TX HB5

Replaces Texas's minimum, recommended, and advanced high school graduation programs with a single "foundation" high school program beginning in 2014-2015, featuring a distinguished level of achievement and five endorsement categories (STEM, business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, and multidisciplinary studies)

Reduces required end-of-course (EOC) assessment instruments from 15 to 5 (Algebra I, biology, English I, English II, and U.S. history), eliminates the cumulative scoring requirement, and allows substitution of satisfactory performance on alternative assessments such as the SAT, ACT, AP, or IB exams to satisfy EOC requirements

Requires school districts to partner with higher education institutions to develop college preparatory courses in math and English language arts, limits district-required benchmark test preparation assessments to two per student per corresponding state test, and mandates districts provide free accelerated instruction for students failing EOC exams

Establishes an A-through-F performance rating system for school districts (effective 2016-2017), requires districts to self-evaluate community and student engagement, strengthens financial accountability ratings, and creates a criminal penalty (Class B misdemeanor) for assessment vendor agents who make political contributions to State Board of Education candidates

Requires districts to offer courses for at least one endorsement, mandates personal graduation plans for all entering ninth graders signed by students and parents, limits removal of students from class for test prep to no more than 10% of school days without parental consent, and expands the age for at-risk student classification from under 21 to under 26