Is this why Kentucky’s high school graduation rate is increasing?

– Lower standards?

The State Journal reports that students in Franklin County’s alternative high school are getting to graduate after completing notably fewer credits than students in the system’s regular high schools. These kids only need to complete 22 course credits rather than the 27 or 26 credits students in the Western Hills High School and Franklin County High School respectively require.

The statewide minimum is 22 credit hours, but with many Kentucky students exiting high school unready for work or postsecondary studies, this minimum appears too low. If it is worthwhile for the regular high school students to complete more work to earn a diploma, is it really doing the alternative school students and their future employers a favor to require less?