EAST CHICAGO | Thursday is the last day of school for East Chicago public school students; graduation is set for June 10. However, East Chicago Central Principal Wendel McCollum said he has "no clue" how many students will earn their diplomas.
A few weeks ago, high school administrators posted notice that more than 200 students needed to earn one or more credits to graduate. Some students needed as many as 19 credits.
McCollum (no relation to Times staff writer Carmen McCollum) said Wednesday, "At this point, we can't say how many students have obtained their credits. They have until Thursday, June 7, to complete credit recovery."
McCollum said because of the school's "no-grade" policy and its credit recovery policy, students also will be able to earn their credits when summer school begins June 11. The no-grade policy calls for students to earn an A, B, C or no grade. Students then have to demonstrate at least a 70 percent mastery of course material through alternative lessons, such as tutoring, a proficiency test, a project-based independent learning activity or other exercise to change the "no grade" to a grade.
Indiana Department of Education spokeswoman Stephanie Sample has said students have until Sept. 30 to complete their credits to be considered part of the June 2012 graduating class; students who earn their credits later than that are considered five-year high school graduates.
Please Wait…