Countdown Begins: Former PISD students can earn diploma through alternative graduation program
Former Pasadena ISD students who entered ninth grade before the 2011-2012 school year, and did not successfully pass all required state assessments, may qualify to receive a high school diploma under Senate Bill 463.
Senate Bill 463 provides an “alternative path” for students who completed the curriculum requirements for high school graduation, but did not pass end-of-course exams, such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS).
Students were previously required to pass these exams, but they are no longer administered by the state of Texas.
“This is a great opportunity for our students who had difficulty passing their state assessments to be able to graduate,” said Joyce Boyd, director of compliance and monitoring. “Now, they will have the opportunity to further themselves in college and careers.”
The new bill offers prospective graduates six alternative solutions (five at the state level and one at the local level) to satisfy state assessment requirements. In order for students to receive a high school diploma, they must submit an application and supporting documentation to the Community School for one of the state options or the local option.
The state options include:
- Meeting the performance standard on an alternative assessment;
- Meeting the performance standard on an applicable subject area of the “High School Equivalency” exam;
- Meeting alternative graduation requirements by providing evidence of an industry recognized post-secondary license or certification;
- Providing evidence of current active duty service in the U.S. armed forces;
- Earning college credit in the failed test area.
The Pasadena ISD Board of Trustees approved the following local option at the June board meeting:
- Upon submitting an application and any supporting materials at Community School, the school will assign a project for the students to complete to demonstrate proficiency in the test area that they failed.
The “Testing Alternative Requirements” application will be reviewed by the Pasadena ISD Compliance and Monitoring team to determine whether the student may qualify to graduate.
Prospective graduates must submit an application for the alternative graduation path before the September 2019 deadline. Click here to download the application.
Please click on the following link to complete the application.
For questions, please contact the Office of Compliance Monitoring at 713-740-0164.
*IMPORTANT:
- All applicants must use the first and last name used while attending a Pasadena ISD school, along with the year they last attended.
- All applications will be reviewed on a month-by-month basis.