Education Policy

Texas Bill Would Add CTE Progress as Indicator on School Grades

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/31/19

Texas, a state that emphasizes workforce pathways for its students in K-12, is considering legislation that would require the Texas Education Agency to track career readiness as an indicator on the state's school accountability system. Bill HB 1388, pending in committee after a recent public hearing, would add an indicator for the count of students with successful completion of a "coherent sequence of career and technology courses."

According to a legislative analysis, currently, the state's grading system allows schools to count only those students who have finished a career certification program, a high bar for high schoolers; that doesn't account for students who are making progress toward earning a certificate. The new law under consideration would let schools get credit for students who have completed two or more courses as a sequence of CTE courses in the same subject; at least one of those classes has to be an advanced course.

Reporting in K-12 Daily said the bill has received support from nearly two dozen organizations, including the Texas Association of School Boards, the Texas School Alliance, Texas State Teachers Association and a some districts and advocacy groups in the state.