Graduation Requirements
All Texas students entering high school during the 2014-2015 school year and beyond are required to meet the graduations requirements as set forth by the information contained in House Bill 5 which was passed during the 83rd Texas Legislature. While the bill does provide some amount of flexibility for students, it also condensed graduation requirements to just one plan: the Foundation High School Program ("FHSP"). In addition to this underlying plan, students have the ability to earn endorsements and performance acknowledgements. Per the Texas Education Agency ("TEA") (2014), the FHSP includes earning a total of 22 credit via the following:
-Four (4) credits in English Language Arts: English I, II, and III along with another advanced English Course
-Three (3) credits in Mathematics: Algebra I, Geometry, and one advanced math course
-Three (3) credits in Science: Biology, IPC or an advanced course, an advanced science course
-Three (3) credits in History: U.S. History, U.S. Government (.5 credits), Economics (.5 credits), World History or World Geography
-One (1) credit in Physical Education
-Two (2) credits in a language other than English, which must be from the same language, including Computer Science
-One (1) credit in Fine Arts
-A demonstrated proficiency in speech skills
-Five (5) credits worth of Electives
The above requirements are in addition to passing the necessary End of Course ("EOC") exams at the high school level of English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History (TEA, 2021).
References/Resources
Texas Graduation Program Comparison:
Texas Education Agency ("TEA"). (2014). Graduation Program Comparison . Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/SidebySideGraduationPrograms_030114.pdf.
STAAR End-of-Course Exam Information:
Texas Education Agency ("TEA"). (2021, October 12). Staar resources. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/testing/staar/staar-resources.
Texas Graduation Tool Kit in English:
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Graduation_Toolkit_Summer2019.pdf
Texas Graduation Tool Kit in Español:
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Graduation_Toolkit_2020_Spanish%20Website.pdf