GPS – G raduation P aths for S tudents: Getting them there and keeping them in!

1. GPS – Graduation Paths for Students: Getting them there and keeping them in! Using the High Stakes Testing Policy, the Career Diploma Pathway, and Credit Recovery to keep students going in the right direction by avoiding wrong turns and dead end roads.

2. High Stakes Testing Policy

3. Retention Policy The decision to retain a student in the 4th or 8th grade more than once as a result of his/her failure to achieve the passing standard on the English Language Arts and Mathematics components of LEAP shall be made by the LEA in accordance with the local Pupil Progression Plan.

4. Retention Policy Students who are repeating the 8th grade due to failure to achieve the passing standard on the 8th grade LEAP may take high school courses except any in a content area in which they scored Unsatisfactory on the 8th grade LEAP. These students may be housed on a high school campus or a middle school campus.

5. Exceptions to High Stakes Testing Policy • Mastery/Advanced Waiver – The LEA may waive the state policy for students scoring at the Unsatisfactory level in English language arts or mathematics, if the student scores at the Mastery or Advanced level in the other. • The decision is made according to PPP. • The student has participated in both spring and summer administrations of LEAP and attended summer school. • Parental consent is granted.

6. Exceptions to High Stakes Testing Policy • U/B Waiver – 8th Grade – The LEA may waive the state policy for 8th grade students scoring at the Unsatisfactory level in English language arts or mathematics, if the student scores at the Basic level in the other. • The student scored Approaching Basic or above on Science and Social Studies. • The student had an overall GPA of 2.5. • The student had a minimum of 92% attendance. • The decision is made according to PPP. • The student participated in spring and summer administrations of LEAP and attended the summer remediation program. • Parental consent is granted.

7. Exceptions to High Stakes Testing Policy • AB/AB Waiver – 8th Grade – After the summer retest, an LEA, through its superintendent, may consider a waiver for an 8th grade student who has scored at the Approaching Basic level on both the English Language Arts and Mathematics components of LEAP. The LEA may grant the waiver in accordance with the local Pupil Progression Plan provided the following criteria are met. • The student has attended the LEAP summer remediation program offered by the LEA, and has taken the summer retest of the component(s) (English language arts and/or mathematics) on which the student scored Approaching Basic or below on the spring test.

8. Exceptions to High Stakes Testing Policy LEP Waiver – Limited English Proficient (LEP) students shall participate in statewide assessment. The SBLC shall be granted the authority to waive the State’s grade promotion policy for a LEP student. A LEP student who was granted a waiver at the 4th grade level is ineligible for a waiver at the 8th grade level.

9. Exceptions to the High Stakes Testing Policy • Extenuating Circumstances Waiver – An LEA, through its superintendent, may grant a waiver on behalf of individual students who are unable to participate in LEAP testing or unable to attend LEAP summer remediation because of one or more of the following extenuating circumstances as verified through appropriate documentation: • a physical illness or injury that is acute or catastrophic in nature; • a chronic physical condition that is in an acute phase; or • court-ordered custody issues.

10. Career Diploma

11. Acts 246 and 298 of the 2009 Legislative Session • Create a second standard high school diploma called the Career Diploma. • Establish the entrance requirements and curriculum requirements for the Career Diploma.

12. Entrance Requirements Two ways incoming freshmen may qualify for the Career Diploma pathway • Meet the promotion requirements to enter the ninth grade • Be 15 or older during the school year, score Approaching Basic on either the math or ELA component of LEAP, and meet other requirements

13. Career DiplomaEntrance Requirements • Incoming freshmen qualifying for the career diploma pathway by meeting the second criteria must also satisfy the following requirements. • Attend summer school and take the 8th grade LEAP retest • Achieve a GPA of 1.5 or higher during the eighth grade • Meet the minimum attendance requirements to be eligible to receive grades • Meet the behavior requirements in the district Pupil Progression Plan

14. Career DiplomaEntrance Requirements In the 9th grade, the student must • Complete a remedial course for elective credit in the subject area of the component of the LEAP test on which he/she scored Unsatisfactory • Pass the remedial course before taking the first required course in that content area.

15. Career DiplomaEntrance Requirements • Participate in a dropout prevention and mentoring program that includes the following components: • An academic catch up component to address all area(s) of student deficiency • An adult mentoring component with an emphasis on workforce awareness and readiness • A work awareness and work readiness skills component • A work-based learning component such as job shadowing/job exploration/paid internships

16. Career Diploma Participation Form There must be a meeting with student, parent or guardian, and counselor or administrator. They must be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of the different diploma pathways. Student and parent make the decision based on the best interests of the student. Student and parent/guardian must initial and sign the form. The principal signs to indicate that appropriate counseling has taken place.

17. Course Requirements • Students must have 23 credits to receive a career diploma. • Students must complete an area of concentration including four elective primary credits in the area of concentration and two related elective credits, including one computer technology course. • Students must have a career awareness course like Education for Careers or Journey to Careers

19. English – 4 credits • English I • English II • The remaining unit shall come from the following: • Technical Reading and Writing • Business English • Business Communications • Using Research in Careers (1/2 credit) • American Literature (1/2 credit) • Film in America (1/2 credit) • English III • English IV • Senior Applications in English • A course developed by the LEA and approved by BESE

20. Mathematics – 4 credits • One of the following • Algebra I (1 credit) or • Algebra I-Pt. 1 and Algebra I-Pt. 2 (2 credits) or • Applied Algebra I (1 credit) • The remaining units shall come from the following: • Geometry or Applied Geometry • Technical Math • Medical Math • Applications in Statistics and Probability • Financial Math • Math Essentials • Algebra II • Advanced Math—Pre-Calculus • Discrete Mathematics • Course(s) developed by the LEA and approved by BESE

21. Science – 3 credits • Biology • 1 unit from the following physical science cluster: • Physical Science, Integrated Science, Chemistry I, ChemCom, Physics I, or Physics of Technology I • The remaining units shall come from the following: • Food Science, Forensic Science, Allied Health Science, Basic Body Structure and Function, Basic Physics with Applications, Aerospace Science, Earth Science, Agriscience II, Physics of Technology II, Environmental Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Science, Biotechnology in Agriculture, Environmental Studies in Agriculture, Health Science II, EMT – Basic, an additional course from the physical science cluster, or course(s) developed by the LEA and approved by BESE

22. Social Studies – 3 credits • American History • ½ unit of Civics • ½ unit of Free Enterprise • The remaining unit shall come from the following: • Child Psychology and Parenthood Education, Law Studies, Psychology, Sociology, World History, World Geography, Western Civilization, Economics, American Government, African American Studies, or a course developed by the LEA and approved by BESE

23. PE (1½ credits) and Health (½ credit) • Electives – 7 credits, including • A career readiness course such as Education for Careers or Journey to Careers • Six credits required for a career Area of Concentration to include four elective primary credits in the career area and two related elective credits, including one computer/technology course.

24. Changing Diploma Pathways • Switching from the Career Diploma Pathway to the College and Career Diploma Pathway • Student has met all entrance requirements for the College and Career Diploma Pathway • Student scored Unsatisfactory on either the Math or ELA component of the 8th grade LEAP • Student must pass either the 8th grade LEAP Placement test or the first EOC test in the content area in which the student scored Unsatisfactory

25. Changing Diploma Pathways • Switching from the College and Career Diploma Pathway to the Career Diploma Pathway or vice versa • Student shall have the written permission of his/her parent after a consultation with the school guidance counselor or other school administrator. • Student and parent must be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of the different diploma pathways. • Principal shall also sign the form acknowledging that appropriate counseling has taken place.

26. Assessment Requirement • Students entering the ninth grade prior to 2010-2011 are required to pass the English and math components of the GEE or LAA 2 and either the science or social studies portions of GEE or LAA 2. • Students entering the ninth grade in 2010-2011 and beyond must pass three End-of-Course Tests in the following categories: • English II or English III • Algebra I or Geometry • Biology or American History

27. Credit Recovery

28. Credit Recovery LEAs may develop credit recovery programs which are self-paced and competency-based. Students earning Carnegie credit in a credit recovery course must have previously taken and failed the course. 2. Students shall not be required to meet attendance requirements in §1103.G for credit recovery courses, provided students have met attendance requirements when they took the course previously or the students' combined attendance during the previous course and the credit recovery course meet the attendance requirements. Schools shall not be required to meet the instructional time requirements in §907.A for credit recovery courses.

29. Credit Recovery 3. Credit recovery courses must be aligned with the state's content standards and grade-level expectations. 4. Credit recovery courses taught in a classroom setting using computer software programs designed for credit recovery must be facilitated by a certified teacher. • Additional instruction to cover standards and grade-level expectations not included in the software programs shall be provided by a teacher properly certified in the content area.

30. Credit Recovery • To earn Carnegie credit in a credit recovery course, a student must pass a comprehensive final exam approved by the DOE. The exam could be an end-of-course exam developed by the DOE or a locally-developed comprehensive final exam. The locally-developed final exam and the passing score shall be submitted for approval to the Division of Curriculum Standards of the DOE.

31. Credit Recovery – NCAA Information Virtually eligible, by Gary Brown NCAA.org http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2010+news+stories/july+latest+news/virtually+eligible A few points from the Article Division I made progress along those lines this spring when it adopted legislation requiring nontraditional courses (including online, virtual, independent study, correspondence and software-based credit recovery courses) to include regular access and interaction between an instructor and student for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance to the student throughout the course.

32. Credit Recovery – NCAA Information The legislation (Proposal No. 2009-64) originated from the Division I Academic Cabinet after consultation with the NCAA Student Records Review Committee and NCAA High School Review Committee. It helps ensure that acceptable nontraditional courses allow students to demonstrate that their work was completed in a manner consistent with the intent and design of the core-course curriculum requirements. The interaction between teacher and student may include telephone conversations, electronic mail, instant messaging and other forms of electronic communication between the student and instructor. That interaction should include feedback on assignments and course assessments by the instructor to the student, and the opportunity for the instructor to provide individual instruction to the student.

33. Contact Information Susannah Craig, Ph.D. Supervisor, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Standards 225-342-1152 susannah.craig@la.gov