Programming

State legislation has decreed that incoming ninth-graders work with their families and counselors to create a Personal Graduation Plan and customize it with an endorsement – a pathway that reflects their career interests and goals for additional education or training beyond high school.

These endorsements will help create a personalized learning plan in line with a student’s career interests and goals. Families will be given a school-by-school breakdown of student options well in advance, to assist them in selecting a high school endorsement and career pathway that meets the student’s career interests and post-secondary goals.

The personalized learning system offers five pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Business and Industry; Arts and Humanities; Public Services; and Multidisciplinary. 

For next year’s entering ninth-graders:

Students will enter under the new 26-credit Foundation High School Program with an endorsement – and take Algebra II at the appropriate time – which will allow them to earn a Distinguished Level of Achievement and become eligible for automatic admission into state universities if they graduate in the top 10% of their class.

Performance Acknowledgements

Students may earn up to FIVE performance acknowledgements, which will be displayed on diplomas and transcripts:

Entering ninth-graders are now required to pass five End-of-Course (EOC) exams to graduate.

The English I and II exams combine reading and writing into one five-hour test.

Linked Learning is an approach that HISD is using to transform the traditional high-school experience by bringing together strong academics, a demanding technical education, and real-world experience to help students gain an advantage in high school, postsecondary education, and careers. Students can choose from industry-themed pathways in fields such as engineering, arts and media, and biomedicine and health.  

Linked Learning

Free online high school courses are available to HISD students through HISD Graduation Labs. Students can work on their courses during, before or after school, as well as from home or anywhere with an Internet connection. Tests and finals must be completed in the lab, which is staffed by a Graduation Coach tasked with enrolling students and then monitoring their progress as they complete coursework. The Grad Lab is ideal for self-motivated students who:

• might not meet graduation requirements by May
• are not classified as seniors but who should be graduating in May
• have failed three or more courses in the previous semester, especially ninth-graders
• have been retained while in high school
• are past normal school age

For more information on this program, speak to the Campus Graduation Coach or School Guidance Counselor.