Texas High School Athletes May Get More Credit For Sports

Parents Forum
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<p>AUSTIN – Texas high school students who play football, basketball and other sports could receive twice as much credit toward graduation under a proposed rule being considered by the State Board of Education.</p>

<p>The proposal – allowing four years of sports to count for credit instead of two – was brought to the board by a coach from Brenham High School. Coach Craig Agnew said new graduation requirements that took effect with freshmen last year discriminate against student athletes by cutting the time available for participation in athletics.</p>

<p>Under the new state requirements ordered by the Legislature, students need four years each of math, science, English and social studies – the so-called 4x4 core courses – along with their electives and a handful of other required classes such as two years of foreign language and 1 ½ years of physical education.</p>

<p>In all, the number of credits needed to get a diploma will increase from 24 to 26 for students graduating in 2011.</p>

<p>Mr. Agnew said the new standards allow students to get four years of credit for activities such as band, choir, dance team, theater and Junior ROTC – but not sports.</p>

<p>“With the impending changes regarding 4x4 and 26 credits to graduate, class period slots will be at a premium,” Mr. Agnew told the board in a letter. "No room will be available for non-credit classes like athletics during a student’s junior and senior years. Student athletes will often not have the opportunity to take athletics as a class period.</p>

<p>“This is discriminatory against athletics and student athletes.”</p>

<p>Students can now get up to two years of credit for participation in sports, which meets the current requirement of 1 ½ years of physical education and also a half-year toward elective course requirements. A credit is equal to one year of instruction in a subject.</p>

<p>“Common sense says that overall participation [in sports] numbers will be reduced if this rule is not changed,” Mr. Agnew said. “The rule limiting athletics to two physical education credits has to be changed.”</p>

<p>He also emphasized that backers of the plan – including the Texas High School Coaches Association – “are not against increased academic rigor. We just want athletics to be on equal footing with other student activities.”</p>

<p>Several board members have expressed interest in the proposed rule, which will be discussed by the board Thursday. In addition, a recent survey of school superintendents across the state will be presented to the board and is expected to show support for the idea.</p>

<p>Board Chairman Don McLeroy, R-College Station, said he favors the change and believes that a majority of 15 board members also will support the proposal.</p>

<p>“I appreciate all that athletics does for kids. It’s really important,” Dr. McLeroy said. “The argument for counting four years of athletics toward graduation is pretty persuasive now that the state has moved to the new 4x4 graduation requirements. It will be a real stretch for many of these kids to meet all the requirements.”</p>

<p>Dr. McLeroy said his experience has been that many players on the football team are also among the best students at a given high school.</p>

<p>“I also believe that coaches have a good impact on the kids they work with, and I don’t want to lose that,” he said.</p>

<p>Critics of the idea, including some board members, have questioned whether the move might lessen the emphasis on academics in Texas high schools.</p>

<p>To build their case, sponsors of the proposal have cited a study by Coaches Outreach – a nondenominational Bible study organization – that indicated the typical teacher-coach comes in contact with more than 22,000 student athletes during his or her career.</p>

<p>“If students are not in the athletic period because there is no room for non-credit classes in their schedules, the impact of the coach and the possible life-altering lessons learned through athletics will be greatly diminished,” Mr. Agnew said.</p>

<p>Under the proposal suggested by Mr. Agnew, a student would be able to count the additional two years in athletics as part of the elective courses needed for graduation. The so-called Recommended High School Program – taken by most students – requires 3 ½ years (or credits) of elective courses to graduate, as well as 1 ½ years (or credits) of physical education.</p>

<p>That would mean a student utilizing the proposed option would count four years of sports as 1 ½ credits in physical education and 2 ½ credits in electives. It would also mean that such students would have just one more credit for elective courses, unless they exceeded the minimums for graduation.</p>

<p>Under the more rigorous Distinguished Achievement Program, students take 2 ½ credits of electives, so student athletes graduating under that plan would have to use all their electives for sports.</p>

<p>Other groups supporting the change are the Texas Girls Coaches Association and the Texas Athletic Directors Association.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM</p>

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<p>I find this confusing. My son is a varsity athlete and uses his sport toward the required PE credits. Three years of playing his spring sport results in meeting the requirement. I don’t understand the hoopla around the other electives requirements.</p>

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<p>If only they could spend that much time and energy to implement a very simple curriculum of 7 hours of ACADEMIC instruction - 5 days a week and ZERO credits for any type of ECs, which will all have to be … EXTRA CURRICULAR! </p>

<p>Sports and other activities are meaningful and very important. However, it is time for schools to understand that students do not spend enough time in the classroom in one year. Of course, more time in the classroom means more …teaching. </p>

<p>Oops, wait, we really, really do not want the students to spend more time in the classroom. The horror! The horror!</p>

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<p>I’ve never heard of credit for sports. They actually use time during the school day for them? Our school won’t even let athletes opt out of required PE, they have to take it as a class. Band and the colorguard are classes that get credit, however.</p>

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<p>Perhaps things have changed and I just missed it (which is entirely possible), but my recollection is the same as mamabear’s. No credit for sports, and one-quarter elective credit for each year of band or chorus. (We didn’t have colorguard, whatever that is.)</p>

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<p>oh my… this is sooo backwards.</p>

<p>When sports teams start meeting during the school day, and there’s a specific curriculum involved, that has been approved of by the board of education, then give them credit.</p>

<p>Band and choir have specific curriculums, and typically meet during the school day, so don’t even begin to compare them to athletics. I do know some school districts offer an ‘extra’ academic period after school for some bands and choirs which otherwise would not exist, but they still fit the requirements of meeting certain academic standards. </p>

<p>Now, I have no problem with these athletes being given PE credit for their sport; it seems silly to have them take PE if they’re active in a sport.</p>

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<p>Texas can join the rest of us and leave athletics for AFTER SCHOOL.</p>

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<p>Band and choir, since they have "specific curriculums and meet during the school day, should not be allowed to require attendance at practice outside of school hours. In fact, the concerts are PUSHING the limit, IMO.</p>

<p>Sports should not be a part of the normal school day.</p>

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<p>Here in our CA district, sports count for credit all four years, and can replace the 2-year P.E. requirement. All sports are offered 6th period, which is the last period of the day. A grade is given for the sport, but it does not factor into the GPA (same with band, student government, yearbook, etc). IMO, we have too few academic hours (5), but we have awesome sports teams. :)</p>

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<p>^^^ well, they could have concerts during the school day, but I doubt many parents would be able to attend, and wouldn’t appreciate it. And while I didn’t understand this concept ten years ago, it IS true that bands and choirs DO miss one performer if they’re not there. Every voice and every instrument is crucial to the whole group, so to not have concerts be mandatory and allow students to pick and choose, punishes the other members of the group.</p>

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<p>Because sports teams don’t miss that one person when he or she is not there?</p>

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<p>I didn’t say they didn’t. What I’m pointing out is that if you remove the mandatory participation in concerts from the class, some kids will have no motivation to show up. How can you learn about proper concert participation/etiquette/behavior (all parts of most music curriculums) if you can’t control or predict who will or won’t show up? The only way to do that is to have concerts during the day, but again, most parents would protest.</p>

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<p>Well all I have to say is that band IMO was such a waste of time. I spent 90 minutes a day in class with it (block scheduling) so it took 1/4 of my classes every year. On top of that we had two two hour practices a week, football games every week, dozens of all day summer practices, Saturday practices, competitions, concerts, and banquets. Not to mention honors bands and solo and ensemble if you chose to do so (which I did). And practicing at home. Band is the only EC that I have ever regretted doing, I absolutely hated it and somehow stuck around for three years. It was not intense at all, either, as some claim it to be. </p>

<p>As for the mandatory part about it, it really does need to be. I missed quite a few practices and a couple performances, but only for big swim meets. Holes in formations, or missing instruments in certain sections are felt. My band director didn’t let me go to my conference swim meet junior year, however, because of a practice right before a major competition. I guess I was needed since I was section leader and played a crucial role with a solo that year. Almost cost my swim team the meet, though.</p>

<p>Sorry about that rant, I just get angry every now and again that I wasted that much time in it.</p>

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<p>erhswimming - it sounds like your heart wasn’t in it. Our school, too, has 4x4 block scheduling, and the kids that do band or chorus often have to make tough choices in classes. What they have done is to adapt the schedule so that they meet the PE requirement. Every third day during their band or choir period, they have PE, throughout the year. That way they don’t have to take up another class period (of only four) to get in requirements. </p>

<p>You referred to band as an EC. Did you not get graded for it?</p>

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<p>Yea, I got graded for it, but unless you messed up or didn’t know your scales (which a surprising amount of people didn’t, it really wasn’t that hard) you would get an A. I ended up missing out on AP Biology and AP Chemistry because of band, however, along with several other classes I would have liked to have taken (marine biology, etc.) Not to mention that I almost wasn’t valedictorian because the band classes weren’t weighted and I fell behind others ahead of me in GPA.</p>

<p>And yes, my heart wasn’t in it. If I got anything out of it, it’s that don’t let family pressures keep you in something you don’t want to be. My mom’s side of the family was HUGE into it (drum majors, etc.) and I felt that I would let them down if I quit. One of my aunts said that she would be afraid to tell the other one if I did eventually quit. I got out before senior year and was very happy. I did, however, have weeks and weeks of dreams about band, where I would often wonder “why am I still here?” and then just get up and leave. So weird.</p>

<p>EDIT: And we got out of our P.E. requirement, though we still had to take Life Management/Personal Fitness. I just always thought it was weird how band kids, who IMO were largely out of shape, got out of P.E. while varsity athletes didn’t.</p>

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<p>If you can ever figure that one out so it makes sense, you’ll be a genius.</p>

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<p>And people wonder why the U.S. is falling behind in basically all areas of education compared to other countries…</p>

<p>When you put recreation and sports above actual classes like math, science, literature, and history, you will pay for it severely in the future. Sports are necessary and fun, but having them after school and on weekends worked fine for everyone I know. They don’t have to dominate the full day…</p>

<p>Oh, and way to go Texas. Good luck trying to lose the dumb/uneducated stereotype now.</p>

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<p>If this is the case, then why are there so many who want to come to America for education and other reasons?</p>

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<p>This. is. stupid. </p>

<p>And another example of how convoluted things are. So athletes don’t get PE credit for two years. They get local credit. Which means their grade doesn’t count towards GPA calculation. Thus, if they are taking any honors/AP/Dual Credit classes with additional weighting, they are actually increasing their GPA by having fewer overall courses counted. So athlietes can get a benefit in GPA calculation and rank (remember the all-important top 10% rule).</p>

<p>Oh, but wait a minute - they’re changing the rules on how to calculate GPA in Texas. Ever wonder how many of our legislators were in the top 10% of their class? I’m guessing not many.</p>

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<p>Our main failures are found in the public middle and high schools. Do not confuse the open private/public U.S. tertiary education with the K-12 system which is 90% public.</p>

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<p>Where I live the two dominant public schools have far better test scores/more rigor than the three local, expensive, Catholic privates. Private does not mean better.</p>