Higher Standards Considered For High School Grads

By Maria Garcia

EL PASO — Standards to get into college may get tougher if some educators have their way.

High school teachers, college professors and other educators are working on a plan that would completely change the standards for high school students to get into a university.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is scheduled to consider a complete overhaul of the way students are prepared for college.

Educators have been working on a proposal since the legislature ordered new standards. What does this mean for current and upcoming high-schoolers?

If the plan passes, high school students who want to go to a university would be required to understand subjects like the laws of thermodynamics, quadratic equations, and to grasp literature at a higher level.

Under the proposal, students who don’t meet the requirements would be sent to a community college for extra help. The president of the local chapter of the Federation of Teachers says while higher standards are good, the plan sounds challenging for both teachers and students.

“The standards are tough. Our people in Austin have seen the standards. They’re not unreasonable. They’re just tougher than they have been,”said Francis Wever.

The guidelines and implementation are still in the earliest stages. The plan is set to be considered by theTHECB next month.