<p>^^^
Yeah - we just laugh at all the mail we get from UT. DS will apply (why not?) but it’s just not going to happen.</p>
<p>I just got a call from the head curriculum guy at our district, calling in response to my email to the superintendant. The district is very aware that changing the requirements for a current class would lead to big class rank problems. His inclination would be to consider keeping the requirements. He thinks that if the required classes are phased out, they need to do so with the rising 8th graders, because so many rising 9th graders have already taken one or more of the classes in summer school before they even start high school.</p>
<p>He also said there are lots of concepts they are required by law to teach (he gave the example of paternity) that were taught Health class that he has idea where they’ll go now.</p>
<p>There is only one school board meeting between now and when school starts. He said that emails are flying among the school districts and that none of them were prepared for the sudden change.</p>
<p>I got a call from our HS principal today - in response to my email. He said the district is “unsure” what action they will take. He said they are considering either -
(1) putting it into effect with the upcoming 8th grade class
(2) phasing it in after the 2010 class has graduated
(3) putting the whole thing into effect now</p>
<p>He said they are expecting “flack” from parents no matter what decision they make. Said a decision will be made Aug 1 and he will contact me Aug 3.</p>
<p>Ugh…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>He’s totally right and I don’t envy the district decision makers in the least. I expressed my sympathy to the guy who called me. He said that 10 years ago, there was a lot of diversity among Texas districts in what they required, then with the introduction of the Recommended Diploma requirements, there was alot of uniformity. Now districts will again have different requirements. We may keep the requirements in place but a student may transfer in senior year from a district that didn’t require the courses. </p>
<p>What a headache! I agree that some parents and students will complain no matter what the decision.</p>
<p>The guy I talked to thought that at least Health will be brought back in the next legislative session. He said that companies that are normally big lobbyists for health education - like the Cooper Clinic - were caught off guard and had no idea that health and PE were on the chopping block. He thinks that these interests will be working hard next time around.</p>
<p>Our school is waiting to see what the district decides.</p>
<p>Well, I’m putting off sending for the Health correspondence stuff until I hear back on Aug 3. Luckily - the band camp schedule is not as obnoxiously time-consuming as it was last year, so DS will still have time before school starts to get a large part of the class done (if necessary).</p>
<p>Oh, I had lunch with my friend whose kids did the UT health online, and it wasn’t pass/fail after all. And not weighted. Boo!</p>
<p>^^^ yeah - I knew it wasn’t weighted (just a regular course).</p>
<p>Both my sons have covered almost all the topics covered in Health in our last (overseas) school. It was spread out between weekly 40 minute homerooms periods, science, and PE. Papers, presentations - the whole bit. But, the school awards no credit for it - so it didn’t count. </p>
<p>Thought about them doing the credit by exam option - but at this point, it’s been over a year and the reviewing involved wouldn’t be that different than doing the online/correspondence course.</p>
<p>missypie - just wondering if you had any updated info from your district. It seems very quiet here…</p>
<p>I hadn’t heard anything about this (student) but it’s interesting. I go to a pretty competitive district (PISD) so I wonder what we’ll do (also rising junior), because I can imagine tons of parents getting mad that students in the same grade planning to fulfill reqs in 12th or something get off w/out having to waste summer school money/class periods, but others getting mad that keeping the reqs would give a disadvantage to the plano kids compared to others.</p>
<p>Nothing from our district but I’m not surprised. The school board doesn’t meet until August - I’m sure the administrators are busily preparing their proposal to the board.</p>
<p>I finally received a response to my rant to the TEA. I hadn’t heard this part before:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So the classes are still required for the DAP. That should keep kids taking the classes if they or their parents haven’t figured out that the DAP is meaningless.</p>
<p>Okay - that means DS#1 needs to do the Health class, but DS#2 doesn’t (just can’t put him or us thru another year of Spanish!). Wouldn’t have bothered with the DAP for DS#1 - but he just happens to have the requirements, so it’s a given.</p>
<p>Oh, mp, what a bummer for my ds! :)</p>
<p>wait a sec - trying to get my mind off the 5 pounds I gained in New Orleans during the last 5 days…</p>
<p>So will the DAP kids ALWAYS need to have the health & technology class, or will that phase out?</p>
<p>And, we’re still waiting to hear what individual districts are going to do with respect to implementing these changes, right?</p>
<p>(evidently, vast quantities of food, drink, and snowballs impairs brain function!)</p>
<p>Per Monica Martinez of the TEA:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>As usual - the whole thing is a mess. They’ve made a decision and not thought thru all the ramifications. No surprises there!</p>
<p>Y’all who care about the DAP do know, don’t you, that the only place the DAP is referenced is on the *final transcript *that the HS sends the student’s college after graduation? And if by then, the student has not yet earned enough “advanced measures” because they don’t have their AP scores yet, it’s not even on the final transcript.</p>
<p>I know that some schools give their DAP grads special medals at graduation, but we don’t. Nor is it noted in the graduation program. </p>
<p>At graduation, one of the school board officials asked students to stand if they were graduating with Distinguished Achievement, and only about a dozen kids stood up (none of the top 20, lol) because they were either the only ones paying attention, or the only ones who knew what she was talking about.</p>
<p>SO…in our district, that is what students suffer through extra classes for.</p>
<p>Our district does recognize the DAP grads in the graduation program (an asterisk) and with medals or something - but I quickly figured out it didn’t really mean much. </p>
<p>DS#1 will get it - mainly because he came into the school (from overseas) with 3 language credits and was going to do the AP/dual credit stuff anyway. DS#2 will do dual credit classes - but no AP - and I refuse to live thru another year of language with him (LONG story!), so he won’t be doing the DAP. No biggie.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>When I look at the Side by Side Graduation chart, [HB</a> 3 Graduation Requirements](<a href=“http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/HB3index.html]HB”>http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/HB3index.html), I still see speech as a requirement. Am I missing the change…</p>