Bill Text: TX SB149 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to alternative methods for satisfying certain public high school graduation requirements, including the use of individual graduation committees.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-11 - Effective immediately [SB149 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB149-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to alternative methods for satisfying certain public high school graduation requirements, including the use of individual graduation committees.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-11 - Effective immediately [SB149 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB149-Introduced.html
2015S0010-4 11/07/14 | ||
By: Seliger | S.B. No. 149 |
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relating to the creation of indiviual graduation committees for | ||
certain high school students. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 39.025(a), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) The commissioner shall adopt rules requiring a student | ||
in the foundation high school program under Section 28.025 to be | ||
administered each end-of-course assessment instrument listed in | ||
Section 39.023(c). A student is required to achieve a scale score | ||
that indicates satisfactory performance, as determined by the | ||
commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), on each end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument listed under Section 39.023(c). For each | ||
scale score required under this subsection that is not based on a | ||
100-point scale scoring system, the commissioner shall provide for | ||
conversion, in accordance with commissioner rule, of the scale | ||
score to an equivalent score based on a 100-point scale scoring | ||
system. A student may not receive a high school diploma until the | ||
student has performed satisfactorily on end-of-course assessment | ||
instruments in the manner provided under this subsection or has | ||
qualified for graduation under Section 39.0251. This subsection | ||
does not require a student to demonstrate readiness to enroll in an | ||
institution of higher education. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 39.0251 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 39.0251. INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE. | ||
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), for each student who | ||
fails to perform satisfactorily on an end-of-course assessment | ||
instrument a second time, the school district or open-enrollment | ||
charter school that the student attends shall establish an | ||
individual graduation committee to determine whether the student | ||
qualifies to graduate under this section. The committee shall be | ||
composed of: | ||
(1) the principal or principal's designee; | ||
(2) the teacher of the course of the assessment | ||
instrument on which the student failed to perform satisfactorily; | ||
(3) the student's school counselor; and | ||
(4) the student's parent or guardian. | ||
(b) If a student fails to perform satisfactorily on an | ||
end-of-course assessment for either Algebra I or English II a | ||
second time but receives a score of "proficient" on the Texas | ||
Success Initiative (TSI) diagnostic assessment for that subject, | ||
the student shall be considered to have performed satisfactorily on | ||
that end-of-course assessment instrument and shall receive credit | ||
for the end-of-course assessment for that course. If a student | ||
qualifies to graduate after receiving credit for an end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument under this subsection, an individual | ||
graduation committee shall not be established for the student. | ||
(c) The commissioner shall adopt rules to determine who may | ||
serve as an alternative committee member in the event that a person | ||
described by Subsection (a) is unable to serve. The superintendent | ||
of each school district and the chief administrative officer of | ||
each open-enrollment charter school shall establish procedures for | ||
the convening of individual graduation committees. | ||
(d) The school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
shall notify the student's parent or guardian of the time and place | ||
for convening the individual graduation committee and the purpose | ||
of the committee. The notice must be provided either in person or | ||
by regular mail, be clear and easy to understand, and be written in | ||
English or in the parent or guardian's native language. | ||
(e) The individual graduation committee shall compute the | ||
student's Subject Core Composite Course Average for each core | ||
subject. The Subject Core Composite Course Average of a subject is | ||
computed by averaging the grades of each course the student | ||
completed within each core subject. The core subjects are: | ||
(1) English, which consists of: | ||
(A) English I; | ||
(B) English II; | ||
(C) English III; and | ||
(D) English IV or an approved substitute; | ||
(2) mathematics, which consists of: | ||
(A) Algebra I; | ||
(B) geometry; | ||
(C) Algebra II, a course equivalent to Algebra | ||
II, or math models; and | ||
(D) an approved fourth year math course; | ||
(3) science, which consists of either: | ||
(A) courses in: | ||
(i) biology; | ||
(ii) chemistry; and | ||
(iii) physics or an approved substitute; or | ||
(B) courses in: | ||
(i) biology; and | ||
(ii) integrated physics and chemistry; and | ||
(4) social studies, which consists of: | ||
(A) world geography; | ||
(B) world history; | ||
(C) United States history; and | ||
(D) either: | ||
(i) government; or | ||
(ii) economics. | ||
(f) A student is qualified to graduate if the student's | ||
Subject Core Composite Course Average for each core subject | ||
described by Subsection (e) is 70 percent or greater, the student | ||
meets the requirements of Subsection (j), and the student satisfies | ||
at least three of the following criteria: | ||
(1) the student successfully completes a dual credit | ||
course in: | ||
(A) English; | ||
(B) mathematics; | ||
(C) science; or | ||
(D) social studies; | ||
(2) the student successfully achieves college | ||
readiness standards on the: | ||
(A) ACT; | ||
(B) SAT; | ||
(C) PSAT; | ||
(D) ACT Aspire; or | ||
(E) Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college | ||
readiness benchmarks prescribed by the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board; | ||
(3) the student successfully completes a high school | ||
advanced placement, pre-advanced placement, or international | ||
baccalaureate program course in: | ||
(A) English; | ||
(B) mathematics; | ||
(C) science; or | ||
(D) social studies; | ||
(4) the student receives a rating of "advanced high" | ||
on the most recent high school administration of the Texas English | ||
Language Proficiency Assessment System; | ||
(5) the student successfully completes three foreign | ||
language courses; | ||
(6) the student receives a career and technical | ||
education certification; | ||
(7) the student receives a score of 50 or greater on a | ||
College-Level Examination Program examination; or | ||
(8) the student successfully completes a transitional | ||
college course in reading or mathematics. | ||
(g) If the student does not qualify to graduate under | ||
Subsections (e) and (f), the individual graduation committee may | ||
recommend additional measures by which the student may qualify, | ||
including: | ||
(1) additional remediation; | ||
(2) the completion of a project related to the | ||
relevant subject area; or | ||
(3) the preparation of a portfolio of the student's | ||
work in the relevant subject area, including work samples from the | ||
course for which the student did not pass the end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument. | ||
(h) In determining whether a student described by | ||
Subsection (g) is qualified to graduate, the individual graduation | ||
committee shall consider: | ||
(1) the recommendation of the student's teacher in | ||
each relevant course; | ||
(2) the student's grade in each relevant course; | ||
(3) the student's score on the end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument on which the student failed to perform | ||
satisfactorily; | ||
(4) the student's performance on any additional | ||
measures recommended by the committee under Subsection (g); | ||
(5) the number of hours of remediation that the | ||
student has already attended, including attendance of a college | ||
preparatory course required under Section 39.025(b-2), if | ||
applicable; | ||
(6) the student's school attendance rate; | ||
(7) the student's satisfaction of the Texas Success | ||
Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the | ||
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; | ||
(8) the student's overall preparedness for | ||
postsecondary success; and | ||
(9) any other necessary academic information as | ||
determined by the local school board or open-enrollment charter | ||
school, as applicable. | ||
(i) After considering the criteria under Subsections (h) | ||
and (j), the individual graduation committee may determine that the | ||
student is qualified to graduate. A student may graduate on the | ||
basis of the committee's decision only if the student has | ||
successfully completed all additional measures recommended by the | ||
committee under Subsection (g) and the committee's vote is | ||
unanimous. The commissioner by rule shall establish a timeline for | ||
making a determination under this subsection. This subsection does | ||
not create a property interest in graduation. The decision of a | ||
committee is final and may not be appealed. | ||
(j) In order to be eligible to graduate and receive a high | ||
school diploma under this section, the student must have: | ||
(1) achieved an overall minimum grade point average of | ||
2.0 on a scale of 4.0, or the equivalent; and | ||
(2) received a passing grade in all courses required | ||
for graduation. | ||
(k) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to | ||
implement this section. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2014-2015 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |