(a) Credits. A student must earn at least 22 credits
to complete the Minimum High School Program.
(b) Core courses. A student must demonstrate proficiency
in the following.
(1) English language arts--four credits. Three of the
credits must consist of English I, II, and III. (Students with limited
English proficiency who are at the beginning or intermediate level
of English language proficiency, as defined by §74.4(d) of this
title (relating to English Language Proficiency Standards), may satisfy
the English I and English II graduation requirements by successfully
completing English I for Speakers of Other Languages and English II
for Speakers of Other Languages.) The final credit may be selected
from one full credit or a combination of two half credits from the
following courses:
(A) English IV;
(B) Research and Technical Writing;
(C) Creative Writing;
(D) Practical Writing Skills;
(E) Literary Genres;
(F) Business English;
(G) Journalism;
(H) Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition;
and
(I) AP English Literature and Composition.
(2) Mathematics--three credits. Two of the credits
must consist of Algebra I and Geometry.
(A) The final credit may be Algebra II. A student may
not combine a half credit of Algebra II with a half credit from another
mathematics course to satisfy the final mathematics credit requirement.
(B) The final credit may be selected from one full
credit or a combination of two half credits from the following courses:
(i) Precalculus;
(ii) Mathematical Models with Applications;
(iii) Independent Study in Mathematics;
(iv) Advanced Quantitative Reasoning;
(v) Algebraic Reasoning;
(vi) Statistics;
(vii) AP Statistics;
(viii) AP Calculus AB;
(ix) AP Calculus BC;
(x) AP Computer Science;
(xi) International Baccalaureate (IB) Mathematical
Studies Standard Level;
(xii) IB Mathematics Standard Level;
(xiii) IB Mathematics Higher Level;
(xiv) IB Further Mathematics Standard Level;
(xv) Mathematical Applications in Agriculture, Food,
and Natural Resources;
(xvi) Engineering Mathematics;
(xvii) Statistics and Risk Management;
(xviii) Robotics Programming and Design;
(xix) Discrete Mathematics for Problem Solving;
(xx) Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science; and
(xxi) Digital Electronics.
(3) Science--two credits. The credits must consist
of Biology and Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC). A student may
substitute a chemistry credit (Chemistry, AP Chemistry, or IB Chemistry),
or a physics credit (Physics, Principles of Technology, AP Physics,
or IB Physics) and then must use the second of these two courses as
the academic elective credit identified in subsection (b)(5) of this
section.
(4) Social studies--three credits. Two of the credits
must consist of United States History Studies Since 1877 (one credit),
United States Government (one-half credit), and Economics with Emphasis
on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits (one-half credit).
The final credit may be selected from the following courses:
(A) World History Studies; and
(B) World Geography Studies.
(5) Academic elective--one credit. The credit must
be selected from World History Studies, World Geography Studies, or
science course(s) approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE)
for science credit as found in Chapter 112 of this title (relating
to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science). If a student
elects to replace IPC with either Chemistry or Physics as described
in subsection (b)(3) of this section, the academic elective must be
the other of these two science courses. A student may not combine
a half credit of either World History Studies or World Geography Studies
with a half credit from another academic elective course to satisfy
the academic elective credit requirement.
(6) Physical education--one credit.
(A) The required credit may be selected from any combination
of the following one-half to one credit courses:
(i) Foundations of Personal Fitness;
(ii) Adventure/Outdoor Education;
(iii) Aerobic Activities; and
(iv) Team or Individual Sports.
(B) In accordance with local district policy, credit
for any of the courses listed in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph
may be earned through participation in the following activities:
(i) Athletics;
(ii) Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC);
and
(iii) appropriate private or commercially sponsored
physical activity programs conducted on or off campus. The district
must apply to the commissioner of education for approval of such programs,
which may be substituted for state graduation credit in physical education.
Such approval may be granted under the following conditions.
(I) Olympic-level participation and/or competition
includes a minimum of 15 hours per week of highly intensive, professional,
supervised training. The training facility, instructors, and the activities
involved in the program must be certified by the superintendent to
be of exceptional quality. Students qualifying and participating at
this level may be dismissed from school one hour per day. Students
dismissed may not miss any class other than physical education.
(II) Private or commercially sponsored physical activities
include those certified by the superintendent to be of high quality
and well supervised by appropriately trained instructors. Student
participation of at least five hours per week must be required. Students
certified to participate at this level may not be dismissed from any
part of the regular school day.
(C) In accordance with local district policy, up to
one credit for any one of the courses listed in subparagraph (A) of
this paragraph may be earned through participation in any of the following
activities:
(i) Drill Team;
(ii) Marching Band; and
(iii) Cheerleading.
(D) All substitution activities allowed in subparagraphs
(B) and (C) of this paragraph must include at least 100 minutes per
five-day school week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
(E) Credit may not be earned for any course identified
in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph more than once. No more than
four substitution credits may be earned through any combination of
substitutions allowed in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of this paragraph.
(F) A student who is unable to participate in physical
activity due to disability or illness may substitute an academic elective
credit (English language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies)
for the physical education credit requirement. The determination regarding
a student's ability to participate in physical activity will be made
by:
(i) the student's admission, review, and dismissal
(ARD) committee if the student receives special education services
under the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 29, Subchapter A;
(ii) the committee established for the student under
Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 United States Code, §794)
if the student does not receive special education services under the
TEC, Chapter 29, Subchapter A, but is covered by the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973; or
(iii) a committee established by the school district
of persons with appropriate knowledge regarding the student if each
of the committees described by clauses (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph
is inapplicable. This committee shall follow the same procedures required
of an ARD or a Section 504 committee.
(7) Speech--one-half credit. The credit may be selected
from the following courses:
(A) Communication Applications; and
(B) Professional Communications.
(8) Fine arts--one credit. The credit may be selected
from the following courses:
(A) Art, Level I, II, III, or IV;
(B) Dance, Level I, II, III, or IV;
(C) Music, Level I, II, III, or IV;
(D) Theatre, Level I, II, III, or IV;
(E) Principles and Elements of Floral Design;
(F) Digital Art and Animation; and
(G) 3-D Modeling and Animation.
(c) Elective courses--six and one-half credits. The
credits must be selected from the list of courses specified in §74.71(h)
of this title (relating to High School Graduation Requirements). A
student may not combine a half credit of a course for which there
is an end-of-course assessment with another elective credit course
to satisfy an elective credit requirement.
(d) Substitutions. No substitutions are allowed in
the Minimum High School Program, except as specified in this chapter.
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Source Note: The provisions of this §74.72 adopted to be effective May 30, 2012, 37 TexReg 3808; amended to be effective August 25, 2013, 38 TexReg 5469; amended to be effective August 25, 2014, 39 TexReg 639; amended to be effective August 24, 2015, 40 TexReg 5329 |