The Circus Is In Town

Dear Supporters:

Your support has enabled us to continue providing good information and support to parents fighting STAAR at the grass roots level.  Every two years we face a potential shift in the landscape when the Texas Legislature meets.  There will be bills, hearings and lobbying impacting all different areas of Education policy.  And it is the one chance we have to be heard by the representatives.

The 88th Legislature’s regular session runs from Jan. 10 to May 29, 2023.  Bills have already been filed targeting assessment issues and we’ll be bringing you an analysis of those bills.  One of the toughest things to do is figure out which bills are real and which are just for show.  We’ll be reaching out to the offices of the bill authors that we believe are positive to see how we can support the bills.

Interim Assessment FAQ

Early access for our Patreon supporters!

This FAQ is a work in progress.  Will be updated as more questions come in!

It is interim assessment season, so what does that mean for us?  Here is a quick and dirty FAQ on Interim Assessments.

 

What are Interim Assessments?

According to the TEA, Interim Assessments are optional, online assessments that align to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and that help educators monitor student progress and predict student performance on STAAR. These assessments will be available at no cost to districts and open-enrollment charter schools, and they are not tied to accountability.

The TEA has created these assessments to mirror the STAAR and provide information to campuses to permit remediation before the actual STAAR.  No matter what your school may tell you, these assessments are about nothing but STAAR.  They were created solely to prep for STAAR and to permit schools to plan more STAAR related interventions.

If the TEA says they are optional, does that mean we can opt out? 

You can opt out because you are the parent and get to decide what is appropriate for your child and what is not. They are optional in the sense that there is no requirement that districts administer any or all of the Interim Assessments.  If the district does give them, they are not required to assess every student or even a percentage of them. There is no consequence of penalty to the school or district if kids do not take the interim assessment.  Some districts still try to deny parental opt out of interim assessments, but there is no legal basis for that denial.

Are the Interim Assessments as bad as STAAR?

Yes and no.  They are every bit as bad in their design and inadequate accommodations, because they are designed to mimic STAAR.  They are not as bad in that students, teachers, and voters are not impacted by Interim Assessment results.

Can I see my child’s interim assessment?

If you choose to let your child participate for some reason, your parental right of access applies to the interim assessment as it would any other assessment or part of the curriculum.  Chapter 26 provides the specific rights.

Can we opt out?

There is no basis for school to deny an opt out for the interim assessments.  You may want to anticipate objections and request something specific like working on assignments in the library or helping out in the office or a lower grade.  This may overcome the “we don’t have the resources” objection some schools make.

If the school denies our opt out, what can we do?

File a grievance.  Or just don’t participate.  We’ve had some reports that click through and submit does not work on the interims, which is too bad because otherwise it would be good Opt Out practice also!  Since I never want to encourage random answering or all A/all B etc, I suggest sitting silently and not participating.  Of course you could also stay home, but if you are saving days up, just not participating on interims may be better than being absent.

New Graduation Guide for Pre-STAAR students

This is a public post, but I wanted to share with you all the kind of positive work that your subscription supports.  TTAAS member Jeff Cranmore has guided numerous adults who were denied diplomas under TAAS or TAKS through the process of getting an IGC diploma.  He’s now put together a step by step guide that we are so pleased to share!

Individual Graduation Committee for all-Non STAAR Testers (Entered HS pre 2011)

Editor’s Note: TxEdRights wishes to thank TTAAS member Jeff Cranmore for contributing this guide for students who were denied a high school diploma due to pre-STAAR testing requirements.  This guide will help TAKS/TAAS students who completed their credits but did not pass one or more exit exams navigate the process to a high school diploma.

By Jeff Cranmore

Several people have asked how the Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) works for older students. I wanted to put together some information for anyone trying to go through this process.  I will also include the corresponding laws to reference. According to Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §74.1027, a school may issue a diploma to students that:

(1) entered Grade 9 before the 2011-2012 school year;

(2) successfully completed the curriculum requirements for high school graduation applicable to the individual when the individual entered Grade 9;

(3) has not performed satisfactorily on an assessment instrument or a part of an assessment instrument required for high school graduation, including an alternate assessment instrument offered under TEC, §39.025(c-2);

(4) has been administered at least three times the required subject-areas test(s), including an alternate assessment as specified in paragraph (3) of this subsection, for which the individual has not performed satisfactorily on the exit-level assessment instrument applicable to the individual when the individual entered Grade 9; and

(5) meets the alternative requirements for graduation in accordance with subsection (c) of this section or the local alternative requirements approved by the board of trustees in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.

Here is the link to the actual wording of the TAC

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=74&rl=1027

Here is a link to the FAQ’s

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/74.1027%20FAQ.pdf

What does this all mean?

If you completed all of your credits but were denied your diploma due to not passing a state test (TAKS, TAAS, etc.…) then you can petition the school to look at your transcript and award you your diploma.

A few things- you must have all of your credits, and you must have attempted the assessment at least three times.  If you did not, you can take one of the state approved assessments and either pass, or if not, it can be counted toward the total number of times.

This is me, now what?

There are a few ways to meet the requirements, but I will focus on the three that have been very successful

According to TEA, these are ways you are eligible.

  • Meeting the performance standard on an alternate assessment as specified in TAC §101.4003
  • Performing satisfactorily on the subject-area test of a state-approved high school equivalency examination in accordance with TAC §89.43(a)(4)
  • Attainment of a TEA-approved industry-recognized postsecondary license or certification
  • Active-duty service in the armed forces or an honorable or general discharge from the armed forces
  • Successful completion of college-level coursework resulting in college credit
  • Additional alternative requirements developed by the district and approved by the school district board of trustees

Based on these criteria, I want to focus on the three that do not require you taking a test.

  • If you have active duty service- done
  • You can complete a college level course. With this one, it must be an on level credit (so developmental math, or a community based enrichment course in photography does not count). I have had former students take a 1.0 credit in PE and used that several times.
  • The last one is an Industry Approved Certification. This may be something that many of you already have. I have had former students that work as a Certified Nurses Aid, or have the Safe Serve Food Manger certification. A copy of that, and you are done! I am including a link to all of the certification,  but if you do not have any, I wanted to point out this one:  The Google Analyst for Beginners. (https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6089828?hl=en&ref_topic=6089827) It is free, and you can retake it once a day until you pass it. Here is a link to all of Industry Approved Certifications.

https://tea.texas.gov/academics/college-career-and-military-prep/career-and-technical-education/industry-based-certifications

Once you have completed one of the alternatives, you can ask the school to call the IGC to review, and it can replace any missing state assessment. After that, you should be good to go, and able to get your diploma. Please feel free to share this with anyone that may apply.

As of right now, the rule is set to expire on September 1, 2023, so the sooner you apply the better. I would also suggest that you reach out to your representatives and ask them to extend or make these rules permanent.

Up Next: The Grievance Process

Unfortunately, this year we’ve started with a lot of illegal activities by schools intent on forcing HB 4545 tutoring on their students.  Parents have been implementing grievances and there have been a lot of questions.  We are working on a video to walk you through the basics of the grievance process.  Keep and eye out for the tips and traps of the grievance process.

The CVEP Interview – The Oaks Private School

For years, we have promoted the CVEP (Credit Verification and Evaluation Program) as a proactive way for parents to plan for high school graduation without STAAR.  The CVEP program permits the student to attend and participate in all their local high school activities without ever taking STAAR.  After completing their credits, the student then “transfers” the credits to The Oaks Private School (TOPS), and after completing a short course, they receive their accredited diploma.  Texas parents have used this process to complete their high school diplomas and even to meet military enlistment requirements.  The program is legitimate and the school is regionally accredited.

The two questions we get the most are (a) can I still graduate with my local high school and (b) how much does it cost.  Graduation participation depends on your local school policies.  If they permit students who have completed all graduation requirements other than state assessments to participate in graduation, then your student likely can participate also.  If they don’t you will have to forego the local ceremony.  Please note, a ceremony  is not graduation, it is only a ritual.  It should also be noted that your local school board can change this policy, so parents should actively lobby their district to permit all students who have completed credits to participate in graduation.  For your local school’s policies, check Board Policy FMH (Local) (See example for Georgetown ISD).  As to the cost, the CVEP program is exceedingly affordable.  If paid in full, the cost is only $450.  TOPS also has payment options, and if utilized the final cost is $500.

In this interview, the principal of The Oaks Private School, Marilyn Bennett, joins us to discuss the CVEP program.  Please note, Marilyn’s opinions are her own.  We do not share the belief that students/parents should participate in or attempt the STAAR EOCs because of the punitive and discriminatory use of the results.  However, we fully support CVEP and the excellent people at TOPS.  Please note, parents looking for an online, private option for a full, accredited at home curriculum may also wish to visit with Marilyn about their full time enrollment programs.

Enjoy the interview, and please consider supporting us on Patreon if you find the information helpful!

Coming Soon: CVEP Interview

Just a sneak preview for our patrons!  This week I’ll be doing an interview with Marilyn Bennett, the principal of The Oaks Private School in Florida, which sponsors the CVEP program we’ve advocated for our high school opt out kids.  The interview will be released here first for private viewing by our supporters.  Hopefully I’ll have it edited and posted by Friday, but I am traveling Wednesday evening and Thursday, so please bear with me!

More on CVEP: www.cveprogram.com