Student/Parent Handbook - Ysleta Independent School District

number, and contact person for the agency/school, the name of the course(s), a statement of why you want to earn creditthrough the agency/school, and the parent’s signature. Helpful information in determining approval or non approval forthe course are state certification of the school and certification of teacher, seat time, length of program, agency/schoolproviding the course work, and any information on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for that specificcourse. The campus administrator and counselor will review the request.TRANSFER OF CREDITS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS AND HOME-SCHOOLSFrom Accredited Texas School. The district will accept all credits earned toward state graduation requirements bystudents in an accredited Texas school district, including credits earned in accredited summer school programs.Credits earned in local credit courses may be transferred at the district's discretion.From other schools. Students entering a YISD school from a non-accredited public, private, or parochial school,including home-schools, will initially be placed at the discretion of the principal, pending observation by classroomteachers, guidance personnel, and the principal. Criteria for placement may include: Scores on achievement tests, which may be administered by appropriate district personnel Recommendation of the sending school Academic record Chronological age and social/emotional development of the student Other criteria deemed appropriate by the principal.The district validates high school credit for courses of transfer students from non-accredited public, private, or parochialschools through testing or by other evidence that the courses meet Texas State Board requirements and standards.Records and transcripts from Texas nonpublic schools or from out of state or out of the country (including foreignexchange students) will be evaluated, and students shall be placed promptly in appropriate classes.STATE-MANDATED TESTSUnder changes to the Texas Education Code made in 2009, the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) isbeing replaced by the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). STAAR is a more rigorousassessment program that can measure student progress from grade to grade and course to course as well as towardadvanced-course and college readiness. All state assessments will continue to be based on the Texas EssentialKnowledge and Skills (TEKS).STAAR for students in grades 3–8In addition to routine tests and other measures of achievement, students at certain grade levels will take the STAAR inthe following subjects: Mathematics, annually in grades 3–8 Reading, annually in grades 3–8 Writing, including spelling and grammar, in grades 4 and 7 Science in grades 5 and 8 Social Studies in grade 8Successful performance on the reading and math assessments in grades 5 and 8 is required by law, unless the studentis enrolled in a reading or math course intended for students above the student’s current grade level, in order for thestudent to be promoted to the next grade level. See Promotion and Graduation sections for additional information.STAAR Modified and STAAR Alternate, for students receiving special education services, will be available for eligiblestudents, as determined by the student’s ARD committee.STAAR-L is a linguistically accommodated assessment that is available for certain limited English proficient (LEP)students, as determined by the student’s Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). A Spanish version ofSTAAR is also available to students through grade 5 who need this accommodation.The 2011–2012 school year was the first year of implementation of the STAAR testing program. For students who tookthe STAAR assessments required for grades 3–8 in spring 2012, parents will be informed of their child’s performanceonce the results of these assessments are received by the district, expected in January 2013.End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments for Students in Grades 9–12Beginning with ninth graders in the 2011–2012 school year, end-of-course (EOC) assessments are administered for thefollowing courses:35