HB5 Information/Course Catalogs
Texas House Bill 5
Information for Parents & Students
Course Catalogs
Texas House Bill 5 will impact a number of areas in the Texas Education Code and the new law will significantly change the requirements for high school graduation, graduation planning and state testing requirements at all levels. Parents of students who will graduate in 2015, 2016 or 2017 school years should pay particular attention to the new requirements as they are very different from previous courses offered in public schools.
HB5 is designed to provide more flexibility in public education by enabling students to either pursue a traditional path into colleges and universities or move directly into the workforce to help fill what business leaders say is a critical skills shortage.
House Bill 5 Requirements: Course Catalogs for Smithville ISD
Smithville ISD is providing High School Course Catalogs for students who will graduate in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 school years. Also, a separate Course Catalog for the Class of 2018 is offered. Both catalogs can be downloaded in PDF format, below.
Resources to Help Parents and Students Understand House Bill 5
House Bill 5 is complex and will be rolled out in stages over several years. To help parents and students understand these changes, Smithville ISD offers the following resources.
From the Region 13 Education Resource Center
The Region 13 House Bill 5 Webpage
Link: http://www4.esc13.net/cc/house-bill-5
Contains links to the Texas Education Agency
Contains very informative web-based video presentations: Introduction and Curriculum, Graduation and Career Readiness, Assessment, Instruction, Accountability, More.
From the Institute for Public School Initiatives
HB5 Parent Videos
Videos that inform the parents of 8th grade students about upcoming changes and requirements for their children under this new legislation have been created to help during the first phase of HB5 Implementation. Videos are available in both English and Spanish.
HB5 Student Videos
The purpose of these videos will be to inform 8th-grade students about the five endorsement areas. The first student videos will focus on describing the types of courses required certificates that may be earned, and associates or bachelor’s degrees, as well as career opportunities within each endorsement.
These videos will also include information about the following:
The importance of maintaining academic rigor regardless of endorsement pathway, with an emphasis on graduating with the distinguished level of achievement
Information about the changes coming to high schools as a result of HB5
Parental consent that will be required in 8th grade and when/if a student chooses to leave an endorsement area and return to the Foundation Program established by the SBOE
Career paths associated with an endorsement area
Changes to graduation requirements