Maryland has become the first state in the country to require students to be “environmentally literate” in order to graduate from high school.
The Maryland state board of education voted last Tuesday, June 21, to require that students get a “comprehensive, multi-disciplinary environmental education” before receiving a diploma. Districts will have to develop plans for coursework that meets state standards in environmental literacy and have their plans approved by the state superintendent of schools.
They will also have to develop ways to assess students’ mastery of the material in order to determine if they are eligible for graduation. The requirement will apply to students entering high school in the fall.
From baltimoresun.com:
Gov. Martin O’Malley issued a statement calling the board’s action “a defining moment for education in Maryland,” while environmental advocates were even more effusive. Don Baugh, head of the No Child Left Inside Coalition promoting federal environmental literacy legislation, called it a “momentous day.”...
Read the full article Here.
