In Utah, senior year of high school is being looked into and might get dropped. The reason for dropping: to save money. Senior year is being observed in many areas including, but not limited to: classes being taken, college possibilities and financial concern. However, dropping the class altogether might not be the case. They might keep senior year open for students who wish to continue. The option would be left up to the students and their guardians.
With many students slacking their senior year, some would say skipping it all together could be beneficial. The 12th grade according to Utah’s senator Buttars means ‘nothing but playing around…You’re spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren’t getting anything out of that grade.’ The students that have all their high school credits fulfilled could continue on to college. Students who have not completed, or choose to take extra classes would have the choice to continue another year.
One student, an 18-year-old, says ‘I’m against it…my parents are against it. All the teachers at the school are against it. I need this year.’ However another commenter stated. “Honestly I really didn’t learn much in the 12th grade other than music theory and how to have sex without getting caught by parents.’ It seems that there will always be some that would like to keep senior year, and others that would not mind dropping it.
This proposal seems like a great idea but at the same time, how will it really effect getting into college? I think that senior year should be optional, leaving it up to the students and parents. Lots of students are slacking off and do not need any more credits. However, some students take it easy their last four years of high school and might need that fourth year to get all caught up. Having classes set up for students so they can be done in three years if they desire, would be a good start for this plan. Also, listing classes that they need to complete and optional classes to fill up empty time spaces would help.
Another area that catches attention is ‘growing up’. Senior year might be the year that many young athletes start to reach a higher potential and possible acceptance into college playing. Without their senior year, is it possible that they might be declined into a college sport? Also, some kids seem to mature later than others. For some, their senior year is when they spend extra time looking into colleges and deciding what they want to do. They are growing up at a slower pace and are not rushed into anything. However, I think that with the help of school counselors and maybe an extra class that looks into college opportunities, students could be ready for college a year earlier.
