The Texas House passed what could bring major changes to testing and graduation requirements.
For more than a year, lawmakers have been putting together a package of sweeping changes to education.
This week that bill took a major step toward becoming law.
Rep. Dan Huberty is a Republican from Humble and serves on the public education committee.
“We’ve heard from people all across the state that said, you know, we’re over testing our children, we’re making it difficult for them to graduate and the current system is increasing the dropout rate and we’re not providing flexibility to our students.”
Huberty says the bill will fix those concerns.
To start, students have to pass fewer standardized tests in order to graduate.
“What the bill did was it took the fifteen end-of-course exams or as we call EOCs — and it took them to five.”
That means students don’t need to pass courses like algebra two for their diploma.
The bill also creates two graduation plans. One prepares students for college. The other plan allows more vocational and career training.
Critics worry that may set standards too low.
But supporters like Huberty say it will help more students graduate and enter the workforce.
“So this is one of the things that’s going to help us with our dropout rate number one, number two it’s going to give more flexibility.”
The bill now heads to the Senate. If it passes there, it will go to the governor.