College preparation has become a central focus of Indiana’s education strategy. Recent changes in Indiana’s educational focus include the implementation of the new high school diploma requirements and the announcement of the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) awarding $15 million to 21 organizations across the state to support career coaching.
According to data released by the IDOE, Black, Hispanic and multiracial IPS students graduated at higher rates than their statewide peers. Data from IDOE show that graduation rates have increased across all Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) student subgroups in 2025, compared to 2024.
“I think that the new diploma requirements are really aligned with the same skills and competencies that we want for our students,” says Melody Coryell, executive director of postsecondary readiness for IPS.
Postsecondary readiness refers to a student’s preparedness to successfully transition from high school to college, career or other postsecondary pathways, encompassing academic skills for success.
Indiana’s new diploma requirements now focus on college preparation and life after graduation. Readiness seals have been added to provide students with a comprehensive educational pathway to mentor and inform students. There are seals that focus on employment, college enrollment and military enlistment. For each readiness seal, students are required to complete coursework and work-based learning that is aligned with their educational pathway.
“Probably, the biggest change is the addition of work-based learning for more students,” Coryell said.
Indianapolis schools have been working with different businesses such as EmployIndy and Indiana University (IU) Health to help provide students with work experience in their desired field of study.
“In our schools, we have a relationship with a pretty strong intermediary, which is EmployIndy. They really help us with our employer facing work,” Coryell said. “IU Health is an example of an excellent partner… We have our IU Health fellowship at Crispus Attucks High School and many students engaging with them and with American Senior Communities, it’s another health care focused organization that is really interested in employing students.”
While various school systems across the state are deploying many of these new changes, multiple IPS schools had already begun to work toward preparing students for life after graduation.
“Now everyone in the state’s going to have to do what we’ve been doing in IPS, and we’re going to have to do this for more students within IPS, so in IPS, it’s probably less of an adjustment for us than maybe for other neighboring districts,” Coryell said.
For more information visit https://www.in.gov/doe/diplomas/ .
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
