HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 15-16 WA Approving and Adopting an Amendment to Graduation Policies 6.04 and 6.04AWESTLAKE ACADEMY
RESOLUTION 15-16
A RESOLUTION OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
APPROVING AND ADOPTING AN AMENDMENT TO GRADUATION POLICIES 6.04
AND 6.04A.
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees has approved policies that apply to our graduating
seniors; and,
WHEREAS, the state legislature also passed HB5 in the 83rd legislative session
mandating the adoption of new graduation plans; and,
WHEREAS, Westlake Academy has researched, discussed and created a rigorous
graduation plan that meets not only the state mandate, but also the Westlake Academy's mission,
vision and values, to prepare college bound students to meet the demands of a ever-changing
global society; and,
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees finds that the passage of this Resolution is in the best
interest of the citizens of Westlake as well as the students, their parents, and faculty of Westlake
Academy.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
WESTLAKE ACADEMY:
SECTION 1: That, all matters stated in the recitals hereinabove are found to be true and
correct and are incorporated herein by reference as if copied in their entirety.
SECTION 2: That, the Board of Trustees Westlake Academy, hereby approves the new
graduation policies for Westlake Academy attached to this resolution as Exhibits "A" and "B".
SECTION 3: If any portion of this resolution shall, for any reason, be declared invalid
by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions
hereof and the Council hereby determines that it would have adopted this Resolution without the
invalid provision.
Resolution 15-16
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SECTION 4: That this resolution shall become effective from and after its date of
passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 5th DAY OF OCTOBER, 20
ATTEST:
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Janet S /3ubert or L. anton Lowry,
School Attorney
X 1
Laur: Wheat, President
Thomas E. Brymer, S perintendent
Resolution 15-16
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WESTLAKE ACADEMY
RESOLUTION 15-16
The following members of the Westlake Academy Board of Trustees voted to approve
Resolution No. 15-16, Amending the Graduation Policies on October 5, 2015:
Present:
Alesa Belvedere
Wayne Stoltenberg
Carol Langdon
Rick Rennhack
Absent:
Michael Barrett
Signature
Exhibit A
TOWN OF WESTLAKE
WESTLAKE ACADEMY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY
Policy No. 6.04:
Date Board Adopted:
Date Board Amended:
Effective Date:
August 15, 2011
October 5, 2015
October 5, 2015; contingent upon approval by TEA
Policy Category: Student Achievement
Policy Name: Graduation Policy
Policy Goal: Establishing graduation requirements and defining the commencement
participation requirements, the calculation of cumulative grade point average and
Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Honor Graduate criteria.
Policy Description:
Graduation requirements - As reflective of the Academy's rigorous and enriching IB
curriculum and a desire to foster college readiness, students who graduate from
Westlake Academy will complete a program of study which includes high academic
standards and additional credit hours making them eligible for the Texas Distinguished
Achievement Diploma.
Only students who have completed all the requirements of Westlake Academy will
receive a diploma. Those requirements are as follows:
• Completion of a minimum of 28 credit hours as required by the Texas
Distinguished Achievement Diploma.
• Not assigned to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement (DEAP) setting
during his/her senior year at Westlake Academy or any other educational facility.
Students who receive a Westlake Academy high school diploma will have completed a
minimum of 28 hours of course work, which reflects those higher levels of academic
achievement. The course requirements are:
English 4.0
Speech 0.5
Foreign Language 3.0
Social Studies 4.0
Resolution 15-16
Page 3 of 9
Government 0.5
Economics 0.5
Science 4.0
Mathematics 4.0
Fine Arts 2.0
Elective 1.0
Physical Education / Health 1.0
Technology 1.0
Middle Years Program Personal Project* 0.5
Theory of Knowledge 1.0
Creative, Action, & Service (CAS) 1.0
& Extended Essay
TOTAL 28.0
* Students enrolling after 10th grade are exempt from this requirement.
Eligibility for Commencement — Westlake Academy seniors who have satisfied all
Westlake Academy requirements for graduation are eligible for participation in the
graduation ceremonies; however, disciplinary infractions may jeopardize a students'
participation in the commencement ceremony at the discretion of the Secondary
Principal.
For students who do not meet the requirements, an exception may be made in the
event that a senior lacks one (1) credit towards the graduation requirements. The
student must have a plan approved by the Secondary Principal to complete the credit
prior to the beginning of the next school year. No other exceptions to participation in the
graduation ceremony will be granted.
Calculation of Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA):
• Courses taken at the secondary level at Westlake Academy and other fully
accredited schools and that are not modified in content will be included when
calculating CGPA.
• CGPA will be calculated by the College Counselor and rounded up to the
nearest hundredth.
• CGPA will be determined using semester grades for all courses from the 9th
grade up to the time of reporting. Reporting dates will vary with college /
scholarship due dates.
Quality Points for Diploma Program Courses - Westlake Academy will award ten points
to the final grade for all IB Diploma Program courses. Raw grades in the course must be
a passing grade of 70% or better to receive quality points. Raw semester grades are
shown on a student's report card and Academic Achievement Record (AAR)/Transcript.
Quality points will be included in CGPA calculation and this weighted CGPA will appear
on the student's transcript. No quality points are awarded for non -Diploma courses.
Resolution 15-16
Page 4 of 9
Academic Recognition - Westlake Academy will encourage and recognize academic
achievement through the establishment of a class Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Honor
Graduates.
Valedictorian and Salutatorian — Graduating seniors with the top two CGPAs will be
recognized. In the event of a tie for Valedictorian, the students will share the honor and
no Salutatorian will be designated. Additionally, valedictorian and salutatorian eligibility
requires attendance at Westlake Academy for six consecutive semesters preceding
graduation. Further, the Superintendent or his/her designee may deem a student
ineligible who is in violation of Westlake Academy's code of conduct and requirements,
Town code, or State codes.
Honor Graduates - A graduating seniors whose weighted CGPA is 90% or above will be
determined to be an Honor Graduate and will be duly recognized at commencement.
The Secondary Principal and his/her designee are granted the authority to include
students whose CGPA is 90% or above at the end of the final semester.
Rank in Class - Rank in class is determined by CGPA and will used for the purposes of:
• Obtaining automatic admission to Texas public universities based upon the
uniform admission policy and in accordance with the Texas Education Code.
This information will be reported directly to institutions by Westlake Academy
staff.
• Determining Valedictorian and Salutatorian.
Outside of the above circumstances, Westlake Academy is a non -ranking high school.
Operational guidelines consistent with the above policy directives will be detailed and
published in the Program of Studies and or the College Application Handbook on an
annual basis.
In the event a student does not complete all Westlake Academy graduation
requirements by the end of the student's twelfth (12th) grade year due to unexpected
circumstances, the student may seek Board approval for and the Board may approve an
alternate graduation plan consistent with the State's high school graduation
requirements, if it is determined to be in the best interest of the student.
* This policy is applicable beginning with students in the class of 2014 through the class
of 2017. And will expire after School Year 2017 or the class of 2017.
Dates Amended:
11/03/09
08/15/11
06/04/12
Resolution 15-16
Page 5 of 9
Exhibit B
TOWN OF WESTLAKE
WESTLAKE ACADEMY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY
Policy No. 6.04A:
Date Board Adopted:
Date Board Amended:
Effective Date:
May 12, 2014
October 5, 2015
October 5, 2015; contingent upon approval by TEA
Policy Category: Student Achievement
Policy Name: Graduation Policy
Policy Goal: Establishing graduation requirements and defining the commencement
participation requirements, and Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Honor Graduate criteria.
Policy Description:
Graduation requirements - As reflective of the Academy's rigorous and enriching IB
curriculum and a desire to foster college readiness, students who graduate from
Westlake Academy will complete a program of study which includes high academic
standards and additional credit hours making them eligible for the Distinguished Level of
Achievement award. This policy applies to students entering ninth grade during the
2014-2015 school year, or later, and may apply to students currently in grades nine
through twelve, upon request.
Only students who have completed all graduation requirements identified in this policy
will receive a Westlake Academy diploma. Those requirements are as follows:
• Completion of a minimum of 26 credit hours as required completing the
curriculum requirements to graduate under the Foundation High School Program
with a multi -disciplinary endorsement and a distinguished level of achievement.
• Satisfactory performance on required state end of course assessments.
• Completion of requirements to sit for and receive an IB Diploma.
To receive a Westlake Academy high school diploma students shall complete all course
work as identified by the State Board of Education, which includes a minimum of 26
hours of coursework, reflecting the state's higher level of academic achievement. The
course requirements are:
Resolution 15-16
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Course Description (End of Course Exam)
Credits
English I (EOC)
1.0
English II (EOC)
1.0
Algebra I (EOC)
1.0
Geometry
1.0
Algebra II
1.0
Biology(EOC)
1.0
Chemistry or Physics
1.0
Human Geography
1.0
U.S. Government
0.5
Economics
0.5
World History
1.0
Physical Education
1.0
Fine Arts
1.0
Language B
2.0
Electives
6.0
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IB English I
1.0
IB English II
1.0
IB History of the Americas (U.S. History EOC)
1.0
Advanced Math (Pre -Calculus)
1.0
Advanced Science (IB Science)
1.0
IB Science
1.0
IB History of the Americas
1.0
IB Math
1.0
Theory of Knowledge
1.5
IB Group 6
2.0
Extended Essay
0.5
Personal Project ***
1.0
Speech
0.5
* To receive the Multi -disciplinary Endorsement, students must meet one of the
following criteria: four credits in the core subject areas, or pass four AP or IB courses.
** To receive the Distinguished Level of Achievement designations, students must
have four math credits, and four science credits, includinq� Algebra II.
*** Students enrolling in Westlake Academy after 10t grade are exempt from this
requirement.
Resolution 15-16
Page 7 of 9
Eligibility for Commencement — Westlake Academy seniors who have satisfied all
Westlake Academy requirements for graduation are eligible to participate in the
graduation ceremonies; however, disciplinary infractions may jeopardize a student's
opportunity to participate in the commencement ceremony consistent with the student
code of conduct and any determination made by the Executive Principal.
For students who have not successfully completed all coursework, an exception may be
made in the event that a senior lacks one (1) credit towards the graduation
requirements. The student must have a plan approved by the Executive Principal to
complete the credit prior to the beginning of the next school year. No other exceptions
to participation in the graduation ceremony will be granted unless required by law.
Academic Recognition - Westlake Academy will encourage and recognize academic
achievement through the establishment of a class Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Honor
Graduates.
Valedictorian and Salutatorian — Graduating seniors with the top two Cumulative Grade
Point Averages (CGPA) will be recognized. In the event of a tie for Valedictorian, the
students will share the honor and no Salutatorian will be designated. Additionally,
valedictorian and salutatorian eligibility requires attendance at Westlake Academy for
six consecutive semesters preceding graduation. Further, the Superintendent or his/her
designee may deem a student ineligible who is in violation of Westlake Academy's
student code of conduct, other school requirements, Town code, or State codes.
Honor Graduates - A graduating senior whose weighted CGPA, is 90% or above will be
determined to be an Honor Graduate and will be duly recognized at commencement
(please see Board Policy on Grading and Assessment for the calculation of the CGPA).
The Executive Principal and his/her designee are granted the authority to include
students whose CGPA is 90% or above at the end of the final semester.
Rank in Class - Rank in class is determined by CGPA and will used for the purposes of:
• Obtaining automatic admission to Texas public universities based upon the
uniform admission policy and in accordance with the Texas Education Code.
This information will be reported directly to institutions by Westlake Academy
staff.
• Determining Valedictorian and Salutatorian.
Outside of the above circumstances, Westlake Academy is a non -ranking high school.
Operational guidelines consistent with the above policy directives will be detailed and
published in the Program of Studies and/or the College Application Handbook on an
annual basis.
Resolution 15-16
Page 8 of 9
In the event a student does not complete all Westlake Academy graduation
requirements by the end of the student's twelfth (12th) grade year due to unexpected
circumstances, the student may seek Board approval for and the Board may approve an
alternate graduation plan consistent with the State's foundation high school program
requirements, if it is determined to be in the best interest of the student.
* This policy is applicable beginning with students in the class of 2018
** Revisions enacted due to provisions pass by House Bill 5 approved during the
83rd Legislative Session
Dates Amended:
10/05/15
Resolution 15-16
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