Louisiana public school students struggling with academics now have a new path to a diploma.Governor Bobby Jindal recently signed legislation creating a career diploma option for Louisiana public high school students, as a way to decrease drop-out rates.The career diploma allows students passage into high school under lowered LEAP test standards and puts them on a path to a vocational, or skilled worker, career.Under the old standards, students had to score Approaching Basic and Basic on the English and Math section of the state’s LEAP test to pass into 9th grade. Under new standards, students will earn passage to 9th grade under the career diploma with an Approaching Basic or higher score on either the English or Math section of the test, according to the Louisiana Department of Education.Barry Erwin, president of Council for a Better Louisiana, said CABL is against the new diploma system because it lowers academic standards, allowing students to pass into high school without passing the LEAP test.Erwin said the new legislation also offers students an “easier way out,” offering the new diploma system to all students, including those who have passed the LEAP test.”It traps 8th grade kids on a track to a diploma that only allows a limited number of options in the future,” he said. “At that age, it’s too early to make that decision.”For the 2006 school year, Louisiana had a drop-out average of 6.9 percent for grades 9-12, while East Baton Rouge had a 9.8 percent drop-out average for grades 9-12.  Erwin said CABL agrees with the program’s intent — to lower the drop-out rate — but said better options already exist.Although John Dilworth, East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent, could not be reached for comment, Chris Trahan, East Baton Rouge Parish School System communications director, said Dilworth is in support of the new diploma system.Sixty-eight Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved high school programs exist for students opting for a vocational career, Erwin said. He said the programs mix technical skill classes with the normal curriculum and leads to a GED. While a GED still isn’t a high school diploma, Erwin said a GED has more options in the work world than the career diploma.”The new diploma opens doors for schools to herd struggling kids into this diploma to make the numbers look better in the end,” he said. “The best option is to wait until students have gone through at least two years of high school, to give them time to make an informed decision.”Erwin said some employers are also against the legislation because it would lower the quality of future workers.”We’re not saying every aspect is negative,” Erwin said. “We want to keep kids in school, but also don’t want them to take an easier route that leaves them in a dead end situation.”—–Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]