| 5 | 3 | | |
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| 6 | 4 | | |
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| 7 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 7 | | relating to the high school graduation of a student who transfers to |
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| 10 | 8 | | a public school in this state after the student's junior year of |
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| 11 | 9 | | high school. |
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| 12 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 14 | 12 | | adding Subsection (c-9) to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 13 | | (c-9) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a person may receive |
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| 16 | 14 | | a diploma if the person is eligible for a diploma under Section |
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| 17 | 15 | | 28.02591. |
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| 18 | 16 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 19 | 17 | | amended by adding Section 28.02591 to read as follows: |
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| 20 | 18 | | Sec. 28.02591. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AWARDED TO TRANSFER |
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| 21 | 19 | | STUDENT ON BASIS OF INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE REVIEW. (a) |
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| 22 | 20 | | This section applies only to a student who: |
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| 23 | 21 | | (1) transfers into the public school system of this |
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| 24 | 22 | | state after completion of the student's 11th grade year in high |
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| 25 | 23 | | school in a different state; and |
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| 26 | 24 | | (2) will: |
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| 27 | 25 | | (A) be unable, based on the credit awarded to the |
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| 28 | 26 | | student by the public school system for coursework completed in a |
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| 29 | 27 | | different state, to comply with the curriculum requirements of this |
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| 30 | 28 | | state for high school graduation by the end of the student's 12th |
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| 31 | 29 | | grade year; or |
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| 32 | 30 | | (B) have difficulty complying with the |
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| 33 | 31 | | end-of-course assessment instrument requirements for high school |
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| 34 | 32 | | graduation imposed under Section 39.025. |
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| 35 | 33 | | (b) For each student to whom this section applies, the |
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| 36 | 34 | | school district that the student attends shall establish an |
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| 37 | 35 | | individual graduation committee at the beginning of the student's |
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| 38 | 36 | | 12th grade year to determine whether the student may qualify to |
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| 39 | 37 | | graduate as provided by this section. A student may not qualify to |
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| 40 | 38 | | graduate under this section before the student's 12th grade year. |
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| 41 | 39 | | The committee shall be composed of: |
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| 42 | 40 | | (1) the principal or principal's designee; |
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| 43 | 41 | | (2) the department chair or lead teacher for each |
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| 44 | 42 | | subject for which an end-of-course assessment instrument is |
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| 45 | 43 | | administered under Section 39.023(c); and |
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| 46 | 44 | | (3) the student's parent or person standing in |
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| 47 | 45 | | parental relation to the student or the student, if the student is |
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| 48 | 46 | | at least 18 years of age. |
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| 49 | 47 | | (c) The superintendent of each school district shall |
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| 50 | 48 | | establish procedures for the convening of an individual graduation |
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| 51 | 49 | | committee under this section. |
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| 52 | 50 | | (d) In determining whether a student for whom an individual |
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| 53 | 51 | | graduation committee is established is qualified to graduate, the |
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| 54 | 52 | | committee shall consider: |
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| 55 | 53 | | (1) the recommendation of the student's teacher in |
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| 56 | 54 | | each course for which the student was not administered an |
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| 57 | 55 | | end-of-course assessment instrument; |
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| 58 | 56 | | (2) the student's performance on each: |
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| 59 | 57 | | (A) alternative nationally recognized |
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| 60 | 58 | | norm-referenced assessment instrument that the student requests to |
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| 61 | 59 | | be considered; or |
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| 62 | 60 | | (B) Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment |
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| 63 | 61 | | instrument that the student requests to be considered; |
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| 64 | 62 | | (3) the student's overall preparedness for |
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| 65 | 63 | | postsecondary success; and |
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| 66 | 64 | | (4) any other academic information designated for |
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| 67 | 65 | | consideration by the board of trustees of the school district. |
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| 68 | 66 | | (e) After considering the criteria under Subsection (d), |
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| 69 | 67 | | the individual graduation committee may determine that the student |
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| 70 | 68 | | is qualified to graduate. The commissioner by rule shall establish |
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| 71 | 69 | | a timeline for making a determination under this subsection. The |
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| 72 | 70 | | decision of a committee is final and may not be appealed. |
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| 73 | 71 | | (f) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 74 | 72 | | implement this section. |
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| 75 | 73 | | SECTION 3. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 76 | 74 | | adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows: |
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| 77 | 75 | | (h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, |
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| 78 | 76 | | the commissioner shall allow a student to satisfy the requirements |
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| 79 | 77 | | of Subsection (a) and qualify for a high school diploma through |
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| 80 | 78 | | satisfactory performance on one or more alternative nationally |
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| 81 | 79 | | recognized norm-referenced assessment instruments or Texas Success |
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| 82 | 80 | | Initiative (TSI) assessment instruments if the student transfers |
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| 83 | 81 | | into the public school system of this state after completion of the |
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| 84 | 82 | | student's 11th grade year in high school in a different state and |
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| 85 | 83 | | the student receives a recommendation by the student's individual |
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| 86 | 84 | | graduation committee under Section 28.02591 that the student |
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| 87 | 85 | | qualifies for a high school diploma. |
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| 88 | 86 | | (i) For purposes of Subsection (h), the commissioner, in |
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| 89 | 87 | | order to ensure that a student described by that subsection may |
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| 90 | 88 | | satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) solely through |
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| 91 | 89 | | performance on one or more alternative nationally recognized |
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| 92 | 90 | | norm-referenced assessment instruments or Texas Success Initiative |
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| 93 | 91 | | (TSI) assessment instruments, shall establish required performance |
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| 94 | 92 | | levels for the assessment instruments that correspond to the |
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| 95 | 93 | | performance levels otherwise required under Subsection (a) on the |
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| 96 | 94 | | secondary exit-level assessment instruments for English language |
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| 97 | 95 | | arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. |
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| 98 | 96 | | SECTION 4. Section 28.02591, Education Code, as added by |
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| 99 | 97 | | this Act, and Section 39.025, Education Code, as amended by this |
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| 100 | 98 | | Act, apply beginning with students enrolled in public high schools |
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| 101 | 99 | | in this state as a senior during the 2017-2018 school year. |
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| 102 | 100 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 103 | 101 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 104 | 102 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 105 | 103 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 106 | 104 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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