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New state mandates for students (Texas)
KXAN News ^ | Tuesday, 25 Aug 2009 | Kate Weidaw

Posted on 08/30/2009 3:05:43 PM PDT by bgill

During this year's legislative session, lawmakers decided to change the state's "Recommended" high-school graduation plan, under which the majority of students fall.

"They said they no longer have to take health or technology applications, which is a computer class, and they reduced the amount of PE credits from one-and-a-half down to one year," said Debbie Ratcliffe, Director of Communications with the Texas Education Agency.

AISD, along with several other school districts across the state, will not be implementing the new requirements.


TOPICS: Government; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: homeschoolingisgood; publicschool; publicschools; tea; texas
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1) As usual, the new rules were too late to be implemented for the current year. Teachers have already been hired to teach these classes and students' schedules have already been made. Many Texas schools started the day before this article.

2) Hey, they've done away with recess in elementary school and now they've all but done away with PE in high school. PE and sports aren't usually counted in students' GPA so there's no reason to go for the easy A which in turn gives slackers even more reasons to opt for early release (only attend school part of the day) and more time to play video games or get into trouble.

3) Athletics, marching band, drill team, and cheerleading has always been an alternative for PE credit.

4) So much wrong with eliminating or not requiring Health classes I wouldn't know where to start.

5) The technology class that is being eliminated or no longer required is the computer class where they learn, among other things, how to effectively search the internet, how to use Word for their reports, and how to use Power Point which many teachers require for presentations.

1 posted on 08/30/2009 3:05:44 PM PDT by bgill
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To: bgill

The continued fattening and dumbing down of society continues apace. Surprises me that they did this in Texas (I’d have expected the opposite), but whatever. No one listens to us anymore anyway.


2 posted on 08/30/2009 3:09:09 PM PDT by TheZMan ("I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.")
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To: TheZMan
Good old "no child left behind." Means we'll just keep lowering the bar to make sure even the laziest kids graduate.

My wife works at a HS, and you wouldn't believe the herculean efforts the staff goes through to try to get these kids to accept an education...

3 posted on 08/30/2009 3:13:28 PM PDT by ThunderSleeps (obama out now! I'll keep my money, my guns, and my freedom - you can keep the change.)
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To: bgill
5) The technology class that is being eliminated or no longer required is the computer class where they learn, among other things, how to effectively search the internet, how to use Word for their reports, and how to use Power Point which many teachers require for presentations.

If they haven't learned how to run a computer by the time they're through with elementary school, they are behind the curve anyway. It makes a lot of sense to update that requirement.

You have a point about the health class. How are they going to learn how to put a condom on a banana if that gets eliminated.

And for PE, when I was young, that used to be as good as an IQ test - the smart kids could figure out a way out of it. No fair giving the average kids a break on it.

4 posted on 08/30/2009 3:14:25 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: bgill

well #5 is not a big deal because it is the kind of thing that any kid can pick up on his own.

But I’m concerned about the health/PE. Not that it would have made a difference for me. I hate sports so I basically sat out PE almost every day in elem school. If it was something like martial arts I probably would have had a good time with it but alas...the lack of exercise growing up still affects me today.


5 posted on 08/30/2009 3:16:37 PM PDT by ari-freedom (Obama acted stupidly...and that's after knowing all the facts.)
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To: ThunderSleeps

When I was in school (not that long ago) you failed if you were a lazy moron. God forbid anyone do that nowadays.

NOT ON THEIR WATCH!


6 posted on 08/30/2009 3:18:45 PM PDT by TheZMan ("I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.")
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To: bgill

Sept. 1, 2009 will bring a multitude of new laws that were passed by the legislature and signed into law by Perry. It would be interesting to see a list of them as I expect many are unaware of them.

A few that come to mind include beyond the education one you’ve listed:

*Mandatory seat belts use for rear seat passengers.

*Blood draw with no warrant at an accident if there are injuries regardless if minor or major, child in the vehicle or previous DWIs.

*Cell phone use prohibited in school zones unless hands free or stopped

*Compliance sticker for tinting of windows.


7 posted on 08/30/2009 3:20:42 PM PDT by deport
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To: PAR35

“If they haven’t learned how to run a computer by the time they’re through with elementary school, they are behind the curve anyway. It makes a lot of sense to update that requirement.”

my 5 year old niece has her own netbook. She doesn’t know how to read much yet but she knows how to use Paint and windows explorer to find a saved picture.


8 posted on 08/30/2009 3:22:09 PM PDT by ari-freedom (Obama acted stupidly...and that's after knowing all the facts.)
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To: bgill
5) The technology class that is being eliminated or no longer required is the computer class where they learn, among other things, how to effectively search the internet, how to use Word for their reports, and how to use Power Point which many teachers require for presentations.

Kids today are teaching the teacher how to do this kind of stuff....
9 posted on 08/30/2009 3:33:03 PM PDT by TV Dinners (Hope is not a Strategy)
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To: bgill

Today “health” class is showing a porn film and handing out condoms


10 posted on 08/30/2009 3:35:46 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: bgill

In our high school nearly every kid gets a laptop, the older kids get a netbook, which is weird because the younger kids complain how heavy their laptops are


11 posted on 08/30/2009 3:36:50 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: TheZMan

Its called school choice and homeschooling


12 posted on 08/30/2009 3:37:34 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: deport
*Mandatory seat belts use for rear seat passengers

For adults!!! already applied to kids. Imagine that I can ride a motorcycle without a helmet but being in the backseat of a car requires a seatbelt!

13 posted on 08/30/2009 3:40:04 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: MeekOneGOP

bump


14 posted on 08/30/2009 3:41:31 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: GeronL

For adults!!!


Yep and includes passenger vans...


15 posted on 08/30/2009 3:47:33 PM PDT by deport
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To: deport

aarrggghh


16 posted on 08/30/2009 3:49:08 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com .. for the love of Lazamataz someone go to my site!! *sob*)
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To: bgill
If I had it my way to do all over again.....I would have home-schooled since I had to teach my kids the basics at home anyway.

Open-classroom concept with teacher-sharing... was a catastrophe for my son. I yanked him out of public school after the teachers called him "stupid" and demanded I have a Dr. put him on Ritalin. I placed him in a private Christian school.....and three weeks later... we found he had an eye disorder which interferred with his ability to read and comprehend.

Shortly after getting glasses and being treated.....he flourished academically......though it took awhile to mend the emotional damage done by those teachers in his public school.

17 posted on 08/30/2009 5:08:33 PM PDT by LaineyDee (Don't mess with Texas wimmen!)
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To: bgill

“5) The technology class that is being eliminated or no longer required is the computer class where they learn, among other things, how to effectively search the internet, how to use Word for their reports, and how to use Power Point which many teachers require for presentations.”

I don’t think you have a very good grasp on the situation.

Under the “The Anointed One” they only need to learn how to properly use shovels and other digging instruments to tend the fields and do “shovel ready” projects.

Those silly days of thinking that your children would be able to go out in the world and make something of themselves vanished in November of 2008.


18 posted on 08/30/2009 5:22:35 PM PDT by DH (The government writes no bill that does not line the pockets of special interests.)
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To: ari-freedom

Yes. If they try to teach her Google in 10 years, she’ll just laugh at them.


19 posted on 08/30/2009 5:26:51 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: deport
It would be interesting to see a list of them as I expect many are unaware of them.

Ask and ye shall receive:

New traffic, criminal laws set to go into effect Sept. 1


20 posted on 08/30/2009 8:33:15 PM PDT by justlurking (The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.)
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