New high school graduation requirements begin with next year’s freshmen

BELEN — While most students and parents are focused on wrapping up this school year, next year’s freshmen and their families need to be preparing for new graduation requirements.

Legislation passed during the 2024 session changed the number of required credits to earn a high school diploma in New Mexico, and eliminated some previously required classes, such as Algebra II and New Mexico history.

The legislation also allows local boards of education to select two required classes that are specific for their districts.

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Starting with the class of 2029, New Mexico grads will be able to earn their diploma with 24 credits, according to the new standards, but Belen Consolidated Schools Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez said Belen High School and Infinity High School will remain at 28 and 26 credits, respectively.

“They gave us some flexibility and made some minor tweaks. There are some things that aren’t required anymore, such as a foreign language and Algebra II,” Sanchez said.

Starting this fall, minimum requirements for high school graduation in New Mexico are four credits of English and four of math, three science credits, four credits of social studies, one unit of physical education, a half credit of health, 5.5 elective units and two credits as determined by each local board of education or governing body.

New Mexico history is one of the requirements dropped by the new legislation, Sanchez said, with the thought process being the state’s history will be covered in U.S. history.

The challenges for the district in the next four years centers around shifting course offerings to ensure there are enough sections of classes, such as U.S. history, geography and world history for incoming freshmen who need to meet the new requirements and returning students.

“We are going to have to double up on the number of sections,” the superintendent said, noting that New Mexico history might be offered as an elective some time in the future. “Right now, we won’t have a person to teach it because our social studies department is going to be focusing on those new sections.”

Sanchez said when legislators were considering House Bill 171 last year, they initially wanted to require four science credits but, after hearing from educators, the standard was set at three credits.

“We have a hard time, everybody has a hard time, finding enough qualified science teachers right now,” he said. “If you are going to add another credit, you aren’t going to achieve your goal of having students be more proficient in science. You’re going to have more students taught by long-term subs.”

While Algebra II is no longer a graduation requirement, it still must be offered as a course.

Earning a PE credit can still be done by taking a traditional class, participating in marching band or JROTC, Sanchez said, but there is new way to earn the credit — interscholastic sports sanctioned by the (NMAA) or other co-curricular physical activity.

“So we’ve never been able to do that before. Now I’m on the team so I get a PE credit? And ‘other co-curricular physical activity?’ I’m not sure what that looks like, so these are the questions we need to figure out,” he said.

Both BCS high schools are staying with the number of credits they’ve required for several years now — 28 for BHS and 26 for IHS — Sanchez said, mostly due to the use of the block schedule, which provides for more time in the classroom.

“The block schedule gives a longer classroom experience so, for instance, it really benefits science classes and career technical classes. If a class is 50 minutes and I’m trying to do a lab or finish a project, it’s just not enough time,” he said. “We’re able to have 1 /12 hour long classes, which leads to the successful implementation of learning activities.”

At the May 13 Belen Board of Education meeting, a financial literacy class and college and career exploration was selected for the BCS graduation requirements as the board’s local requirement on a 5-0 vote. The financial literacy course can be counted as either a math credit or an elective, but not both.

BHS Principal Rhett Burt and IHS Principal David Jimenez brought the new class suggestions to the board during its April 22 meeting.

The financial literacy course would cover topics such as banking, consumer loans, income and taxes, simple and compound interest and how to file a tax return.

“These are life skills students need as they graduate and go into the workforce,” Jimenez said.

The college and career exploration credit would be earned through participation in and completion of a variety of opportunities given to students, such as the annual Eagle Expo — which exposes students to an array of post-secondary job and college choices — job shadowing, internships and mock interviews.

“We are exploring the use of ‘Find Your Grind’ (an online career exploration platform) at both Infinity and Belen,” said Burt.

He continued, saying in his experience in working with students on college and career readiness, “middle school kids are, ‘Let’s do this.’ Freshmen are still there but as they get closer to graduation, they are way less engaged, which is ironic.”

Burt said the high schools are also working closely with UNM-Valencia to establish pathways for students to earn certificates in careers such as nursing and welding, which also count as credits toward graduation.

“If we can help them get certifications, which gets them credit, that is going above and beyond and preparing them for the workforce,” he said. “It expands beyond just a class they’re taking to get to graduation, and goes back to what are we doing to prepare students for post graduation?”