Bill Text: TX SB1657 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the use of individual graduation committees to satisfy certain public high school graduation requirements for certain individuals who are no longer enrolled in school.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-22 - Referred to Education [SB1657 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB1657-Introduced.html
85R11583 SRS-D | ||
By: Rodríguez | S.B. No. 1657 |
|
||
|
||
relating to the use of individual graduation committees to satisfy | ||
certain public high school graduation requirements for certain | ||
individuals who are no longer enrolled in school. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 12.104, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (b-3) to read as follows: | ||
(b-3) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to the | ||
requirement to establish an individual graduation committee under | ||
Section 28.02581. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 28.02581 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 28.02581. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AWARDED ON BASIS OF | ||
INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE REVIEW FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO | ||
ARE NO LONGER ENROLLED STUDENTS. (a) This section applies only to | ||
an individual who: | ||
(1) is no longer enrolled in high school; | ||
(2) is under 26 years of age; | ||
(3) successfully completed the curriculum | ||
requirements for high school graduation applicable to the | ||
individual during the period the individual was enrolled as a | ||
student in high school; and | ||
(4) for not more than two subjects, failed to comply | ||
with any exit-level assessment instrument performance requirements | ||
for assessment instruments administered under Section 39.023(c), | ||
as that section existed before amendment by Chapter 1312 (S.B. | ||
1031), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, and | ||
applicable to the individual during the period the individual was | ||
enrolled as a student in high school. | ||
(b) For each individual to whom this section applies, the | ||
school district that the individual attended during the | ||
individual's 12th grade year as a student, on request by the | ||
individual, shall establish an individual graduation committee to | ||
determine whether the individual may qualify to graduate as | ||
provided by this section. The committee shall be composed of: | ||
(1) the principal or principal's designee; | ||
(2) for each exit-level assessment instrument on which | ||
the individual failed to perform satisfactorily, a teacher in the | ||
applicable subject area; | ||
(3) the department chair or lead teacher supervising | ||
the teacher described by Subdivision (2); and | ||
(4) the individual for whom the committee is | ||
established. | ||
(c) The commissioner by rule shall establish a procedure for | ||
appointing an alternative committee member if a person described by | ||
Subsection (b)(1), (2), or (3) is unable to serve. The | ||
superintendent of each school district shall establish procedures | ||
for the convening of an individual graduation committee. | ||
(d) The school district shall ensure a good faith effort is | ||
made to timely notify the individual for whom the individual | ||
graduation committee is established of the time and place for | ||
convening the committee. The notice must be: | ||
(1) provided in person or by regular mail or e-mail; | ||
and | ||
(2) clear and easy to understand. | ||
(e) Notwithstanding any other law, an individual graduation | ||
committee established under this section shall recommend | ||
additional requirements by which the individual for whom the | ||
committee is established may qualify to graduate, including: | ||
(1) additional remediation; and | ||
(2) for each exit-level assessment instrument on which | ||
the individual failed to perform satisfactorily: | ||
(A) the completion of a project related to the | ||
subject area of the course that demonstrates proficiency in the | ||
subject area; or | ||
(B) the preparation of a portfolio of work | ||
samples in the subject area of the course, including work samples | ||
from the course that demonstrate proficiency in the subject area. | ||
(f) For purposes of Subsection (e), the individual may | ||
submit to the individual graduation committee coursework | ||
previously completed to satisfy a recommended additional | ||
requirement. | ||
(g) In determining whether an individual for whom an | ||
individual graduation committee is established is qualified to | ||
graduate, the committee shall consider: | ||
(1) any recommendation of the teacher of the | ||
individual in a subject area for which the individual failed to | ||
perform satisfactorily on an exit-level assessment instrument; | ||
(2) the individual's grade in each course for which the | ||
individual failed to perform satisfactorily on an exit-level | ||
assessment instrument; | ||
(3) the individual's score on each exit-level | ||
assessment instrument on which the individual failed to perform | ||
satisfactorily; | ||
(4) the individual's performance on any additional | ||
requirements recommended by the committee under Subsection (e); | ||
(5) the number of hours of remediation that the | ||
individual has attended, including attendance in and successful | ||
completion of a transitional college course in reading or | ||
mathematics; | ||
(6) the individual's school attendance rate during the | ||
period the individual was enrolled in high school; | ||
(7) the individual's satisfaction of any of the Texas | ||
Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed | ||
by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; | ||
(8) the individual's successful completion of a dual | ||
credit course in English, mathematics, science, or social studies; | ||
(9) the individual's successful completion of a high | ||
school pre-advanced placement, advanced placement, or | ||
international baccalaureate program course in English, | ||
mathematics, science, or social studies; | ||
(10) the individual's rating of advanced high on the | ||
high school administration of the Texas English Language | ||
Proficiency Assessment System; | ||
(11) the individual's score of 50 or greater on a | ||
College-Level Examination Program examination; | ||
(12) the individual's score on the ACT, the SAT, or the | ||
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test; | ||
(13) the individual's completion of a sequence of high | ||
school courses under a career and technical education program | ||
required to attain an industry-recognized credential or | ||
certificate; | ||
(14) the individual's overall preparedness for | ||
postsecondary success; and | ||
(15) any other academic information designated for | ||
consideration by the board of trustees of the school district. | ||
(h) After considering the criteria under Subsection (g), | ||
the individual graduation committee may determine that the | ||
individual is qualified to graduate. Notwithstanding any other | ||
law, an individual for whom an individual graduation committee is | ||
established may graduate and receive a high school diploma on the | ||
basis of the committee's decision only if the individual | ||
successfully completes all additional requirements recommended by | ||
the committee under Subsection (e) 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. | ||
(i) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to | ||
implement this section. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (c-2) to read as follows: | ||
(c-2) A school district may not administer an assessment | ||
instrument required for graduation administered under this section | ||
as this section existed before amendment by Chapter 1312, (S.B. | ||
1031), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007. | ||
Notwithstanding any other law, a school district may administer to | ||
a student who is at least 21 years of age and under 26 years of age | ||
and enrolled in high school to complete a high school diploma an | ||
end-of-course assessment instrument listed in Section 39.023(c) | ||
for any subject that was assessed in an assessment instrument | ||
required for graduation that was administered under this section as | ||
it existed before amendment by Chapter 1312, (S.B. 1031), Acts of | ||
the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, and for which the | ||
student failed to perform satisfactorily. | ||
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, 2017. |