What is House Bill 5?
House Bill 5 (HB5) was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013, making a number of changes to the state's curriculum and graduation requirements, assessment program, and accountability system. The new graduation requirements take affect for those students going into 9th grade during the 2014-2015 school year. Those in 10th, 11th, & 12th will finish up with their original graduation programs.
HB 5 restructured the state's graduation requirements, moving from the "4x4" graduation plan to a 22-credit Foundation High School Program that allows students to earn endorsements in specific areas of study by completing four additional credits. The endorsements include STEM; business & industry; public service; arts & humanities; and multidisciplinary studies.
Regardless of graduation programs, all students 9-12 will be required to pass the End-of-Course (EOC) assessments for English I, English II, Algebra I, biology and U.S history.