DENVER (KDVR) — High school students in Colorado will have new requirements to graduate starting next school year.
The new requirements. set by state lawmakers in the last legislative session, are aimed at health, financial and cultural studies.
Samantha Haviland, executive director of career and college success at Denver Public Schools, said the goal for this change is student-oriented.
“To help our students graduate as a more holistic, well-rounded adult,” Haviland said.
Students can choose among study options
There are a number of required courses a student can choose from, beginning with finance studies.
“Functional information: credit cards, taxes,” Haviland said. “All those things that we as adults navigate on a daily basis.”
Next is an emphasis on social studies.
“Ours (Denver Public Schools) is called ‘the power conflict and healing,'” Haviland said.
This will require an emphasis of study on the impact of historical atrocities.
“(It) covers some of the world’s wars, holocaust, genocide,” Haviland said.
There are also required health courses, focusing on sexual health education and bullying prevention, to name a few.
“Drug and alcohol, making healthy decisions,” Haviland said. “Problem-solving, violence prevention.”
Students may also select ethnic studies, which could benefit their ongoing education.
“Personal finance will have multiple options; ethnic studies will also have multiple options that include college credit,” Haviland said.
The requirement begins with the incoming freshman class and continues on from there.
“We have not finalized the curriculum for a number of these courses, so some of that information is still to be determined,” Haviland said.
Haviland said all the required curriculum for these courses will be finalized in the summer, ahead of the next school year.
