Promotion and Advancement
A student will be promoted only on the basis of academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter of the course or grade level. To earn credit in a course, a student must receive a grade of at least 70 based on course-level or grade-level standards. In addition, at certain grade levels a student - with limited exceptions - will be required to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), if the student is enrolled in a public Texas school on any day between January 1 and April 15 and is a Texas resident during the week that the TAKS is administered the first time.

In order to be promoted to grade 4, students must have performed satisfactorily on the Reading section of the grade 3 assessment test in English or Spanish.

In order to be promoted to grade 6, students enrolled in grade 5 must have performed satisfactorily on the Mathematics and Reading sections of the grade 5 assessment test in English or Spanish.

In order to be promoted to grade 9, students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2007-2008 school year must perform satisfactorily on the Mathematics and Reading sections of the grade 8 assessment test in English or Spanish.

Students in grade 3 and 5 must meet promotion standards established by the District in order to be promoted.

In addition, students in grade 8 must meet promotion standards established by the District in order to be promoted in the year 2007-2008.

Parents of students in grades 1 – 8 who do not perform satisfactorily on their exams will be notified that their child will participate in special instructional programs designed to improve performance. These students will also have two additional opportunities to take the test. If the student fails a second time, a grade placement committee, consisting of the principal or designee, the teacher, and the student’s parent, will determine the additional special instruction the student will receive. After a third failed attempt, the student will be retained; however, the parent can appeal this decision to the committee. In order for the student to be promoted, based on standards previously established by the District, the decision of the committee must be unanimous. Whether the student is retained or promoted, an educational plan for the student will be designed to enable the student to perform at grade level by the end of the next school year.

A Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) will be prepared for any student in a middle school or beyond who did not perform satisfactorily on a state-mandated assessment test or is determined by the District as not likely to earn a high school diploma before the fifth school year following enrollment in grade 9. The PGP will be designed and implemented by a guidance counselor, teacher, or other staff member designated by the principal. The plan will identify the student’s educational goals and include consideration of the parent’s educational expectations for the student.

Students in grade 11 must pass the secondary exit-level assessment in English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science in order to receive a diploma. A student who does not pass the exit-level assessment will have additional opportunities to take the test.

Certain students-some with disabilities and some with limited English proficiency-may be eligible for exemptions, accommodations, or deferred testing. For more information, see the principal, counselor, or special education director.

GRADUATION
Requirements for a Diploma
To receive a high school diploma from the District, a student must successfully complete the required number of credits and pass a statewide exit-level exam.

The grade 11 exit-level test covers English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies and requires knowledge of Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, Integrated Chemistry and Physics, English III (includes written essay and short-answer responses), and early American and United States History. A student who does not pass the exit-level assessment will have additional opportunities to take the test. The state mandated the current exit-level TAKS test effective for school year 2003-2004; previously students had taken an earlier version of the exit-level test beginning in grade 10 that was known as Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). Any student who was scheduled to graduate during the administration of the TAAS exit-level exam will be permitted to take it.

Graduation Programs
The District offers the graduation programs listed below. All students entering grade 9 are required to enroll in the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program. Permission to enroll in the Minimum Graduation Program will be granted only if an agreement is reached among the student, the student’s parent or person standing in parental relation, and the counselor or appropriate administrator. The counselor can help you decide which program is best for you.

Number of Credits
• Minimum Graduation Plan - 24
• Recommended High School Program - 24
• Distinguished Achievement Program - 24

Please be aware that not all courses are offered at every secondary campus in the District. A student who desires to take a course not offered at his or her regular campus should contact the counselor about a transfer or other alternatives. If the parents of at least 22 students request a transfer for those students to take a course in the required curriculum other than fine arts or career and technology, then for the following year the District will offer the course either by teleconference or at the school from which the transfers were requested.

Certificates of Coursework Completion
A certificate of coursework completion will be issued to a senior student who successfully completes state and local credit requirements for graduation, but fails to perform satisfactorily on the exit-level tests.

For complete information, see the Student Handbook.