Personal Graduation Plans (PGP)

1. Personal Graduation Plans (PGP) Implementing the Requirements of SB 1108, Section 7

2. Objectives • Review the law concerning PGPs • Discuss options for implementation • Instructional Issues • Technical Issues • Questions and considerations for local decision makers • Review the requirements of the High School Success and Completion Grant • Review related laws/programs/support systems

3. TEC §28.0212 Personal Graduation Plan. (Senate Bill 1108, 78th Texas Legislature, 2003) • A principal shall designate a guidance counselor, teacher, or other appropriate individual to develop and administer a personal graduation plan for each student enrolled in a junior high, middle, or high school who: (1) does not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered under Subchapter B, Chapter 39; or (2) is not likely to receive a high school diploma before the fifth school year following the student's enrollment in grade level nine, as determined by the district.

4. TEC §28.0212, Cont. • identify educational goals for the student; • include diagnostic information, appropriate monitoring and intervention, and other evaluation strategies; • include an intensive instruction program described by Section 28.0213; • address participation of the student's parent or guardian, including consideration of the parent's or guardian's educational expectations for the student; and • provide innovative methods to promote the student's advancement, including flexible scheduling, alternative learning environments, on-line instruction, and other interventions that are proven to accelerate the learning process and have been scientifically validated to improve learning and cognitive ability.

5. TEC §28.0212, Cont. • Students served in special education… • a student's individualized education program developed under Section 29.005 may be used as the student's personal graduation plan under this section.

6. District/Campus Considerations • Who is the designee? • Counselor? Teacher? Team? • Who is required to have a PGP? • Middle school, junior high, and high school students who did not meet the standard on any TAKS test in the previous school year • Grade 6 only if located on a middle school/junior high campus • Students who are not accruing credits on the anticipated schedule

7. District/Campus Considerations • How will the campus address each element required by the PGP? • How will parents be involved? • When should the plan be completed?

8. Components of the PGP • Educational Goals • Graduation • Success on State Assessment • Other…

9. Components of the PGP • Diagnostic Information • TAAS/TAKS/SDAA/LDAA/RPTE • Online Diagnostic (TRACK) • Grades • Formative Assessments • Informal Data • Attendance, discipline, ancillary data • Other…

10. Components of the PGP • Intensive Program of Instruction (TEC) • Enable the student to: • to the extent practical, perform at the student's grade level at the conclusion of the next regular school term; or • attain a standard of annual growth specified by the school district and reported by the district to the agency; and • if applicable, carry out the purposes of Section 28.0211.

11. Components of the PGP • Participation of parent or guardian • Consideration of the parent's or guardian's educational expectations for the student • Forms of participation • parent conference • telephone conference • planning input through personal correspondence (in the parent or guardian’s primary language when possible) • other means of ensuring participation • Documented

12. Components of the PGP • Innovative methods to promote the student's advancement • flexible scheduling • alternative learning environments • on-line instruction • other interventions that are proven to accelerate the learning process and have been scientifically validated to improve learning and cognitive ability

13. District/Campus Considerations • Goals: • School • Parent or Guardian • Student • Intensive Instruction • Current effective practices • Direct and systematic • Goal Oriented

14. District/Campus Considerations • Monitoring • Regular and Ongoing • Formal and Informal • Communicated • Intensive Instruction • Acceleration of more than one year’s learning – gap analysis between chronological grade level and performance level • Direct, systematic, flexible, and supplemental • Varied and Goal Oriented • Diagnostic Information • Collection and Interpretation • Focus

15. District/Campus Considerations • Innovative Instruction • Review suggestions noted in the code • Current effective practices • Role of significant adults and mentors • Identification of personnel and targeted approaches • Coordinated approaches for highest risk • Coordination of drop-out recovery methodologies • Placement in current classes/flexible groupings • Tutorial models and timing • Tiered interventions • Successful resources

16. Other laws/programs • Compensatory, Intensive, and Accelerated Instruction §29.081 • Design and implement appropriate compensatory, intensive, accelerated instruction to enable the students to perform at grade level at the end of the next regular school term • Provide accelerated instruction to students who did not pass the exit-level assessment instrument or who is at risk of dropping out of school (CONSIDER AYP) • Evaluate and document the effectiveness of the accelerated instruction, including the disparity between high school completion rates as compared to other district students. • “Student at-risk of dropping out of school” (SEE SCE CRITERIA)

17. Other laws/programs • OEYP §29.082 • A school district may set aside an amount from the district’s allotment for a period not to exceed 30 instructional days for: • K-11th graders who are identified as likely not to be promoted to the next grade level for the succeeding school year; or • 12th graders who are identified as likely not to graduate from high school before the beginning of the succeeding school year. • Enrollment not to exceed 16 students in a class

18. Other laws/programs • OEYP §29.082 • Taught by a teacher who has completed successfully a program that provides training to teach a class under this section • A student who attends at least 90% of the program days under this program shall be promoted to the next grade level at the beginning of the next school year, unless a parent presents a written request that the student not be promoted. • District policy must be in place to address eliminating student retention. • Provide transportation to each student required to attend and who is eligible for regular transportation services.

19. High School Completion and Success Grant Program • Schools receiving funding under this grant must ensure that ALL students have an Individualized Graduation Plan (IGP). • This IGP may serve as an extension of the PGP. • Students must: • receive services from highly qualified staff (as defined by NCLB) • have access to online diagnostic and assessment instruments, and • be provided accelerated instruction in areas of academic weakness.

20. PGP Template • Local district determines format • Sample format with required elements • IGP compliant

23. PGP: Additional Considerations • What happens to the completed PGPs? • Who needs copies? • Confidentiality Issues • Who is responsible for monitoring? • Where do we keep the original, both short term and long term?

24. FAQ (ESC Clarifications) Q. Should there be a district policy to support PGP? A. Although a policy is not required by law, the district should consider a policy to address the PGP. This is a local decision. What is important is that the procedures be consistent across the district.

25. FAQ (ESC Clarifications) Q. Is the PGP legally binding like an IEP? A. No. A school district's determination of the appropriateness of a program for a student under this section is final and does not create a cause of action.

26. FAQ (ESC Clarifications) Q. In our junior high, we serve 7th and 8th grade students. Do we wait until spring 2004 for TAKS results to identify who needs a PGP? A. No. The school should use spring 2003 results to determine who is in need of a PGP at this time.

27. Next Steps • District decisions: • Determine what policies and/or procedures need to be in place to support campuses in meeting the PGP requirements. • Consider what is already in place. • Allow flexibility and ensure consistency. • Identify the campus points of contact. • Schedule campus training/ information sharing sessions on PGP implementation. • Discuss existing and needed programs and services to support PGP efforts. • Determine monitoring schedule and process.

28. Next Steps • Campus decisions: • The principal needs to designate who is going to be responsible for ensuring that PGPs are developed for all eligible students. • Determine how the campus is going to implement PGPs for eligible students. • The principal may designate a point of contact to coordinate the effort.

29. Next Steps • Campus decisions • Build on available resources. (for example, accelerated instruction, curricular resources, flexible scheduling, etc…) • Identify additional resources, as appropriate. • Determine monitoring schedule and process.

30. PGP Planner 2003 • Database management tool • FileMaker Pro or runtime • Allow for import from student management programs • Updated annually • Supported by Region 14 ESC • Preview

31. ESC Contact Information Tony Huey - thuey@esc14.net 675-3620 Lucy Smith – lmsmith@esc14.net 675-3641 Rose Burks– rburks@esc14.net 675-8687