Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Texas Education Board to consider equalizing credit for high school student-athletes

By Erin Rice

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On Friday, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) will consider action to equalize credits for student-athletes under the state's new 4x4 graduation plan.

The 4x4 curriculum, adopted in November 2006, requires that students complete four years each of science and math, upping the total number of credits to graduate from 24 to 26. Despite other changes, requirements for student-athletes were not altered. Texas high schoolers choosing to participate in four years of sports have long received only two physical education credits.

However, when 24 credits were required for graduation, there was wiggle room for athletes to participate non-credited for two years (junior and senior years) and still graduate under any of the three graduation programs: minimum, recommended, and distinguished achievement. Now, extra room for uncredited electives is gone and student-athletes may be forced to decide between distinguished graduation and participation in their sport.

According to the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) and many parents, this is unfair to student-athletes. "It's a matter of equality," says D.W. Rutledge, THSCA Executive Director. "Athletics is the only elective affected this way."

As Rutledge points out, while athletes receive only the two credits for four years of participation, similar electives, such as dance, marching band, and ROTC, all receive four credits.

After realizing the discrepancy when helping his eighth-grade son sign up for high school courses, Craig Agnew, an assistant coach at Brenham High School, drafted a petition asking that athletics become an up-to-four credit elective. In March 2008, the SBOE approved the petition, 13 to 2, and decided to move ahead with the rule-making process, going against the Commissioner of Education's recommendation.

Beginning with discussion in May, the Board later distributed surveys to school district administrators asking for feedback on the potential provision. According to the TEA website, most administrators were in favor of "additional flexibility in the graduation plans." The Board intended to take action on the item in September, but Hurricane Ike postponed the meeting to November, whence the Board decided to again postpone action until later this week.

"There's been favorable reaction from several of the board members," says Rutledge, who is hopeful about Friday's decision. "The main thing we want to stress is that it won't take away from any academic rigor that's been placed in the new graduation plan."

On January 23 the SBOE will consider five options for awarding athletic credit:

1) allow students to earn four credits toward graduation for athletics, but the final two credits would have to be earned for the extracurricular activity offered outside the regular school day;

2) expand the number of Physical Education (PE) credits allowed toward graduation to four;

3) allow districts to submit an innovative course application for the third and fourth credits of athletics;

4) establish Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for athletics courses;

5) maintain the current two equivalency credits for athletics.

(tea.state.tx.us)

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Comments

Jason Rice Verified

Anybody know if the musicians (ya know, band geeks) have the same beef?

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Erin Rice Verified

Jason, I actually covered that above. Students in the marching band already receive four credits for four years of participation.

Is that what you were referring to?

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

monogodo Anonymous

When did athletics switch from being extracurricular to being an elective?

It seems to me that if any athletic program cuts players from the team, it should extracurricular. If anyone who signs up gets to participate, then I'm fine with it being an elective.

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

momzilla Anonymous

Not sure when it changed in Texas, but back in the dark ages when I was in high school, athletics was a PE credit. At that time we were usually required to have 3.5 credits PE. (Plus one semester of school nurse demonstrating condoms on a banana, showing nasty pictures of people with their faces eaten by syphilis, and talking about the "crutches" of alcohol and drugs, aka health class.)

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Lisa Lawrence Merritt Verified

Band counts (or did) as a PE credit.

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Pavel Lishin Verified

momzilla: Man, you got to see rotten-out faces? Our pictures went a little further south.

LLM: I think that's only true of marching band. Sitting and blowing/strumming/banging doesn't really count, I don't think.

9 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )