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February 3, 2006

Oklahoma history saga continues

State superintendent sets record straight about graduation requirements

By Jennifer Griswold

Transcript Staff Writer

Oklahoma history still will be required for high school students to graduate regardless of what curriculum they choose, according to Sandy Garrett, state superintendent of public instruction.

Garrett said Friday local education administrators, department of education staff and state officials who said otherwise were wrong.

In an article printed in the Jan. 26 Transcript, incorrect information provided by the officials led to mis-statements.

Garrett admitted mass confusion and misconceptions surrounded Senate Bill 982, which she described as a highly debated, confusing and voluminous bill.

She said an emergency item will be placed on the State Board of Education's Feb. 23 agenda that would make the requirements clear -- including defining 1?2 unit of Oklahoma history and two fine arts units as mandatory for students taking the college-prepratory curriculum to graduate.

The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in Room 1-20 of the Oliver Hodge Education Building at 2500 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City, according to Garrett.

"This will make sure everybody is on the same track and nobody falls through the cracks," she said.

Known as the ACE (Achieving Classroom Excellence) Initiative, the law -- passed by the Oklahoma State Legislature in 2005 -- created a college preparatory curriculum that students beginning with the freshman class of 2006-07 will automatically be enrolled in. For students to opt out of the college-bound curriculum, their parents must sign a form.

Even though the new college-preparatory curriculum requirements didn't list Oklahoma history as a required course, Garrett said state graduation requirements did and that all students will have to pass 1?2 unit of Oklahoma history to graduate. She added the college-preparatory curriculum only listed one unit of fine arts, but that two units would be required to get a diploma.

"We do want Oklahoma history and two arts required," said Garrett. "The law should have been written more clearly."

Garrett said the department of education will be working in the coming weeks to get the correct information out to education officials. She said it is particularly important to get the message to school counselors before pre-enrollment starts this spring. A counselors' conference is scheduled for March.

Jennifer Griswold 366-3545 jgriswold@normantranscript.com

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