<p>SO you should be rewarded for putting athletics over academics? Thats so like Texas. I thought HS was about getting an education, but guess not inTexas. And when do you get credit for doing a sport? My D didn’t get credit for doing costumes or yearbook. guess she should have been taller and had been genes</p>
<p>When I was in school we got credit for yearbook (I was the editor :-). I’m pretty sure I saw it on my son’s registration form so I think it’s still available. I don’t know what ‘doing costumes’ means, but if it’s part of drama that is also a class with credit at my son’s school. I think the complaint is the unfairness of band, drama, art… all being allowed for 4 years with full credits, but athletes can only count 2 years.</p>
<p>My son 4-year athlete will graduate with 7 AP’s and 8 Honors classes. I think that’s plenty of academics. My younger son didn’t take the high school courses in 8th grade, so if he wants to play sports all 4 years he will have to do 1-2 classes by correspondance or online.</p>
<p>"SO you should be rewarded for putting athletics over academics? "</p>
<p>No one is putting athletics over academic. The grad requirements these days include 4 years/credits of sScience (incl Bio, Chem, and Physics), Math, English, SocSt/Hist + 2 years of Foreign Language + a fine arts credit. Previously, there was a 1.5 credit requirement for PE, but I think that has gone down to just 1 credit. </p>
<p>As a mom to 1 band student and 1 golf student - I agree with AllThisIsNewToMe that it is unfair for a student who takes 4 years of band to have those credits count (1 fine arts, 3 electives) but not have the additional years of athletics count (1 PE, 3 electives).</p>
<p>In California, far as I know, you don’t get grades for playing sports. Its not a “class”, its an EC, as it should be</p>
<p>As both a band geek and a jock (water polo and swimming), I believe both activities deserve credits. At my high school Marching Band received PE credit, and Concert Band received fine arts credit. Sports also were eligible for PE credit. I think it’s silly to make people who are participating in sports take an additional PE class, as frankly they tend to be a joke.</p>
<p>All the coaches at my school were also teachers. Our varsity football coach was actually our AP US History teacher and one of the best teachers I had.</p>
<p>In my area, marching band was quite competitive with some schools hiring private instructors. My school wasn’t quite to that level, but in addition to home football games, performed at 5 band reviews a year not counting concert band performances. Just like competitive cheer has competitions, so does marching band. Personally, I preferred marching band in College as it wasn’t about the competition it was about supporting the school teams. Funnily though, college marching band was more strenuous, lots of running.</p>
<p>You know, before all this discussion was triggered by the change in grad requirements, I didn’t understand why drill team got 1 PE credit a year and 1 Fine Arts/Elective. I always thought it should be all PE since it’s so physical…no one could give me an answer. Now I understand it’s so all the credits can count.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not true. In CA high schools that I am familiar with, your sport is a class, for which you receive a grade. It is fairly easy to get an “A” in your sport, but that grade is not factored into the GPA by the CA university system.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Marching Band shouldn’t be a PE credit. It should be a fine arts credit if anything. I personally believe band, chorus, etc and sports are EXTRA-curricular activities and shouldn’t be worth any credit. They should be done after school.</p>
<p>I dont have one in band, but I sure don’t see why it shouldn’t be a PE credit. These kids, at least at our school, are out there in the Texas heat marching on asphalt starting the first week in August. It is an EXTRAcurricular, in that much of the work happens outside of the regular school day, but a lot of schools across the country offer zero-hour classes and after-school classes for credit. Why should band be any different?</p>
<p>As I already said just above, I don’t think ANY of them should be for credit. Therefore there would be no difference.</p>
<p>At my D’s school all sports contests and practices are held after school, so they don’t take up a class period. In Illinois you have to take phys ed every semester of every year, but at D’s school you can get an athletic study hall in lieu of gym in any semester when you’re participating in an interscholastic sport. If sports are actually conducted during the school day, I can understand getting credit for them as you’d have no choice but to forego another class. D’s school only requires 19 credits to graduate (4 years of gym being the equivalent of 1 credit) - I like the Texas requirement of 26 credits.</p>
<p>Coming in late so if its already been said, sorry. </p>
<p>What irks me is my three sport athlete D has to waste an hour away from academics to play ultimate frisbee or badmitton in PE. </p>
<p>Back in my day (those of slate boards and quill pens) all sports were last period, counted as our PE, and when the season ended then we played frisbee (actually mostly stood around as the coach who was now supposed to teach had even less interest then we did.)</p>
<p>Oh, I see, hops scout. Interesting thought.</p>
<p>Again, I don’t have a band kid, so don’t really have a dog in this fight. There is a local HS whose band demands are so extreme, I’m surprised any kid agrees to do it, and if they didn’t get any school credit I imagine not many would.</p>
<p>I do have two athletes. Ds1 didn’t get PE credit the first year he played his sport because he elected to not take the corresponding class. However, he did sign up for the class the next three years as he needs three semesters of PE credit, so why would he spend hours and hours in a sport and ALSO sign up for a separate PE course? Doesn’t make sense, and like someone says above the PE courses usually are a joke in HS.</p>
<p>My sister taught physical education and coached in Texas for several years. (She has since moved and is no longer teaching.) Because she was certified in p.e. she could grant physical education credit for members of her teams. She coached basketball and volleyball and met her team either first or last period. They were able to start practice before school and run into first period or start practice last period and continue practicing after school. Had she not been certified in p.e. the kids could not have gotten credit for p.e. Many of her players got 4 years of p.e. credit and worked hard for it!</p>
<p>As has been mentioned, one must have a teaching credential in order to coach in Texas. However, an English or math or chemistry teacher can’t grant physical education credit, so somebody on the coaching staff must have the p.e. certificate and be the teacher ‘of record’ or they run into problems with the state. She tells me at her school some members of the football staff had to go back to school during the summer and get certified in p.e. in order to satisfy this requirement. Many scoff at being a p.e. major, but there is lots of science, etc. involved and I know she worked hard when she was in college…</p>
<p>We’re all coming in late on this. The thread is a year old and was revived yesterday. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If PE had the resources it should have, it wouldn’t be a “joke.” But since PE is an afterthought in education (though still required?) it is a “joke.” And people wonder why a large percentage of America is obese?..</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Same here when D was on two dance teams (H.S. and studio).</p>
<p>It’s interesting that in some schools the sport practices are after school and some are during the school day. When I was in school the sport practices were all held in the last period of the day. When D started H.S. she enrolled in some dance classes that met after school thinking that she could still go out for soccer. Wrong! The sport practices at her school were all held after. The school never gave that information, but simply assumed that you knew.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s still plenty relevant. About a month ago, the esteemed legislator who wrote the bill changing the required courses to increase electives was quoted as saying that it never occured to him that students could take all PE as their electives. He said that his committee didn’t sit around trying to figure out how to “game the system.” What an idiot…get 4 high school moms together for seven minutes and we can figure out how some people will game any system.</p>
<p>At our HS, sports are not only classes, but double blocked classes (you have them every day and have other classes only every other day.) If you play a sport all 4 years (or are in band, drill team or cheer), that is a full one fourth of your HS credits. Let me tell you, that is NOT an advantage to the top of the class kids. The sports credits are regular and it’s hard for an athlete to graduate at the top of the class when his peers have added an AP class or two (for the extra points.) Every year we have a couple of athletes in the top 20 and they are to be commended.</p>
<p>“In California, far as I know, you don’t get grades for playing sports. Its not a “class”, its an EC, as it should be”</p>
<p>But you think costume-making SHOULD be a class credit? Must be a California thing.</p>
<p>Fine, but I’ll only agree if you drop the PE requirement so the kids can get out sooner. Then they can practice 3 hours afterschool and only be 2 hours late getting home. Those band kids have it the worst. Their marching season goes on after football ends (for their competitions) and they are always there til 6-6:30. That’s got to deserve at least as much credit as sewing… doesn’t it?</p>
<p>missypie, you are SO right! </p>
<p>My friend’s daughter had to decide between her junior year of varsity soccer and taking an AP class (she was teetering on the 10th percentile and needed the extra point to remain in the top 10%). She decided ‘to hell with UT and their stupid rule’ and will go OOS.</p>