Bill Text: TX SB52 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the high school graduation of a student who transfers to a public school in this state after the student's junior year of high school.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-06 - Co-author authorized [SB52 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB52-Introduced.html
86R2614 CAE-D | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 52 |
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relating to the high school graduation of a student who transfers to | ||
a public school in this state after the student's junior year of | ||
high school. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (c-9) to read as follows: | ||
(c-9) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a person may receive | ||
a diploma if the person is eligible for a diploma under Section | ||
28.02592. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 28.02592 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 28.02592. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AWARDED TO TRANSFER | ||
STUDENT ON BASIS OF INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE REVIEW. (a) | ||
This section applies only to a student who: | ||
(1) transfers into the public school system of this | ||
state after completion of the student's 11th grade year in high | ||
school in a different state; and | ||
(2) will: | ||
(A) be unable, based on the credit awarded to the | ||
student by the public school system for coursework completed in a | ||
different state, to comply with the curriculum requirements of this | ||
state for high school graduation by the end of the student's 12th | ||
grade year; or | ||
(B) have difficulty complying with the | ||
end-of-course assessment instrument requirements for high school | ||
graduation imposed under Section 39.025. | ||
(b) For each student to whom this section applies, the | ||
school district that the student attends shall establish an | ||
individual graduation committee at the beginning of the student's | ||
12th grade year to determine whether the student may qualify to | ||
graduate as provided by this section. A student may not qualify to | ||
graduate under this section before the student's 12th grade year. | ||
The committee shall be composed of: | ||
(1) the principal or principal's designee; | ||
(2) the department chair or lead teacher for each | ||
subject for which an end-of-course assessment instrument is | ||
administered under Section 39.023(c); and | ||
(3) the student's parent or person standing in | ||
parental relation to the student or the student, if the student is | ||
at least 18 years of age. | ||
(c) The superintendent of each school district shall | ||
establish procedures for the convening of an individual graduation | ||
committee under this section. | ||
(d) In determining whether a student for whom an individual | ||
graduation committee is established is qualified to graduate, the | ||
committee shall consider: | ||
(1) the recommendation of the student's teacher in | ||
each course for which the student was not administered an | ||
end-of-course assessment instrument; | ||
(2) the student's performance on each: | ||
(A) alternative nationally recognized | ||
norm-referenced assessment instrument that the student requests to | ||
be considered; or | ||
(B) Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment | ||
instrument that the student requests to be considered; | ||
(3) the student's overall preparedness for | ||
postsecondary success; and | ||
(4) any other academic information designated for | ||
consideration by the board of trustees of the school district. | ||
(e) After considering the criteria under Subsection (d), | ||
the individual graduation committee may determine that the student | ||
is qualified to graduate. The commissioner by rule shall establish | ||
a timeline for making a determination under this subsection. The | ||
decision of a committee is final and may not be appealed. | ||
(f) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to | ||
implement this section. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows: | ||
(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, | ||
the commissioner shall allow a student to satisfy the requirements | ||
of Subsection (a) and qualify for a high school diploma through | ||
satisfactory performance on one or more alternative nationally | ||
recognized norm-referenced assessment instruments or Texas Success | ||
Initiative (TSI) assessment instruments if the student transfers | ||
into the public school system of this state after completion of the | ||
student's 11th grade year in high school in a different state and | ||
the student receives a recommendation by the student's individual | ||
graduation committee under Section 28.02592 that the student | ||
qualifies for a high school diploma. | ||
(i) For purposes of Subsection (h), the commissioner, in | ||
order to ensure that a student described by that subsection may | ||
satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) solely through | ||
performance on one or more alternative nationally recognized | ||
norm-referenced assessment instruments or Texas Success Initiative | ||
(TSI) assessment instruments, shall establish required performance | ||
levels for the assessment instruments that correspond to the | ||
performance levels otherwise required under Subsection (a) on the | ||
secondary exit-level assessment instruments for English language | ||
arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. | ||
SECTION 4. Section 28.02592, Education Code, as added by | ||
this Act, and Section 39.025, Education Code, as amended by this | ||
Act, apply beginning with students enrolled in public high schools | ||
in this state as a senior during the 2019-2020 school year. | ||
SECTION 5. 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, 2019. |