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Originally Posted by wireties
FIRST and UIL/Texas are talking and the TEA is approving or starting to approve more robotics classes. In our district robotics classes and computer science classes can now count as math and science credits.
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It is not about TEA approval it is about district approval. The robotics classes have been on the books for four years under CTE. Districts are just now picking them up. Whether that is due to having qualified teachers on staff or because STEM is the current buzz word in education today is something each district has to answer separately.
CTE (Career and Technical Education) is under a standards review. All of our TEKs are being reviewed and rewritten. Yes, you/we, will be getting more STEM/robotics classes. The battle is getting the core subject areas and districts to recognize the value of STEM courses taught under CTE along with those taught under the math and science departments.
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Originally Posted by wireties
For the FIRST (pun intended) time this year there is an official STEM track for a high school diploma.
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Thank you HB5 (House Bill 5)
one of several things I really like about it
but it only applies to current freshmen, students on the 4x4graduation plan (current sophomores - seniors) don't get that 'STEM' endorsement opportunity...or any of the others for that matter.
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Originally Posted by wireties
This is only a rumor but I think AP Computer Science 2 qualifies as a foreign language credit!
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Fact not fiction or rumor. It was approved by the Texas legislature and TEA in January. Here is the catch...that qualification expires in 2016. No one knows what's going to happen after that. Also, I am not sure what the teacher certification requirements are in order for it to count. I can find out and let you know but I think the awarding of the FL credit for CompSci is largely up to the district not dictated by TEA.
The CTE Computer Programming course re-writers toyed with asking for their course to count as a foreign language credit, however; the concern became what certification/re-certification TEA would require of the instructors to be considered qualified to offer the foreign language credit.
Hope this helps some and if you are teaching AP CompSci (or your district is) you need to look into the Foreign language thing
now before it expires so that when that comes up for review you can hopefully keep it.