The barrage of reform in the bill is the first large scale move beyond initiatives started in the nineties and 1980s, all of which stressed testing and accountability.
A huge win for STEM: the bill allows school districts to move some students into vocational and technical fields which are considered critical for many of the jobs in booming STEM fields. Specifically, the bill states that "all secondary students will have the opportunity to participate in career and technology education programs."
The bill also does away with the 'four-by-four' system, which states that students have to take four years that include four college-prep courses. Although the bill doesn't cut out standardized testing, it dramatically reduces the number of tests that students actually have to take. Currently, students can spend up to 45 days of the 180 day school year being tested. After Governor Perry signs the new bill, the number of tests students have to take to graduate from high school will be cut from 15 to five.
As a result of the bill, other changes include:
- School districts must limit interruptions from announcements
- The ability to remove students from the classroom for remedial tutoring is being reduced
- Written permission from a parent is required before a student can be removed from a classroom
- A student will be allowed to complete an apprenticeship for class credit in a technology program approved by the district
Read more about the new bill and what else it's changing.
