Anne Arundel County Public Schools will reduce the number of credits required for graduation from 26 to 23 and add a half-credit financial literacy requirement, Superintendent Mark Bedell confirmed Wednesday.
The changes take effect next school year. All students will be subject to the lower credit requirement, while next year’s freshman class and younger students will be required to complete a half-credit financial literacy course.
Bedell recommended the changes at a Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting. The proposal was opened for public comment before the board finalized the decision Wednesday.
“We’re making a lot of changes to put our kids in the best position and for me it is about flexibility,” Bedell said of the credit requirement reduction. “There’s just too many pros that outweigh the cons on why we shouldn’t move forward.”
Lowering the credit requirement would give students flexibility, Bedell argued. Students could enroll in more unrequired electives or pursue jobs and internships with half-day schedules their senior year. Bedell also said the policy would improve graduation rates, which sit around 87% districtwide.
Other similar-sized districts including Howard, Montgomery and Baltimore counties require 22.5 or fewer credits to graduate.
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors will still be required to maintain a full course load, but seniors will have more flexibility to use a partial schedule for internships and other off-campus requirements.
“This is not about expecting less from our students,” Bedell said. “This is about opening opportunities for them. The 23 credits is a floor and other districts with similar requirements see many of their students surpassing the minimum.”
Have a news tip? Contact Bridget Byrne at [email protected] or 443-690-7205.