Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1657 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R11583 SRS-D
2	2	By: Rodríguez S.B. No. 1657
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the use of individual graduation committees to satisfy
8	8	certain public high school graduation requirements for certain
9	9	individuals who are no longer enrolled in school.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 12.104, Education Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subsection (b-3) to read as follows:
13	13	(b-3) An open-enrollment charter school is subject to the
14	14	requirement to establish an individual graduation committee under
15	15	Section 28.02581.
16	16	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
17	17	amended by adding Section 28.02581 to read as follows:
18	18	Sec. 28.02581. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AWARDED ON BASIS OF
19	19	INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE REVIEW FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO
20	20	ARE NO LONGER ENROLLED STUDENTS. (a) This section applies only to
21	21	an individual who:
22	22	(1) is no longer enrolled in high school;
23	23	(2) is under 26 years of age;
24	24	(3) successfully completed the curriculum
25	25	requirements for high school graduation applicable to the
26	26	individual during the period the individual was enrolled as a
27	27	student in high school; and
28	28	(4) for not more than two subjects, failed to comply
29	29	with any exit-level assessment instrument performance requirements
30	30	for assessment instruments administered under Section 39.023(c),
31	31	as that section existed before amendment by Chapter 1312 (S.B.
32	32	1031), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, and
33	33	applicable to the individual during the period the individual was
34	34	enrolled as a student in high school.
35	35	(b) For each individual to whom this section applies, the
36	36	school district that the individual attended during the
37	37	individual's 12th grade year as a student, on request by the
38	38	individual, shall establish an individual graduation committee to
39	39	determine whether the individual may qualify to graduate as
40	40	provided by this section. The committee shall be composed of:
41	41	(1) the principal or principal's designee;
42	42	(2) for each exit-level assessment instrument on which
43	43	the individual failed to perform satisfactorily, a teacher in the
44	44	applicable subject area;
45	45	(3) the department chair or lead teacher supervising
46	46	the teacher described by Subdivision (2); and
47	47	(4) the individual for whom the committee is
48	48	established.
49	49	(c) The commissioner by rule shall establish a procedure for
50	50	appointing an alternative committee member if a person described by
51	51	Subsection (b)(1), (2), or (3) is unable to serve. The
52	52	superintendent of each school district shall establish procedures
53	53	for the convening of an individual graduation committee.
54	54	(d) The school district shall ensure a good faith effort is
55	55	made to timely notify the individual for whom the individual
56	56	graduation committee is established of the time and place for
57	57	convening the committee. The notice must be:
58	58	(1) provided in person or by regular mail or e-mail;
59	59	and
60	60	(2) clear and easy to understand.
61	61	(e) Notwithstanding any other law, an individual graduation
62	62	committee established under this section shall recommend
63	63	additional requirements by which the individual for whom the
64	64	committee is established may qualify to graduate, including:
65	65	(1) additional remediation; and
66	66	(2) for each exit-level assessment instrument on which
67	67	the individual failed to perform satisfactorily:
68	68	(A) the completion of a project related to the
69	69	subject area of the course that demonstrates proficiency in the
70	70	subject area; or
71	71	(B) the preparation of a portfolio of work
72	72	samples in the subject area of the course, including work samples
73	73	from the course that demonstrate proficiency in the subject area.
74	74	(f) For purposes of Subsection (e), the individual may
75	75	submit to the individual graduation committee coursework
76	76	previously completed to satisfy a recommended additional
77	77	requirement.
78	78	(g) In determining whether an individual for whom an
79	79	individual graduation committee is established is qualified to
80	80	graduate, the committee shall consider:
81	81	(1) any recommendation of the teacher of the
82	82	individual in a subject area for which the individual failed to
83	83	perform satisfactorily on an exit-level assessment instrument;
84	84	(2) the individual's grade in each course for which the
85	85	individual failed to perform satisfactorily on an exit-level
86	86	assessment instrument;
87	87	(3) the individual's score on each exit-level
88	88	assessment instrument on which the individual failed to perform
89	89	satisfactorily;
90	90	(4) the individual's performance on any additional
91	91	requirements recommended by the committee under Subsection (e);
92	92	(5) the number of hours of remediation that the
93	93	individual has attended, including attendance in and successful
94	94	completion of a transitional college course in reading or
95	95	mathematics;
96	96	(6) the individual's school attendance rate during the
97	97	period the individual was enrolled in high school;
98	98	(7) the individual's satisfaction of any of the Texas
99	99	Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed
100	100	by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
101	101	(8) the individual's successful completion of a dual
102	102	credit course in English, mathematics, science, or social studies;
103	103	(9) the individual's successful completion of a high
104	104	school pre-advanced placement, advanced placement, or
105	105	international baccalaureate program course in English,
106	106	mathematics, science, or social studies;
107	107	(10) the individual's rating of advanced high on the
108	108	high school administration of the Texas English Language
109	109	Proficiency Assessment System;
110	110	(11) the individual's score of 50 or greater on a
111	111	College-Level Examination Program examination;
112	112	(12) the individual's score on the ACT, the SAT, or the
113	113	Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test;
114	114	(13) the individual's completion of a sequence of high
115	115	school courses under a career and technical education program
116	116	required to attain an industry-recognized credential or
117	117	certificate;
118	118	(14) the individual's overall preparedness for
119	119	postsecondary success; and
120	120	(15) any other academic information designated for
121	121	consideration by the board of trustees of the school district.
122	122	(h) After considering the criteria under Subsection (g),
123	123	the individual graduation committee may determine that the
124	124	individual is qualified to graduate. Notwithstanding any other
125	125	law, an individual for whom an individual graduation committee is
126	126	established may graduate and receive a high school diploma on the
127	127	basis of the committee's decision only if the individual
128	128	successfully completes all additional requirements recommended by
129	129	the committee under Subsection (e) and the committee's vote is
130	130	unanimous. The commissioner by rule shall establish a timeline for
131	131	making a determination under this subsection. This subsection does
132	132	not create a property interest in graduation. The decision of a
133	133	committee is final and may not be appealed.
134	134	(i) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
135	135	implement this section.
136	136	SECTION 3. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by
137	137	adding Subsection (c-2) to read as follows:
138	138	(c-2) A school district may not administer an assessment
139	139	instrument required for graduation administered under this section
140	140	as this section existed before amendment by Chapter 1312, (S.B.
141	141	1031), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007.
142	142	Notwithstanding any other law, a school district may administer to
143	143	a student who is at least 21 years of age and under 26 years of age
144	144	and enrolled in high school to complete a high school diploma an
145	145	end-of-course assessment instrument listed in Section 39.023(c)
146	146	for any subject that was assessed in an assessment instrument
147	147	required for graduation that was administered under this section as
148	148	it existed before amendment by Chapter 1312, (S.B. 1031), Acts of
149	149	the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, and for which the
150	150	student failed to perform satisfactorily.
151	151	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
152	152	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
153	153	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
154	154	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
155	155	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.