TX Students Choose Career Paths In The 8th Grade, And That's Creating Anxiety

[ashling]

A new Texas law requires public school students to decide a career track in eighth grade. It’s a sea change with challenges for schools -- and some anxiety for kids.

Listen
4:02
The KERA radio story.
Before this school year ends, nearly 400,000 eighth graders in Texas will have chosen to enroll in one of five specific areas of study adopted by state lawmakers under House Bill 5.

There’s STEM, which stands for science, technology engineering and math; business and industry; public service; arts and humanities and a category with mostly advanced courses called multidisciplinary studies.

The choice eighth graders are required to make is huge. It will determine which courses they begin taking when they enter high school this fall.

It’s like being asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

But for real.



http://keranews.org/post/texas-students-choose-career-paths-eighth-grade-and-thats-creating-anxiety

[seabeyond]

1. bith boys did it recently. in an 8th grade class, careers. was a fun exploration of thought

and conversation in our family. so not a big deal. so whatever.

[lunasun]

3. Were their class courses for next fall determined by their choice?

[DhhD]

2. Remedy the State will not like: a 5th year of high school.

Students will fail electives classes in order to put off graduation so they can come back a fifth year to change their graduation plan to include Algebra II, Chemistry and Physics making a transcript that is college ready and college acceptable. Some school districts do not use a class rating system which would be more advantageous to a lowered class rating due to the failures needed, to revise a graduation plan in the last years of the secondary public education.

How are students to understand the genetic and biochemistry medical care of the very near future? Genetic test are made before medicine is prescribed for the heart now.

How are students to understand what a light year is, photon and solar energy are, and the science and technology of the things they will pay for, in their future?

The Conservative Texas Legislature is thinking about education that is before electricity and back to steam and burning fuels of the Post Civil War.

[DhhD]

6. Wendy Davis lays out her plans for college credits during the high school years.

Gubernatorial Candidate Wendy Davis Lays Out More of Her Proactive Education Agenda - See more at: http://texasaftblog.com/hotline/?p=3480#sthash.KTNuwfv9.dpuf

US House passes federal funding for programs that Davis has in her Education Plan.

http://texasaftblog.com/hotline/?p=3482

[Ilsa]

4. I don't like this very much.

I was 1 1/2 years into high school before I figured out that I was college-material. Yes, some know which way they are going, but many need more time and experience.

[Javaman]

5. an awful lot happens between 8th and 12th grades.

just sayin'.