Moving to TX from CA: HS Math Coursework Questions & Other considerations about TX coursework

Parent Cafe
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Our daughter now attends a public high school with 4,200 students. One of 7 in our district all with about the same number of students. She is happy. Had another daughter graduate from there, went on to UC Berkeley, just graduated with honors.

We will move next year to TX. Where in comparing the state standards for coursework has me confused!

Our 11th Gr. D’s univ. GPA is 4.0. Will have completed 5 AP classes by end of this year (geography in 9th, WH 10th, this year USH, Art, English). She is more attuned to liberal arts studies, english and fine arts than STEM. (she is enrolled in a rigorous college prep coursework path/ sub section of her school along with about another 1/5th of the students) They don’t have an IB path at our school. Just the general AP/Honors, which she’s in.

Her Math path has been:
8th Gr.: Algebra 1 (Grades: A, A), 9th: Geometry (A, A), 10th: Algebra II (A,B). Decided this year 11th Gr. she’d take a course called Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry instead of Pre-Calc. to prep for SAT and strengthen overall Math. Her counselor told her that with her strong GPA, involvement and other rigorous classwork, since she wasn’t interested in a STEM path to college, that taking this class would be fine on transcript. She was thinking that in 12th for Math she’d take one of: Statistics, Pre-Calc or Stats & Risk Management.

?? Question: Looking at TX paths in Dallas metroplex high schools specifically, will this place her into a path her senior year that will remain competitive for college apps? TX seems to have a math path that goes:
9th: Alegrbra 1, 10th: Geometry, 11th Algebra II, 12th: Choice of: PreCalculus, Statistics, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, College Prep Math, Stats & Risk Management, Engineering Math

[That sample of options for 12th Gr. Math coursework was at one of the high schools we’re looking at (Prosper High) near McKinney.]
Also:
??? Question 2: Is there really a significant difference between "Distinguished Level of Achievement’ path vs. “Advanced Course Option”?? in TX high schools?

??? Question 3: Top 10% and the related needs of coursework rigor by school vs.Social/Life issues because of move:we think that it might be a challenge to chase that ‘top 10%’ tier due to her transfer transcript and any issues of difference. For example, our CA is on a 4 pt scale, and the TX schools seem to be on a 6 pt (??) scale? So should she go with a ‘good’ school and hope for placement in rigorous path at that school (and, how do I convince counselors to do that) so she has a good shot at top 10% of class (as she is now)? or go to school that has ‘more rigorous’ coursework, and not even worry about that 10%? (we ask because we don’t have such a thing in CA that ‘guarantees’ acceptance to a spot in TX univ/college - I do know about the ‘with limits’ exception at UT Austin)

I’m so confused. She obviously won’t be able to continue her leadership roles (ASB, Student Club officer roles, etc.) in TX, as those roles will be full and frankly, it will take her a bit of time to figure out her ‘place’ in the school. We want her to be able to enjoy her Sr. year a bit, and not be bogged down academically, but maybe that will be her connection point? HELP!

My husband is being transferred to Plano, TX and we are looking at the following ISD’s: Lovejoy, Colleyville, McKinney, Propser. (just not sure I can live in Plano. I need a little less Orange County feel, as I don’t even like it here in CA!) I live in Los Angeles county in a beach city now. We are hoping for a little ‘space’ and breathing room - 1+ acre, i.e. Fairview? Any suggestions would be great!. We don’t want a ‘new build’ community, but realize that we will rent for 1 year for our daughter’s high school year, and build/remodel during that year.

Thanks!

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We have not been affected by the new Texas pathways yet because my oldest two were already in high school when it was implemented and my third child is just in 8th.

The TEA has a website that might be able to answer your questions. Since pathways is new, you might not get accurate/ well informed answers on CC.

I will tell you that Texas kids need to pass EOCs in order to graduate. Given your daughter is coming in as a senior, she might be exempt- but ask about it sooner rather than later. Her stats indicate to me that she’d probably pass easily.
Best of luck with your move and her college search. My oldest is a freshman in college and we are at it again with my high school senior, so I know how stressful it can be.

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You need to check with each school district. Each has their own rules as to how they calculate the top 10% we’re in Texas and our school uses 100 point weighted scale and will not factor in class taken on-line or summer school or high school classes taken in Middle School or DE classes. The next district over includes all of these in GPA.

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I live in the area and have a S her age in one of those districts. Have friends in another.

Question 1: Depends on the college but except for the tippy-tops, I think she is competitive. Pre-calc as a senior would be safest but not necessary. For the schools you are looking at the most competitive kids will have done one or two years of calculus depending on the school- some do calc A/B and the B/C though so that is not as much as it sounds.

Question 2: DLA doesn’t sound like a problem for your daughter. You can choose Multi-disciplinary endorsement which is the standard 4x4 option and pretty much get it as long as she is okay with the physics and chemistry. But OOS schools don’t look at all of those things and the Texas schools are just now seeing them for the first time with Class of 2017. I don’t think they’ll matter much yet if ever. The auto admit rules do require a minimum level of coursework (recommended level I think it is called?)

Question 3: Not sure how much info you can get but maybe a good relocation specialist can tell you how each school handles ranking of kids who come mid-junior year. Since end of year junior ranking is the one that counts, don’t worry about senior year for rank purposes. Some schools will convert her grades to their schools and some will ignore the other grades altogether.

The top 10 percent is really only required for UT (7 percent) and A&M. A&M has an additional auto category for top quarter with high test scores. Pretty much all other Texas schools take kids outside of top ten percent. Even UT and A&M have holistic admits. And there is a real chance she won’t want to stay here anyway. She may want to go back to CA if you can afford OOS tuition rates.

What do you consider “new” build? All of the communities you list are fast growing suburbs except Colleyville which was built up in the 1990s and early 2000s. That is still “new” to me. They all have areas with older homes and acreage though. You can PM me if you want.

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http://tea.texas.gov/graduation.aspx

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769809836&libID=25769809849

Most school districts will follow the graduation requirements as dictated by State.

The GPA calculations, the transfer of credits from other districts/states and their weightage etc varies from district to district. So it is important that that your kid attend a school where she is not disadvantaged by counting her classes as standard in a weighted GPA school or classes she took in 8th grade are weighted or not counted as per your needs.

It is important to know that school districts vary widely in their GPA policies and there is nothing wrong ensuring that you choose the one that gives proper credit to your kid’s grades.

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@gettingschooled our school says:

I thought that was standard throughout the state, I didn’t know it varied by district.

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Looks like A&M is requiring distinguished level of achievement to qualify as auto-admit.

“Students who change from the recommended or distinguished curriculum to the new foundation curriculum must complete the Distinguished Level of Achievement to qualify.”

But since their website still refers to graduation plans that no longer exist, I am not sure if that note is applicable to Class of 2018.

What sciences has she taken? Everything you list appears to have her in track for DLA.

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@3scoutsmom That is for graduation not auto admit purposes. You apply to schools using your junior year end of school rank if you apply following the typical schedule of applying to schools in fall of senior year.

End of first semester ranks usually come out too late for application deadlines in early December.

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@gettingschooled Our GC told the kids if their rank went up they should submit their final rank to the schools after their applications were submitted. D16 didn’t apply to a Texas school so she didn’t worry about this. S18 will be so we’ll be paying closer attention to the whole rank thing this time around! He plans to apply to UTD and is not concerned about rank for admission but their merit scholarship has a rank component which may come into play. The UTD rep will be at his school next week. I’ll add this to his list of questions:-)

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I guess it depends on application deadlines and how often a school reports rank. Ours only recalculates rank at the end of a semester which means new ranks come out in June and January. UT and A&M require all documents by end of December so for us end of junior year is the end for those schools for admission. We could use end of first semester to meet UTD’s deadlines which are later. It looks like it would be tight but our kids could meet the UTD regular deadline with end of third nine week ranks.

If a school reports rank based on mid term grades, you might have more options to use a rank that benefits you.

UTD’s McDermott scholarship has two deadlines. The first one would require us to use end of junior year rank and the second would still be too early for us to use first semester senior year because they don’t get around to recalculating them until mid-January.

I guess it all depends on the timing of ranking calculations and application deadlines. A lot to keep track of…sigh.

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Will she be staying in state for school or are other colleges on the list? Where does she want to go?

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There are so many variations among Texas schools, probably among all schools. Our school has six week grading periods, a neighboring school has nine week grading periods.

Our school only calculates English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language into GPA and ranking. Many other schools that we know of use every course taken in rank and GPA.

Our school gives equal weight to honors, AP and dual credit. In a neighboring district, AP courses are weighted higher than the dual credit or honors.

I think I would focus in on a few schools that you are interested in and call one of the counselors. You will get much better information.

I would also ask about EOC testing. She should not have any trouble passing those courses but I would want to know the requirements. Currently, students have to pass English 1, English 2, Biology, Algebra, and US History to graduate. I’m not sure what the expectations would be for a student tranferring her senior year.

There is a whole thing they started a few years ago called “Plan your Path”. I think it started with the kids who will graduate in 2018. Don’t let anyone make you stress too much about this. Basically, she chooses an endorsement pathway and takes a sequence of courses. your daughter probably has several endorsement options, but would almost certainly have the multi-disciplinary endorsement if she has several dual credit courses.

I know that UT and A&M are supposed to be where everyone is dying to go in Texas, but they aren’t for everyone. There are lots of great schools here! I wouldn’t stress to much about it. I don’t know what her chances are at those two but I know there will be many schools that will be happy to have her!

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Some have reported that some TX schools give unfavorable weighting to incoming transfer students’ grades, in order to protect their existing students’ rank. Rank is the biggest factor in TX public university admissions, so cutthroat competition is encouraged.

Investigate carefully.

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Is this written in stone? There is no way to sit tight until she has a college place? If she gets into a UC and then you move, can she keep her cal instate status?

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@vichig, Argyle is a charming suburb in the area, with good schools. Large lots, very rural feel. Driving through there, I thought for a moment I was in Kentucky horse country. :slight_smile:

Southlake/Carroll has good schools as well, with many homes on 1 acre lots.

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My brother and family live in Southlake. It is a good area for transplants from other states but I don’t know that it would be a good place for a student to go for just their senior year. It is very competitive and there is a LOT of local pride in their schools, and they are amazing! The housing prices are insane and houses sell very quickly. I just wouldn’t want to move there for one year. I think you would be paying a premium for something of which you wouldn’t be able to take full advantage.

I agree about Argyle though!
My thought would be to find a nice, smaller high school that has the courses your child needs and isn’t so huge that she doesn’t have any chance to shine.

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Agreed @Texasmom2001 Carroll ISD would be a tough one to move into as a junior/senior and the top of the Carroll class is one of the most competitive in the state.

@Sybylla Has a good approach. I don’t know how the UCs work but could mom and daughter stay behind for beginning of senior year during application season and allow daughter to avoid the Texas high school ranking issue? Does CA offer online high school options?

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I realize your question is more about which school and district might be best for your daughter, but be sure and look at commute time from home to Plano. Prosper to Plano is at least 45 minutes and during rush hour could be much longer than that; same for Colleyville.

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OP, we are in CA and were thinking about moving to TX last summer. I had communicated with many schools in greater DFW and greater Houston area. FWIW, here are some points :

  1. Some schools consider 100 points system. The A in CA SD is taken as 95 making the GPA go down.
  2. Some schools take A for an A.
  3. Some schools take A for and A but have a A-,A,A+ system and the GPA goes down.
  4. Most schools have Regular--> Honors-->PreAP-->AP course paths. The students can't take AP classes unless the previous ones are taken.
  5. The TX school counselors are very candid and helpful. They give you a good idea about the situation.
  6. If you are considering OOS or private colleges, the class rank may not really make huge difference considering the situation.

I would suggest to get in touch with the school officials directly for getting the answers. They are very helpful.

Also, you may want to check the courses offered and ECs in the particular school.