Lefty Probs pg. 7
Bothersome Bugs pg. 3
Photo by Gil Sanchez
Stratford High School
THE Volume 40, Issue 8
Read Across America pg. 12
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Graphic by Victoria Shin
Photo by Alex McNees
14555 Fern Drive, Houston TX 77079
RACLE
Friday, March 22, 2013
Graduation Requirements Likely to Change
Legislature currently reviewing changes to graduation programs, EOC testing Justin Todes The 83rd State Legislature has recently proposed several bills that will likely change how students graduate from high school. Every two years Texas Senators and House Representatives meet to discuss laws and propose changes to state functions. In 2008, the 4x4 became the current graduation program. It requires students to complete 4 credits in each of the 4 core subject areas. During the 2011 session, end-of-course (EOC) assessments became an additional graduation requirement for students graduating in or after the year 2015. The present graduation requirements are under review during the current legislative session. Spring Branch ISD hopes to see significant changes to graduation requirements. As part of the Spring Branch Plan created in 2012, the district has a goal of doubling the number of students completing a technical certificate, two-year degree, or four-year degree by 2017. The goal is referred to as T-2-4. “We hope to see a new graduation plan that will work favorably toward T-2-4. It would offer more choice,” Building Principal Christopher Juntti said. “Right now, when you look at the number of credits required for graduation, the number of mandatory core credits far outweighs the number of electives. A new plan will hopefully give students more choice, and
increase the number of electives that they can take.” Regardless, a new plan would provide a more personalized graduation plan that is tailored to each student’s desired career path with relevant courses. “In college, everyone takes the same introductory courses freshman year. After that, they decide which path they want to take. It could be engineering, medicine, or the arts,” Juntti said. “In high school, we want the same principle to be true.
A student that wants to become a doctor will take biology, but might not need physics.” The district is also hoping to see a significant cutdown in the number of EOC assessments, and would like to see state-funded national-norm assessments such as the SAT and ACT to give a true measure of student performance. House Bill 5, written by House Representative Jimmie Don Aycock, has been passed by the House and has moved
on to the Senate. If passed, the current Minimum, Recommended, and Distinguished diploma programs will be replaced with a new “Foundation diploma program.” Beginning in 2013, freshmen would graduate under the Foundation. All students, under the Foundation program, would need to graduate with 4 English credits, 3 math credits, 2 science credits, and 3 social studies credits. In addition, students would need 2 foreign language credits, 1 fine
arts credit, 1 PE credit, and 8 additional elective credits to graduate. Students under the new Foundation program would have opportunities to earn endorsements focusing on the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), business and industry, arts, and public services. Students with high performance on tests such as AP, PSAT, PLAN, SAT I/II, or ACT could earn a “distinguished achievement” endorsement. Senators have recently eliminated the requirement that state exams count toward 15% of a course grade. But more changes to testing are on their way. As part of Aycock’s proposed Foundation program, the number of EOC exams would drop from 15 to 5, with exams only in English II reading and writing, Algebra I, Biology I, and US History. Algebra II and English III EOC exams would become completely optional. Students would also be able to choose to substitute AP, PSAT, PLAN, SAT, and ACT scores in place of their EOC scores. If action is taking promptly, freshmen and sophomores will only need to take tests in Algebra I (freshmen), Biology I (freshmen), and English II (sophomores) this year. To learn more about and stay updated on the proposed graduation requirement changes, visit http:// sbisdsnapshots.blogspot. com/2013/03/legislative-update.html.
Cheating.
Stratford has a strict cheating policy. The rules and regulations can be found on the school website. See pg. 14 for full story Graphic by Jackie Mask