Following backlash over the rocky institution of a new student assessment system last spring, Texas lawmakers are scrambling to scale back the requirements they passed four years ago, reports the Texas Tribune via The New York Times. As the Legislature tackles such reform, attention is also focused on another area of education policy: high school graduation requirements. Wrapped up in legislation that reduces the number of state-mandated standardized exams are several measures that redefine the curriculum prescribed for a high school diploma in favor of loosening the required courses for graduation…