I once prepared this for a blog that never got posted:
For a student to graduate from high school, s/he must now complete four courses in each of the four core content areas. They are also expected to complete two years of a foreign language (the same one! No exploring!). If they want the "Distinguished" program, it becomes three years of foreign language (the same one!), as well as other distinguished classes like health and speech.
That would be Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and "the other one."
Also Biology, Chemistry, Physics…and "the other one."
You get the picture. We have a core curriculum designed for three courses over four years. We just require a fourth year.
On Friday, I received this tweet:
In reality, we're still not sure what this year's Texas 8th graders need to do:
Texas testing is on the decline. Sort of. I'm not sure how Pearson would allow such a change (outside of bad press for bad tests), but for some reason, we have cut the number of standardized tests in high school. It was ridiculous and awful. Now it's just troublesome.
That doesn't change the fact that high schools--at least in this state--have become "mini community colleges." That is, everything is geared toward career advancement, beginning at age 14. Sure, there's a cannon--I wonder if it's even the right one. I'm not sure whether the over-arching demands on high school students are merited.
You see, I live here. I've battled over how much change I should or should not have received. I've seen people consistently make stupid mistakes with apostrophe's (sic). Every day, I battle my daughter's spelling deficiencies in a school that doesn't care about spelling. Handwriting is seen as a near-waste of time. Thus, I consistently see "handwritten" notes from high school students that look as though they were written by a 3rd grader.
How fast can you print?
It's a far cry from the massive requirements slammed onto our public schools by a much more conservative and removed SBOE a few years ago. Then, the focus was on political dogma inside the textbooks. Why study too much about slavery when students should memorize the Carolina Constitution? The Gettysburg Address is compared and contrasted with the Confederacy's Inaugural Address by Jefferson Davis. [Note: I liked that one--it made Lincoln look appropriately awesome by comparison.]
Algebra II is now optional. "Business interests" were concerned, and that is, indeed the driving force. One way or another, kids can't write or spell. The wrong questions have been asked, and children are seen (still) as commodities and not special, precious humans in the process of development.
It also fails to consider that Texas teachers are constantly having to change what they teach. New books must be written (and purchased). Teachers need to be re-re-re-re trained.
All at the whim of people who just don't seem to care.
Whether this latest spate of moves will make things better or worse has yet to be determined. I just wish it would start from a basic question:
What do we want our high school graduates to know, do, and be like?
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