Ensuring equity across Minnesota requires revising education policy

This story was produced as part of ThreeSixty Journalism s Opinion and Commentary Workshop for youth in partnership with Sahan Journal and MinnPost ThreeSixty is a multimedia storytelling undertaking for Minnesota youth focused on contributing to more accurate narratives and representative newsrooms Across Minnesota community high school students are losing access to advanced online courses due to local policies that discourage out-of-district enrollment This is not just a local issue it is a statewide equity complication that demands a agenda change because it denies students opportunities that state law was designed to protect To ensure equal educational access we need to revise Minnesota schooling guidelines Last year there were no Advanced Placement AP classes available to first-year students in my district St Michael-Albertville I elected to supplement my schedule with an online AP subject taken out-of-district from another Minnesota masses school and I was able to do so because of the Minnesota Online Instruction Act which allows K- students to access supplementary online courses Related This is Minnesota s moment to champion true school choice I was also able to take this discipline because I sought it out independently but my interest alone was not enough I had to tackle several approach blockades including identifying the opportunity to take an online curriculum finding a workspace as well as an inequitable grade-weighting agenda This made me wonder were these policies designed to assistance or deter me Students like me who try to take online courses face fences that feel intentionally designed to encourage in-district enrollment The pattern of school districts using obstructive policies to dissuade alternate enrollment has also been shown with Post-Secondary Enrollment Options PSEO courses According to the College in High School Alliance given the loss in K funding when students elect to participate in PSEO there is an incentive for high schools to try and limit the number of students choosing to take PSEO That can manifest itself in high schools erecting other artificial blockades to disincentivize participation In Minnesota students raised this issue to legislators because they felt local policies around PSEO needed change Beatrice Handlin Vice President of People for PSEO stated to House legislators that by not having equitable grade weighting policies across courses that are equitable a novice s GPA no longer reflects their achievement accurately which can impact scholarships class rank employment and college acceptance Legislators responded to this and other issues with substantial revisions of the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act to increase educational equity Lawmakers anticipated similar district behavior with online courses and added a clause to the Online Instruction Act stating that an enrolling district may not restrict or prevent a aspirant from applying to take supplemental online courses As seen with the PSEO candidate testimony my experience is not the first instance where Minnesota schools have knowingly crafted policies in attempts to dissuade students from accessing outside academic coursework that would negatively affect their budget For example my district s procedures is to weight grades for AP courses however I did not receive grade weighting for my online AP program because it was accessed out-of-district The district acknowledged that academic rigor was equivalent to in-district options while continuing to withhold the weighted grade While it is understandable that the decreased funding schools across Minnesota are experiencing make it harder to balance budgets hindering apprentice opportunities is not a resolution to the matter When students face obstacles in taking AP college level or out-of-district courses it often results in reduced college readiness and greater pupil debt With the skyrocketing costs of postsecondary schooling shaving off a semester can save students tens of thousands of dollars Schools do not have the quota to offer every class so out-of-district classes permit students to explore their interest areas These courses also give students the opportunity to discover what they want to do after high school and allow them to take classes better tailored to their career aspirations This should excite high schools their purpose is for students to graduate prepared for success Schools that have lower budgets smaller attendee populations or that are in rural areas often have fewer guidance available to them so students ability to access the same courses that are available in other districts guarantees greater equity across socioeconomic status and location Having the opportunity to take out-of-district courses is an equity issue and students with limited in-district options face a disproportionate impact Related Dual credit options like PSEO is a way to close opportunity gaps In the revision of the PSEO Act legislators used extremely plain language providing equitable grade weighting workspaces and mentoring around PSEO courses We need revision to the Online Instruction Act beyond the unenforceable restrict or prevent language to prevent inequities like those provided for in the PSEO Act with equally explicit wording that local policies cannot find a way around Having the opportunity to take an out-of-district program was impactful because it helped me set a foundation of review habits and note-taking that has sparked success and encouraged pursuit of additional AP courses this year It is an opportunity for all students across Minnesota to have a right to access Minnesota law demands to be revised to ensure that district policies are supportive not preventive The availability of educational opportunities varies widely across Minnesota Out-of-district courses help minimize candidate debt provide additional postsecondary options allow exploration of interest areas and ensure greater equity across the state Students need Minnesota legislators to revise current laws and ensure true equity because access is not access if there is an asterisk The post Ensuring equity across Minnesota requires revising learning protocol appeared first on MinnPost