The state legislator, Jimmie Don Aycock, created “House Bill 5”, which will affect public high schools in Texas at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. This will legislate a new graduation plan called the Foundation High School plan.

“The main ideas leading up to the creating of HB5 was the belief that we were spending too much money and time on testing, and that students need more opportunity to seek career and technical job training,” Aycock said. “Schools need to be evaluated on student success more and test results less.”

House Bill 5’s (HB5) desired affect is to free students from their required electives. Instead of having to take electives that don’t pertain to the students’ interest, the plan will give more leeway in deciding what students will do by allowing them to choose from a number of courses called ‘endorsements’. Every student is required to choose one endorsement when going into ninth grade.

“Endorsements are kind of like little college majors,” couselor Connie Correll said. “There are five endorsement plans. Argyle is still deciding which ones they will offer, but there are multidisciplinary, arts and humanities, business and industry, public services, and science, technology, and math, known as STEM. The major difference between endorsements will be the classes that are required. They are subject specific. The endorsement you choose decides what electives you will take. You can do multiple endorsements, but every freshman must declare at least one endorsement they will do by the beginning of their freshman year. You can change endorsements in high school too, but the further you wait to change an endorsement the less flexibility you are going to have.”

Even though students can choose an endorsement, all students have certain classes they must take in order to graduate. These required classes make up the ‘foundation plan,’ consisting of four core classes, two years of a foreign language, one fine art credit, and one PE credit. It will only be necessary to have 3 credits in math, science, and history and 4 credits in English in order to earn the minimum credits in core classes. This has changed from the old plan, which required 4 credits in math, science, history, and English.

“Not every endorsement is going to require 4 years of all core classes,” Correll said. “The four by four has gone away. Each endorsement, however, is going to require more than the set foundation plan.”

HB5 will come into affect for students in eighth grade entering high school next year. However, freshman, sophomores, and juniors of this year will be able to switch over onto the HB5 plan, or they can choose to stay on their current plan.

“All current high schoolers can opt into this plan but only to the foundation plan,” Correll said. “Being able to choose an endorsement has not been addressed yet, so the seniors next year could switch onto HB5 plan, but as of right now it would be without an endorsement. This is subject to change though.”

The grade point average (GPA) system for incoming freshman and high students transferring to the plan is undecided as of this point. Argyle counselors and administrators are working hard to find a way so all endorsements, including electives, will be weighted equally.

“We are looking at that presently, most likely the way we do it now will change for the eighth graders,” Correll said. “We don’t want to prejudice an endorsement by saying these things are counting in GPA and these things aren’t. We anticipate a huge change in the way that we calculate GPA instead of just weighting the four cores.”

As of now, high school students who transfer to the plan are unable to be in the top ten percent due to current policies on endorsements and GPA at Argyle. However, this is subject to change as administrators and counselors work together to find a solution.

“Students can make the decision after their sophomore year if they want to graduate on the foundation plan without an endorsement,” Correll said. “However, you cannot be considered for the top ten percent without an endorsement and taking Algebra 2. So kids who transfer to HB5 would not be considered for top ten percent because they won’t have an endorsement. They can only opt into the foundation plan.”

HB5 plan is taking out the recommended and minimum plans completely. Instead, there are going to be three plans to choose from in which to graduate. There is the foundation plan that is strictly 22 credits. The second plan is the foundation plan plus an endorsement, which requires an extra year of math and science with an overall of 26 credits. Lastly, there is the Distinguished Level of Achievement plan. Texas Education Agency member, Lauren Callahan, explained what credits will be needed to graduate on this level.

“Kids will have to complete all the curriculum requirements for the foundation plan, plus an endorsement,” Callahan said. “Among those credits they would need to take four years of science, four years of math, and one of those years of math being Algebra 2 in order to graduate under the distinguished level of achievement. This can then make them eligible for the top ten percent.”

Within the three plans, there is another way for students to gain more acknowledgment for their accomplishments.

“It’s going to be called professional acknowledgements,” Correll said. “They are a lot like the advanced measures for the distinguished achievement plan. It will be like those who score a 3 or higher on AP tests or dual credit hours. So on your diploma it will show your level of achievement and professional acknowledgements. They are almost like an extra gold star for your transcript.”

Neither Correll nor Callahan could say how colleges will be affected by all these changes. The HB5, as of now, only applies to Texas high schools, making it mainly Texas colleges that will have adjust to the plan. Once a student graduates high school in a certain endorsement, that endorsement will then be on their transcript and diploma. It is unknown to whether colleges will take into consideration the completed endorsement or endorsements.

“I think Texas colleges will acknowledge these endorsements because it is now the law,” Correll said. “Some of the HB5 stuff has affected them also.”

Overall, the HB5 plan has been set in place for good purposes. It has a few issues right now, but the Argyle Counselors are working very hard to ensure the plan is ready for incoming students.

“I do think it is a positive plan,” Correll said. “I think it is going to require students, parents, and counselors to be much more aware. It will require a lot of prior planning.”