Diploma Plus:
Re-Engaging At-Risk Youth Through High Standards and Pathways to College

A Forum — October 20, 2000

Diploma Plus offers a rigorous, academically charged, alternative path of education to youth who have given up on the traditional education system, says Co-Director of Diploma Plus, Alex Hoffinger. It was developed and is managed by the Center for Youth Development and Education (CYDE) division of the Corporation for Business, Work and Learning (CBWL), a Massachusetts quasi-public corporation dedicated to workforce development and education reform. Diploma Plus was introduced in 1996 to two Boston-based community organizations. The program has since expanded to ten sites throughout Massachusetts, serving over 700 at-risk, or formerly out-of-school youth. Diploma Plus sites include community-based satellite programs operating under an agreement with local public schools; district-run alternative high schools; a charter school; GED programs re-designed through Diploma Plus so that they may offer regular high school diplomas; a community college that implements the model in partnership with local public school districts; and—most recently—smaller learning communities within large urban high schools. A forum participant asked, "Will Diploma Plus move into other states?" Hoffinger replied that they would have to align their competencies to other states’ standards. "There are some states that have funding that supports students moving into college. The colleges that work with us love us because they get more competent students. They are very interested in Diploma Plus."

The Diploma Plus program was created through the recognition that in spite of a strong GED and alternative education program in Massachusetts, many young people were not successfully entering into postsecondary education or into careers with advancement potential. Youth targeted for the program include: dropouts and underachievers who are between the ages of 16 and 22, including those who are out-of-school without a diploma, or in school, but at least 1.5 years behind in classes; those interested in earning a regular high school diploma rather than a GED; and those who demonstrate a desire to participate in an additional year of learning activities, including internships and community college courses, managed by the program.

Key features of the Diploma Plus model include:

• A performance-based route to a high school diploma. Students move-up through the program and graduate by meeting academic and life skills competencies that are mapped to state and national standards and benchmarked at the 8th, 10th, and 12th grade levels. Students are promoted on the basis of how well they "show what they know," not by the amount of "time in the seat."
• An emphasis on contextual learning and portfolio development. Students must apply their knowledge and skills to real-world projects and other learning activities. Students also create and present a portfolio of their best work across subjects areas.
• A final stage of the program (the Plus Phase), in which students are presented with challenging transitional experiences—students encounter an adult world of responsibility while remaining firmly planted in a supportive high school program. In the Plus Phase, students must successfully complete several major projects, a structured internship, and one or more credit-level college course in order to earn their high school diploma.

Jody Price, lead teacher at Champion Charter School, described the Diploma Plus program and how it operates in her school. The school is located in a renovated bank building in a small, diverse urban community. Students enter the school at stage one --"The Presentation Level." At this level, focus is on initial mastery of academic and foundation skills. Students experience classroom work that integrates standards-based academics and life skills preparation. They learn how to be on time and how to follow through on responsibilities and obligations. Students experience activities that expand career skills and explore college opportunities. Classroom studies and projects link to clear standards and closely follow the State’s competencies and curriculum frameworks. Students create a Personal Development Plan and begin adding their best work into a presentation portfolio. After successful completion of the first stage, students move through the Plus Year Entry Assessment that asks them to perform at no less than the 10th grade academic competency level, with maturity and motivation, demonstrated through: review of class performance, standardized test scores, assessment of presentation portfolio and written application and interview for stage two: The Plus Year."

The Plus Year encompasses a compellation of community college-level academic studies, internship experience and what is known in Diploma Plus as "the Senior Seminar." Through the program’s connection with a community college, students gain dual enrollment and extra help through staff or mentor support. Through their internship experience, students work a minimum of 80 hours over a period of10 weeks. A work-based learning plan is developed and students are required to participate in an "All Aspects of the Industry" project. And through the Senior Seminar students prepare for life after graduation. Students are placed in small groups of no more than 12 to focus on three projects, including an autobiographical project, a community development project and an internship-related project. The finished projects go into the students’ graduation portfolio. Throughout the Senior Seminar, academic skills are integrated into the projects. Also, there is a focus on skills such as team work, communication skills, college awareness and preparation. "This helps them find a spot for themselves in their community, in their families--in their life," said Price.

"We were looking for a way to reach underachieving students," said Noreen Stack, Director of Youth Education at El Centro Del Cardenal. "When we implemented the model, we decided to offer the Diploma Plus program as a choice for our students along with our GED program." Shortly after the Diploma Plus program was introduced at El Centro, students in the GED program became interested and wanted to get involved with the Diploma Plus program. According to Stack, this created an outstanding impact on the school leading to what she terms "creeping portfolioism." Portfolios served as a student engagement mechanism and this had a powerful impact on staff. Damari Roman, a former student of El Centro Del Cardenal, described herself as a youth who as a child and through her sophomore year received As and Bs, but suffered bullying by other students for her achievements. She turned her back on school because "hanging out with friends became more important." After moving in with her father and joining a large, 5,000+ student high school, she left school to start work. At 20 years of age Damari enrolled in the Boston Public School System and found out about the Diploma Plus program. Through the program she learned academic skills and found goals that helped her focus on a rewarding career.

In less than five years, Diploma Plus has grown from a program concept to a statewide initiative that has been launched successfully throughout a range of educational settings with promising early results. An April 2000 evaluation of Diploma Plus conducted by Jobs for the Future, a national research and policy organization, confirmed that many at-risk youth have responded well to the high expectations and standards of the program. Diploma Plus reports that seventy percent of students in the program move on to postsecondary education and careers. In September 2000, Diploma Plus was recognized for its high standards of effectiveness and commitment to continuous improvement by being named to the Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet), a nationwide network of over 100 youth employment/development initiatives, developed by the National Youth Employment Coalition.

 

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