Incoming freshmen see more course variety during registration
In June 2013 Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 5 into law, reducing the number of end-of-course exams required to graduate from 15 to five and restructuring high school graduation requirements for incoming freshmen in the 2014–15 school year.
The changes are causing shifts to a slew of local academic programs, and both Grapevine-Colleyville and Carroll ISDs are feeling the effects.
HB 5 replaces the state's Minimum, Recommended and Distinguished graduation plans with new Foundation High School Program plan options. The new graduation plans include a 22-credit Foundation diploma, which can be completed with endorsements—areas of concentration—for 26 credits. Students can also earn a Distinguished Level of Achievement by earning endorsements and participating in advanced courses.
Terminology changing
For GCISD, the bill is not causing reconstruction of programs but rather changing district vocabulary and adding course options. Director of Communications Megan Overman said the district is not changing its number of required credits because it has always been 26 despite the state's standard minimum of 22.
"The expectations are not changing–the opportunities are just expanding and being reframed," Overman said.
Chief Learning Officer Rick Westfall said there are five endorsement plans under the bill, and districts get to decide what courses students need to take to receive those endorsements.
"It allows [students] to customize their classes so that they're getting that well-rounded education within an area of passion or something they're interested in," Overman said.
GCISD is still examining options to add courses in order to allow students the best possible choice of endorsement paths, Westfall said.
The Texas Education Agency continues to give guidance regarding the new system. The State Board of Education interprets any new information and then pushes it out to the school districts. Therefore, Westfall said the districts are getting the information nearly at the same time as parents. He said this is a critical time as registration for the 2014–15 school year is underway.
"There's a lot of good things about House Bill 5," Westfall said. "But it's more about how quickly can any district really understand it, and get it in place fast enough, so that we can make sure our kids are successful."
Communication is key
Carroll ISD is already in the process of adding courses to increase the variety of endorsements, approving six new courses to the science, technology, engineering and math endorsement in January, said JJ Villarreal, assistant superintendent for student services.
Under previous graduation plans, Villarreal said CISD offered an advanced program with 26 credits.
"Ninety-five percent of our students have graduated with the advanced diploma, so we feel that most of our students will participate in the [new] 26-credit plan," he said.
The new plan provides a greater emphasis on electives. According to the 2014–15 Academic Planning Guide, CISD enables students to earn one or more endorsements in a selection of five areas: arts and humanities; business and industry; multidisciplinary; public service; or STEM. Villarreal said he is confident in the staff of counselors on hand and said that they will be available to meet with students one-on-one to ensure a smooth process of registration.
With all the changes, both GCISD and CISD representatives said the biggest challenge they face is communicating with parents.
"I think the biggest celebration will be when we understand it well enough to really communicate it the way we need to be communicating it," Westfall said.
