N.H. Board Seeks Broader High School Credit Options

High school students could earn academic credits for studying French in Paris, playing on their school football team, or strumming guitar in a rock band, under rules the New Hampshire's state school board is drafting.

The changes are part of a move in the Granite State to loosen up state standards so that students can apply "real world" learning experiences toward their diplomas and use assessments to bypass more of their traditional coursework.

Although lawmakers will eventually have to sign off on the changes, the uncompleted plan is already getting strong backing from Gov. Craig R. Benson. The Republican governor, who is up for re-election this year, made the concept a centerpiece of a program for improving education that he outlined for voters in a...