Created by Terry Wyatt
Executive Director, Tri-County SSA
twyatt@tricty.esc14.net
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The new graduation requirements apply to
incoming freshman in the school year 201112.
All persons who started high school previous
to the 2011-12 school year continue to be
subject to the graduation requirements which
applied to them when they entered. (Most
recently that would be 11th grade exit
exams.)
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First, you have to have the appropriate
NUMBER of course credits.
Second, you have to have the correct SET of
course credits.
Third, you have to meet the testing
requirements under state assessment:
◦ In the 12 core subjects which are a part of your
graduation plan, you must meet the cumulative
score requirement on a subject by subject basis.
◦ For Recommended and Distinguished graduation
plans, there are additional requirements.
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The State of Texas has a minimum number of
credits that students are required to earn in
order to graduate under each of the Texas
graduation plans.
Each school district MAY require additional
credits, but does not have to.
State credit requirements:
◦ Minimum: 22
◦ Recommended: 26
◦ Distinguished: 26
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There is no short or simple way to detail this
information.
There are three graduation plans. Each plan
requires a different set of course credits.
However, inside of each plan, there are choices
that the student gets to make.
On the next slide, I list the various disciplines
from which the graduation plans require credits
to be earned.
The 2011-12 Graduation Plan side by side is
available on the TEA and Tri-County Websites.
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English Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Economics
Academic Electives
Languages other than English
Physical Education
Speech
Fine Arts
Elective Courses
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The student must earn the required
cumulative score in each of the 4 core
academic disciplines.
Tests are required in the following four core
academic disciplines:
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English Language Arts 3
Math 3
Science 3
Social Studies 3
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Now that we see the big picture of graduation
requirements, let’s focus on the details of
how the new testing requirements affect a
student.
First, we need to review 4 terms which TEA
uses to define how you graduate under this
new testing program.
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Student must achieve a cumulative score equal to
the product of the number of tests taken and the
scale score for satisfactory performance.
A student must meet the minimum score for the
score to count toward the student’s cumulative
score.
A College Ready score is indicative that a student
is ready for Freshman coursework without
remedial classes at the university.
Minimum Plan – cumulative score is based on the
number of courses for which the STAAR exists.
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry U. S. History
English III
Alg. II
Credit Required, STAAR:EOC Required
Biology
World
Geography
Physics
World History
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Recommended Graduation Plan
◦ Student must get satisfactory score on Algebra II
◦ Student must get satisfactory score on English III
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Distinguished Achievement Program
◦ Student must get college ready score on Algebra II
◦ Student must get college ready score on English III
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
Biology
World
Geography
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry U. S. History
English III
Alg. II
Physics
World History
Credit Required, STAAR:EOC Required. If Chemistry or Physics is taken,
than the other course must also be taken. IPC can be taken instead, and
does not have an EOC test.
If taken as part of minimum plan, STAAR:EOC
Required. Must take one of these two courses.
Will be required to take either: Chemistry, Physics, World Geography, or
World History as an additional academic elective credit.
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Minimum Score
◦ Lowest score which can be used to meet the
cumulative score requirement – not “passing”.
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Satisfactory Score
◦ “Passing” score
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College Readiness Standard
◦ Establishes a performance which is equal to that in
order to participate in a Freshman College course
for that subject.
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Cumulative Score
◦ Total score for subject
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The following slides will show several
example students and how their test scores
will establish their ability to graduate.
The examples are made using a graduation
spreadsheet tool developed by Terry Wyatt.
This spreadsheet tool is also available free,
on the Tri-County website. You may use it to
post your scores, or to “play” with how score
requirements work.
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Joe Smith – Initial Description
Susan Jones – Minimum Plan
Clark Kent – Recommended Plan
Peter Parker – Distinguished Plan
Susan Jones – MP Did not meet Requirements
Clark Kent – RP, Did not meet Requirements
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In all of these scores I have MADE UP a range
for the scale scores.
TEA has yet to publish the scale scores for
the STAAR-EOC tests. These scores are
expected to be published in spring 2012,
before the tests are given for the first time.
My Example
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Full Range: 0 – 1000
Minimum Score 650
Satisfactory Score 700
College Ready Score 875
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We have looked at 3 students who all met the
requirements for their graduation plan with
respect to state assessment.
Now lets look at the same three students, and
instead look at examples of them NOT
meeting standards for the state assessment
requirements.
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There are things that the ARD committee can
address and support for the special education
student.
◦ When the student is on the minimum plan.
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There are also some things that the ARD
committee cannot do.
◦ When the student is on the Recommended or
Distinguished plan, the student will have to meet all
testing requirements.
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Special education student is enrolled in an
EOC class.
Special education student is eligible for
STAAR-M or STAAR-Alt version of the EOC
test.
Then, the special education student does not
take ANY EOC test for that subject.
ARDC should complete the eligibility
checklist.
See Charts to Follow
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry U. S. History
English III Alg. II
Not operational for spring of 2012
Operational for spring of 2012
Biology
World
Geography
Physics
World History
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry U. S. History
English III Alg. II
Not operational for spring of 2013
Operational for spring of 2013
Biology
World
Geography
Physics
World History
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry U. S. History
English III Alg. II
Not operational for spring of 2014
Operational for spring of 2014
Biology
World
Geography
Physics
World History
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To graduate on the Recommended or
Distinguished graduation plan a SE student
must:
◦ Take and pass all required courses without
modification.
◦ Take and pass all required EOC exams without
modification.
◦ Be subject to 15% grade requirement.
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SE students who take a modified or alternate
version of an EOC test are not subject to 15 %
requirement in that course. (TEA STAAR FAQ)
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Cumulative score requirement will not apply
to a special education student who takes
modified or alternative forms of the test.
ARD committee determines graduation. (TEA
STAAR FAQ)
(First step is a deep plunge: Perhaps. In other
words, when the ARDC modifies the first class
and uses an EOC-M test, the student is a
minimum plan graduate and the ARDC will
determine graduation w/o cumulative score.)
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There are a couple of other issues related to
graduation and testing requirements, that we
will address in this section.
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Commissioner will determine a method to
allow other scores (AP, SAT, IB or other) to
meet the cumulative score requirement.
Commissioner may determine a method to
allow other scores (PSAT or PLAN) to meet the
cumulative score requirement.
Commissioners of TEA and higher education
will study the feasibility of allowing students
to satisfy STAAR EOC requirements by
completing a dual credit course.
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The graduation legislation requires that a
student’s performance on their EOC test be
counted as 15% of the student’s final grade.
Your district is probably working on how to
implement this requirement, including:
◦ How to get your software to manage the data,
◦ To what degree the 15% will impact student grades and
credit,
◦ Which semester(s) the EOC will impact.
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A SE student who takes a modified or alternate
version of an EOC test, is not subject to the 15%
rule in that course.
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If a MP student takes a non-required course
which does have an EOC exam:
◦ The student must take the exam.
◦ The score must count for the 15% rule (Not M or
Alt).
◦ However, the student has the option of using the
score for the cumulative score requirement.
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This information was obtained from TEA
STAAAR FAQ on the TEA Website:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessme
nt/staar/
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2011-12 8th graders:
◦ Required to take EOC
◦ Will be used in their cumulative score
◦ Appears to be district option to have all 8th grade
students take STAAR along with EOC.
English Math
Science Soc. Std.
English I
Alg. I
English II
Geometry Chemistry World History
English III
Alg. II
Sequence not required by TEA
Biology
World
Geography
Physics
U. S. History
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Tested 3 times per year: Fall, Spring, Summer
Each time – 12 tests given
All tests will have both paper and online
models
Testing windows will likely span several
weeks.