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House Bill 5 Foundation High School Program Endorsements Survey

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March 20, 2017

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT:  House Bill 5 Foundation High School Program Endorsements Survey

During the 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, the passage of House Bill (HB) 5 initiated substantial changes to the curriculum requirements needed for high school graduation in Texas. As a part of this legislation, HB 5, Section 83(a) requires that the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in collaboration with the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, conduct an evaluation to understand how these changes were implemented and to estimate the effect of these changes on student outcomes. The purpose of this letter is to ask for your participation in a brief survey as part of the larger evaluation.

About the Evaluation
TEA has contracted with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct the evaluation during the 2016–17 school year. As part of this evaluation, AIR will survey all districts in the state to understand the following:

  • which endorsements for the foundation high school program diploma are being offered,
  • which course sequence options are being offered that align with those endorsements,
  • how the district chose which endorsements to offer, and
  • the extent to which districts are encouraging the selection of particular endorsements and are promoting the attainment of a distinguished level of achievement.

How Will My District Be Involved?
Beginning on March 22, 2017, AIR will survey districts via an online survey. The survey link will be sent electronically to the district email address provided in AskTED. The email will contain a survey link and instructions suggesting who in the district should participate in the survey. The survey will take approximately 15–25 minutes to complete, and the administration window will remain open until April 28, 2017.

Why Should My District Be Involved?
As a part of this evaluation, TEA is seeking to gain an understanding of the implementation of HB 5 requirements at the district level. District personnel offer unique and valuable insight into the methods used to ensure implementation of HB 5 as well as how local needs were considered as part of the implementation of the new requirements. Although your district’s participation is voluntary, data provided from the perspective of districts may help inform the direction of future legislation. Members of the Texas Legislature have also independently requested information about the implementation of these new graduation requirements. 

What Can I Do Now?
With your participation, we expect that this evaluation will be able to provide critical feedback about the ongoing implementation and impact of HB 5 and will enable TEA and the Texas Legislature to make informed decisions about future high school graduation requirements. 

Thank you in advance for your assistance. Please contact Anna Talley at 512-463-0922 or Anna.Talley@tea.texas.gov with any questions related specifically to this data collection.

Sincerely,

 

Penny Schwinn
Deputy Commissioner of Academics

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