House Bill 3 – Graduation Requirements

This month, Texas ASCD wanted to create a forum for districts to share ideas/thoughts on the new House Bill 3.

The following information came from the TEA website: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/comm070609.html

With the passage of House Bill (HB) 3, new graduation requirements will take effect on September 1, 2009. These new requirements supersede the graduation requirements in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 74.

Recommended High School Program (RHSP) and Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP)
For the recommended (RHSP) and advanced (DAP) high school programs, the total number of credits required for graduation and the requirement of 4 credits in the 4 foundation areas of mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies/economics did not change. HB 3 changes include:

• providing more flexibility in the enrichment areas of the RHSP by increasing the number of elective credits to 6, requiring 1 credit of physical education, 2 credits of a language other than English (LOTE), and 1 credit of fine arts; and

• providing more flexibility in the enrichment areas in the DAP by increasing the number of elective credits to 5, requiring 1 credit of physical education, 3 credits of LOTE, and 1 credit of fine arts.

Minimum High School Program
Permission to graduate under the minimum high school program must be agreed to in writing and signed by the student, student’s parent (or other person standing in parental relation to the student), and a school counselor or school administrator.
Under HB 3, to graduate under the minimum high school program, students must:

• be at least 16 years of age;
• have completed 2 credits required for graduation in each subject of the foundation curriculum; or
• have failed to be promoted to the 10th grade one or more times as determined by the school district.

Students already in the minimum high school program do not have to meet the HB 3 requirements to enter the program, but must be given the choice of opting back into the recommended high school program.
Local districts may continue to adopt additional graduation requirements that go beyond the state requirements for graduation.

Typically, new graduation requirements take effect with the incoming freshman class. However, the flexibility in the new HB 3 graduation requirements impacts all high school students beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. All students are able to graduate under the HB 3 high school graduation requirements beginning in the 2009-10 school year, unless the district has adopted additional local requirements.

How is your district preparing to implement HB 3? Let us know your thoughts.

Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:

August 20th, 2009
Teachers Change Your Bait
Martha Kaufeldt
Aubrey ISD
CLOSED - DISTRICT EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

September 1st & 2nd, 2009
Reading Strategies for Secondary Math Tutorials and TAKS Retesting
Beatrice Moore Luchin
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

September 15th & 16th, 2009
Understanding By Design
Judith Hilton
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

September 16th & 17th, 2009
Five Keys to Reading Success
Tim Rasinski
Northside ISD

September 22nd & 23rd, 2009
Boot Camp for Curriculum Administrators
John Crain
Hays CISD

September 28th, 2009
Reading Strategies for Secondary Math Tutorials and TAKS Retesting
Beatrice Moore Luchin
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

October 1st & 2nd, 2009
Mapping Active Literacy
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

October 15th, 2009
Understanding By Design - Follow-up
Judith Hilton
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

November 2nd -3rd, 2009
Using Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content More Accessible to Struggling Students
Beatrice Moore Luchin
Session One of Three
Galena Park ISD (Houston area)

November 9th - 11th, 2009
Traditional Block Scheduling
Dr. J. Allen Queen
Eagle Pass ISD
CLOSED - DISTRICT EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

November 11th & 12th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
El Paso, TX

November 13th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
El Paso, TX

November 18th & 19th, 2009
New Essential Curriculum for 21st Century Learners
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Frisco ISD

November 19th, 2009
Understanding By Design - Follow-up
Judith Hilton
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

December 8th -9th, 2009
Boot Camp for Curriculum Administrators
John Crain
Allen ISD

January 14th, 2010
Understanding By Design - Follow-up
Judith Hilton
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

January 28th - 29th, 2010
Using Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content More Accessible to Struggling Students
Beatrice Moore Luchin
Session Two of Three
Galena Park ISD (Houston area)

February 17th - 18th, 2010
Connecting Content and Kids: Understanding By Design and Differentiated Instruction
Jay McTighe
TBD

March 11th, 2010
Understanding By Design - Follow-up
Judith Hilton
Palo Duro High School, Amarillo ISD
CLOSED - SCHOOL EXCLUSIVE TRAINING

May 6th, 2010
Using Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content More Accessible to Struggling Students
Beatrice Moore Luchin
Session Three of Three
Galena Park ISD (Houston area)