Due to the recently passed House Bill 5, the class of 2018 will choose their discipline before their eighth grade year ends and complete classes pertaining to their choice before they can graduate.

Starting with the class of current eighth graders, students will only take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, also known as the STAAR, five times compared to the current number of tests.

House Bill 5 was signed into law in the summer of 2013 and finalized Jan. 31 of this year. According to the law, every student will complete a personal growth plan at the end of their eighth grade year.

“I don’t believe that we should be picking so early,” eighth grade student Dylan Kirkpatrick said. “I’m in eighth grade do you honestly think I know what I want to do?”

The class of 2018 will graduate under the Foundation High School Program which includes 22 credits compared to 26 credits now. An additional four credits will fall under his or her endorsement they chose from the categories of arts and humanities, business and industry, public service, STEM and multidisciplinary.

For example the business and finance experience will include all the required classes and principles of business, finance & marketing, banking & financial services, human resource management, entrepreneurship (2 of 3), Accounting I, and practicum in business management.

“We want our students to choose a career focus under the umbrella,” Doctor Jeannie Stone, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said. “High school is preparing them to further their career. We want all of our kids to be focused on a career experience and to take courses to be successful in that career.”

The four endorsement credits are overseen by teacher advisors. Those advisors will meet with students and support them in counseling towards their future. A student and teacher are paired based on expertise or relationship. The advisors will then facilitate meetings that will include a scripted plan to review the student’s enrollment and implement a program that will be easy, compelling and useful for teachers.

“We want to inform our kids about the jobs that pay and those that are simply not in demand,” Superintendant Doctor David Vinson said.  “We want to match a student’s interest and strengths with a career they will love and pursue in college. Just as important, we want our kiddos to determine what they don’t want to do.”

The state also no longer requires the incoming freshmen to take health, professional communications, a fourth social studies and two foreign languages. However, Wylie Independent School District will keep Algebra II as a required credit.

“Less is more,” Vinson said. “The state has reduced testing, course requirements and asked us to prepare kids for a successful life beyond high school. That’s pretty cool in my book.”