INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION COMMITTEE (IGC)

PURPOSE OF THE IGC

TEC §28.0258 to allow the use of an Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) TAC §74.1025 for any 12th-grade student who has failed to comply with the end-of-course assessment instrument performance requirements under TEC §39.025, in no more than two subjects. The legislative amendments outline specific details related to student eligibility, IGC development, and graduation requirements that the IGC may recommend. According to the requirements, as part of the IGC, each student will:

•     Participate in the IGC to ensure that alternate graduation requirements and expectations are clearly understood,

•     Attend additional hours of remediation as outlined by the IGC, and

•     Complete an approved district approved recommendations per EOC subject that exhibits proficiency in the subject area(s), and

•     Continue participating in EOC assessments until meeting with success or successful completion of the IGC requirements resulting in graduation. 

EOCs & SUBSTITUTE ASSESSMENTS

Per TEC §39.023(c), students entering high school for the first time beginning in the 2011-2012 school year shall be required to perform satisfactorily on five (5) subject area-specific State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End of Course (EOC) assessments. These assessments are designed to measure the subject area knowledge of students following successful completion of the corresponding EOC course and ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to be academically prepared for college or career opportunities upon graduation. The five subject area assessments are: Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U. S. History.

At the present time, all students are required to participate in EOC assessments, regardless of their graduation plan. This includes students on Minimum, Recommended, Distinguished, and Foundation graduation plans. Students on the Minimum, Recommended, and Distinguished graduation plans that earn course credit outside of Texas or from a private school are not required to participate in the corresponding EOC.

In addition, EOC assessment exemptions are no longer available to students, regardless of special program participation. This means all students must participate in each assessment at least one administration. A Special Provision is available to English Language Learners (ELLs) who meet 19 TAC §101.1007 eligibility criteria allowing students to waive participation in English I retest opportunities. However,  students must still participate in the first administration that coincides with course completion.

Graduation requirements for students receiving Special Education Services include participation in EOC assessments; like non-SPED students, the EOC will be administered following the subject area course completion. However, the ARD committee determines satisfactory performance levels related to a student’s graduation requirements.

SUBSTITUTE ASSESSMENTS

TAC §101.4002(b) makes provisions for successful performance on substitute assessments to be used in place of specific EOCs in satisfying graduation assessment requirements. It’s worth noting there is a one-to-one relationship between EOCs and substitute assessments; one set of results from a substitute assessment can only be used to satisfy one of the required EOCs. The following assessments, and the minimum scale score performance levels in parenthesis, have been identified as the expectations for using substitute assessment results.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

Individual Graduation Committees (IGCs) may be established for students that have failed to meet with success on no more than two (2) EOC subject area assessments and/or have not met the required score on a substitute assessment allowable by Figure: 19 TAC §101.4002(b).

A school district shall establish an Individual Graduation Committee at the end of or after a student's 11th-grade year to determine whether the student may qualify to graduate. A student may not qualify to graduate due to an Individual Graduation Committee decision before the student's 12th-grade year. 

While student acquisition of subject area course credit is not a consideration for establishing the IGC, it should be noted that the IGC does not have the authority to waive graduation plan course credit requirements.

The ability to establish an IGC to allow for alternate methods of satisfying graduation assessment requirements on no more than two EOC assessments expires on September 1, 2023. Students who cannot fulfill the IGC requirements by then must meet with EOC success to graduate.

TIMELINES

The first step is to complete a review of the course and EOC assessment performance for all potential graduating seniors or grade 12 students. During the review process, campus staff should ensure that students have participated in each EOC assessment required for graduation. For EOC assessments that the student has yet to demonstrate success, campus staff should verify that the student has participated in a minimum of two testing opportunities.

 Once IGC-eligible students are identified, campus administration (i.e., Principal or Principal’s Designee) are tasked with

a)    determining appropriate staff members to serve on the committee,

b)    establishing meeting dates/times,

c)    notifying parents and students of the meeting and its importance,

d)    gathering required data and information for review, and

e)    taking meeting notes and collecting appropriate signatures.

 A school may not establish an individual graduation committee for eligible students after June 10 or before the start of the next school year. Once the individual graduation committee has been established, it is the original individual graduation committee for that student.

 To assist with this process, the following resources are provided Euphoria Aware : 

• • IGC-01: Parent Notification Letter (Any Cohort except 2021)

  • IGC-01: Parent Notification Letter (Cohort 2021)

  • IGC-02: Initial and Decision Meeting Form (Any Cohort except 2021)

  • IGC-02: Initial and Decision Meeting Form (Cohort 2021)

 During the Initial and Decision meetings, the IGC will review the student’s eligibility to fulfill graduation assessment requirements through the alternate means provided by the IGC. Next, the committee will review all available academic data for the subject areas under consideration by the IGC (the data to be reviewed is outlined in a subsequent section). After reviewing all available academic information, the committee must reach a consensus about the additional requirement recommendations the student must complete to fulfill the graduation requirements and determine the timeline by which the requirements must be met. All committee members are required to indicate their unanimous agreement with a signature.

 Following the Inital Meeting ion meeting, students will have sufficient time to complete the requirements.

 The IGC will convene on the designated date to hold the Evaluation Meeting. During the IGC Evaluation Meeting, the student will present documentation of their required remediation and present their completed project. The IGC will evaluate the performance level of the student and whether or not the completed activities provide evidence that the student has successfully demonstrated subject area content proficiency. 

 The committee must unanimously agree that the student demonstrated appropriate proficiency and should be recommended for graduation, pending any additional outstanding graduation requirements.

A student who graduates as a result of an individual graduation committee decision after August 31 shall be reported in the subsequent year's graduation data.

If an individual graduation committee makes a decision to award a diploma, the decision shall be made no later than August 31 of the year in which the student meets the requirements provided by law to graduate under individual graduation committee provisions.

MEMBERSHIP ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Because the IGC will have such an important role in reviewing data, proposing projects, and evaluating successful performance, each of the following individuals are required members of the IGC:

Principal or Principal’s Designee – This person will serve as the chair of the committee. As such, they are responsible for organizing committee membership; setting meeting dates, documenting notes from meetings, and ensuring that consensus is reached and signatures are secured.

Counselor – This person will serve as the graduation advisor on the committee. They are responsible for sharing information about graduation requirements and bringing available academic data to be reviewed by the IGC.

Content Area Teacher(s) – For each content area in which the students failed to perform satisfactorily on an EOC assessment, a content area teacher, preferably a teacher of record for the student, will serve on the IGC. The role of the content area teacher(s) is to share information about the course content, i.e., TEKS, and to assist with analyzing any available data related to student performance in the specific content area.

Content Area Teacher Alternate - In the event that the Content Area Teacher is unavailable, the principal shall designate a teacher certified in the subject of the EOC assessment on which the student failed to perform satisfactorily and who is most familiar with the student's performance in that subject area as an alternate member of the committee.

Department Chair/Lead Teacher – This person will serve as the curriculum expert for the committee. As such, this person’s expertise will be needed to assist the committee in understanding the curriculum connections between courses. In addition, they may be asked to provide information about available resources.

Parent/legal guardian or Parental Relation – While it is preferred that the student’s parent/guardian is afforded every effort to participate on the IGC, it is possible to identify a “parental relation” to serve on the IGC and offer an extracurricular perspective on the student. This role is critical to ensuring that the student has the support system outside of school to complete the recommendations of the IGC.

Student – Because the student will be required to complete the recommendations of the IGC, it is critical to their success that they participate as a member of the IGC, understand their responsibilities, and agree to satisfy the IGC requirements.

REVIEW OF DATA

In order to determine the qualifications of students for whom an IGC is established, the IGC is responsible for collecting, discussing, and analyzing evidence of student proficiency and preparedness for postsecondary opportunities. The following list is not intended by be exhaustive, but all of the available data indicated below will be evaluated by the IGC:

·       Written teacher recommendation from the student’s teacher of record in a subject area course in which the student failed to perform satisfactorily

·       Course grades associated with the subject area(s) in which the student failed to perform satisfactorily

·       EOC performance, including scale score and percent correct, on each administration in which the student was assessed and failed to perform satisfactorily

·       Attendance in academic remediation programs including college preparatory courses or transitional college courses in reading or mathematics

·       Overall high school attendance record

·       Advanced coursework performance in a related subject area, including

o   Dual Credit in the core academic content

o   Pre-AP, AP, IB

·       Related college ready assessment performance

o   Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) College Ready benchmark

o   ACT, SAT, ASVAB

·       English language proficiency as measured by achieving at the Advanced High level on TELPAS

·       Completion of CTE sequence of courses to obtain an industry-recognized credential or certificate

·       Any other available academic information related to subject area performance

·       Overall determination of student preparedness for post-secondary success

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS

Additional time spent in remediation related to the subject area(s) in which the student failed to perform satisfactorily is mandatory and should be designed to help support the student in expanding their subject area knowledge. Remediation can occur in a variety of settings including before/after school tutorials, Saturday school, and during the day study periods. The amount of time to be spent in remediation should reflect the student’s current level of subject area proficiency.

In addition, for each EOC assessment in which the student did not perform satisfactorily, the IGC shall indicate a performance activity that will allow the student the opportunity to demonstrate the degree to which they possess expected proficiency and performance levels. The demonstrations may be in the form of:

·       Project related to the course subject area that demonstrates subject area proficiency

·       Portfolio of work samples in the course subject area, including work samples from the course that provide evidence of subject area proficiency

·       Extended Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP)]

EPISD has selected project rubric documents that IGCs can use address specific subject areas. These curriculum resources are provided at the back of this document.

• Algebra I  

• Biology

• English I

• English II

• U.S. History

GRADUATION QUALIFICATIONS

Unfortunately, going through the IGC process is not an automatic guarantee of graduation. The IGC must collaboratively review and evaluate the degree to which the student successfully demonstrated his/her content area proficiency level. 

The IGC must unanimously affirm that the remediation hours and the demonstration project were completed at a rigorous level that mirrors the TEKS expectations.

THE DECISION OF THE IGC IS FINAL.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Students that have an IGC must continue to participate in EOC testing opportunities until they are awarded a diploma. IGC activities do not waive their EOC assessment participation requirement, only the requirement that they meet with success on all five of the assessments.

 A folder must be provided so that IGC documentation can be quickly and easily identified and accessed if needed. Please be sure to maintain all completed IGC meeting templates. The campus shall maintain documentation to support the decision of IGC to award or not award a student a high school diploma in the permanent record.

 ·       Initial and Decision Meeting

·       Any additional student academic information that was reviewed that is not already available in the permanent record

·       Documentation of additional remediation,

·       E2020/Edgenuity Reports that demonstrate proficiency in the subject(s) the student failed to demonstrate  proficiency.