District officials will be seeking feedback from the community in the coming weeks about these and other potential changes, according to a presentation the school board received at the Aug. 8 work session.
In a nutshell
Proposed changes include:
- Removing two classes required for graduation—health and PACE, a class designed to help students understand what they need to be successful in their chosen career path
- Discontinuing the publishing of class rank beyond the top 10% of each graduating class
- No longer offering K-level class options when there is an Advanced Placement or dual-credit class offered
- Creating a rank GPA used specifically for class ranking
Her team will return to the board in November to inform trustees of any updates made to the plan after incorporating stakeholder feedback.
What it means
Removing the health and PACE class requirements would open students’ schedules to take an additional elective course. Kenya Turner, director of high school curriculum and instruction, said health could continue to be offered as an elective, or it may go away entirely depending on feedback.
Bergman said students who graduate in the top 10% of their class may be eligible for automatic admission to higher education institutions in Texas, but those who do not rank in the top 10% could benefit from not being ranked.
“If a district implements this practice, students who are outside the top 10% of their graduating class may report on their college application that their district does not rank, ... [and they] may receive a more comprehensive review instead of being set aside because they’re not automatically in the top 10%,” she said.
What else?
Removing K-level classes, which are more heavily weighted in GPAs but not as rigorous as AP and dual-credit courses, should help with the district’s accountability ratings while offering advanced classes with fewer staff members, Turner said.
Additionally, the district is proposing creating a rank GPA that would allow students to pursue classes they’re interested in without affecting their class rank. This would not impact cumulative GPAs.
“We’ve learned from multiple student groups who we’ve surveyed across a number of years who are focused on maximizing opportunities to earn a higher GPA, that they often choose courses based on GPA impact, not on their own interest,” Bergman said.
Stay tuned
Parents and students could see these changes officially communicated as early as December.
Updating classes required for graduation would need board approval, but the rest of these proposed changes are administrative decisions, officials said.
