BISD AWAITING WORD FROM STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION STANDARDS

  

Bonnie Brinkmeyer, the Brenham School District’s Director of Instruction and Accountability says she is waiting with ‘baited breath’ for the decision from the State School Board about the new and more flexible requirements for high school graduation.

The State Board of Education deferred the decision on the new requirements until tomorrow (Friday), as they hammer out the final details on how to implement House Bill 5, a legislative overhaul aimed at giving students more flexibility in their course loads.

Brinkmeyer says this allows for more flexibility for both college bound and vocational and technical school oriented students.

The new requirements would have students take four credits from the areas of arts and humanities, business and industry, public service, multidisciplinary or STEM, science, technology, engineering and math.  These ‘endorsements’ along with the foundation courses, can allow students to graduate with 26 credits, leaving them better prepared either to enter college or to be trained into the workforce.

The SBOE is looking at dropping the requirement for Algebra 2 and speech. 

House Bill 5, passed in the legislative session last year scraps the 4X4 graduation plan, that required four years of math, science, English and social studies.  The new options would be available for students entering the ninth grade in the upcoming school year.