A bill that ends the tradition of many school districts giving certificates to eighth-grade graduates received approval from a House panel and is the first step toward encouraging minority students to graduate from high school, the bill’s sponsor says.
“What we’re trying to do is put the focus on continuing education,” Rep. Ben Miranda, D-16, told the House Education Committee on Feb. 14.
The problem, he says, is a culture among many minority families — one that is especially prevalent in the Hispanic community — that devalues education. Parents in immigrant families often come from countries in which compulsory education ends after eighth grade. The state-sanctioned certificates of achievement, he said, give validity to the notion that more education is not necessary.
David Garcia, an Arizona State University consultant, says the certificates have an “air of officialness” to them because they are signed by the principal and district superintendent. Studies, he says, show a significant number of students who finish eighth grade never enroll in high school. Garcia cited the certificates as a possible factor in that.
“It gives the impression…that they’ve accomplished something, when the focus should be on finishing high school,” he said.
Rep. Martha Garcia, a longtime member of the Cartwright Elementary School District governing board, said that, because state law is currently permissive and does not require the certificates be awarded, her district opted several years ago to stop distributing them.
The District 13 Democrat said her district conducted a survey of parents and found they didn’t want the certificates or the parties schools threw for the students. She added that neighboring school districts had also stopped handing out the certificates.
Rep. Mark Anderson, R-18, chairman of the committee, said he supported the bill, but had reservations about taking an aspect of local control away from school districts, especially since they currently have the power to not award the certificates.
“We’re saying, ‘We know better than you’ [to the districts],” Anderson said.
School boards group backs measure
But the Arizona School Boards Association supports the legislation, despite the loss of freedom it would result in for governing boards. Beth Sauer, a lobbyist for the School Boards Association, said the certificates are not necessary and, while the organization often bristles at legislative attempts to mandate how schools are run, the education of children is more important in this case.
“We really want to encourage high school graduation,” she said. “That trumps local control concerns.”
Rep. Doug Clark, R-6, was critical of the bill before ultimately voting against it. He said he favored breaking things down into smaller pieces for his children, a tactic he says serves as an incentive for them to continue to work hard.
“I don’t see it as a hindrance to continue your education, I see [the certificates] as a rite of passage,” he said. “I don’t see how a ceremony and piece of paper will keep someone out of ninth grade — I think that’s a mindset that’s taught at home.”
Miranda says the idea that parents are responsible for a child’s attitude about school is true and it’s what he’s trying to get at with the bill.
“I think, in an urban setting, the impact will be much greater,” he said.
H2748 was approved by the House Education (K-12) Committee by a 6-3 vote. If approved by the entire body, the legislation will be sent to the Senate.