Wylie Students Have Option to Graduate With Four Less Credits
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: January 15, 2013
Choosing what outfit you wear for the day can be a hard decision for a high school student. So imagine what it is like to decide how many credits you take, especially when the state only requires 22, but your school encourages 28.
At Monday night's school board meeting, Wylie ISD trustees approved to change the minimum graduation credit requirement from 28 to 24.
Wylie High Principal Mitch Davis says explains, "For the students under the minimum plan, because they were required six more electives than what the state required under the Wylie plan that we felt like we could drop that back to just two more."
The plan came about a few years ago, when the four by four schedule was established.
The school district moved to an eight-period day, creating more opportunity for credits. As a result, the district thought they needed to increase their credits for all graduation plans.
Davis continues, "With our recommended number being at 28 as apposed to 22 we ran into a situation with a few students."
To meet the recommended number of credits, some students were having to stay for eight periods during their senior year strictly for electives, while most seniors are released after fifth period.
"We just felt that wasn't the best thing for those students that chose to be on that plan. We didn't want to put any child in a scenario where they would even think about dropping out because of elective classes and that's one of the biggest things," Davis says.
Eighty-five percent of Wylie High's students are on the recommended plan, so this year the new requirement will only affect about 15% of their senior population, but it is a change that'll force students to think about a lot more than deciding what shoe goes best with their outfit.
At Monday night's school board meeting, Wylie ISD trustees approved to change the minimum graduation credit requirement from 28 to 24.
Wylie High Principal Mitch Davis says explains, "For the students under the minimum plan, because they were required six more electives than what the state required under the Wylie plan that we felt like we could drop that back to just two more."
The plan came about a few years ago, when the four by four schedule was established.
The school district moved to an eight-period day, creating more opportunity for credits. As a result, the district thought they needed to increase their credits for all graduation plans.
Davis continues, "With our recommended number being at 28 as apposed to 22 we ran into a situation with a few students."
To meet the recommended number of credits, some students were having to stay for eight periods during their senior year strictly for electives, while most seniors are released after fifth period.
"We just felt that wasn't the best thing for those students that chose to be on that plan. We didn't want to put any child in a scenario where they would even think about dropping out because of elective classes and that's one of the biggest things," Davis says.
Eighty-five percent of Wylie High's students are on the recommended plan, so this year the new requirement will only affect about 15% of their senior population, but it is a change that'll force students to think about a lot more than deciding what shoe goes best with their outfit.
