are invited to attend.

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Contact: Aaron Wyatt, Communications Manager

About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The board is comprised of 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member.

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