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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 17-05 WA Amending the Graduation Policy Endorsements WESTLAKE ACADEMY RESOLUTION 17-05 A RESOLUTION OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES AMENDING THE ENDORSEMENTS IN GRADUATION POLICIES NO 6.04A. WHEREAS, Westlake Academy has a strategic objective of increasing the future readiness for all students; WHEREAS, The current Policy 6.04A Graduation Policy outlines the Westlake Academy graduation requirements under the Foundation Plan with the Multidisciplinary endorsement and distinguished level of achievement; and WHEREAS, Westlake Academy students can also select and earn the Art & Humanities and/or the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) endorsement with no changes to current course offerings; 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 above for mentioned amendments to the ranking provisions in Graduation Policies No 6.04 and No 6.04A to begin from this day forward. 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. SECTION 4: That this resolution shall become effective from and after its date of passage. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 6th DAY OF MARCH 2017. Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: Kell Edwa` s, Board Secr tary Thomas E. Brymer, S erintendent APPROVED AS TO FORM: C ya 4 S. R� Jan t . Bubert or . Stanton Lowry, Sch 1 Attorney TOWN OF WESTLAKE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY Policy No. 6.04A: Date Board Adopted: May 12, 2014 Date Board Amended: March 6, 2017 Effective Date: March 6, 2017; 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 Westlake Academy graduation requirements are as follows: Westlake Academy Graduation Requirements Foundation Plan with Multidisciplinary Endorsement and Distinguished Level of Achievement Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 STUDIES IN LANGUAGE INDIVIDUALS AND SCIENCES MATHEMATICS ARTS AND ELECTIVE LANGUAGE AND ACQUISITION SOCIETIES Foundation Plan English(2.0) Language B'(2.0) Humanities2(3.0) Science(2.0) Mathematics(2.0) PE(1.0) 22.0 DP English Literature DP Humanities(1.0) DP Science(1.0) DP Mathematics(1.0) Fine Arts(1.0) (2.0) MYP Elective'(1.0) TOK/Speech(2.0) DP Group 6(1.0)" Multidisciplinary DP Language BS(2.0) DP Humanities(1.0) DP Science(1.0) DP Mathematics(1.0) 5.0 Studies Endorsement All credits in Science All credits in and are required for Mathematics, Distinguished Distinguished Level of including a credit in Level of Achievement Algebra II are required Achievement for Distinguished Level of Achievement IB Requirements Personal Project6 Extended Essay CAS Based on Total classes taken in Credits 9-12 grade' Earned 4.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 6.0 27.0 For transfer students lacking Language Acquisition credits,a student who enrolls in Grade 10 will have a requirement of 3.0 credits for Group 2,and a student who enrolls in Grade I I will have a requirement of 2.0 credits for Group 2. Transfer students will have to still fulfill all other credit requirements. The total credits earned may be decreased based upon the transfer credits but not to fall below the 26.0 minimum credits required by the state. '-A student may choose Economics HL from Group 6 and this will satisfy the 0.5 credit of Economics requirement. However,this choice will decrease the total credits earned by 0.5 but not to fall below the 26.0 minimum credits required by the slate. 'Electives will be determined based upon course offerings and overall student interest in grade 10. Depending on a student's choice,DP group 6 courses can account for 1.0 or 2.0 credits. 'For transfer students lacking Language Acquisition credits,a student who enrolls in Grade 10 will have a requirement of 3.0 credits for Group 2,and a student who enrolls in Grade 11 will have a requirement of 2.0 credits for Group 2. Transfer students will have to still fulfill all other credit requirements. The total credits earned may be decreased based upon the transfer credits but not to fall below the 26.0 minimum credits required by the state. Personal Project is a requirement for any student attending Westlake Academy in Grade 10. Students who enter in G1 I are exempt from the Personal Project. Pre-High School Credits can be earned in Language B and Mathematics in Grade 7 and/or Grade 8.Students may be awarded up to 3.0 credits on their high school transcript,however these credits do not count towards the totals for the state minimum requirements.State requirements must be completed in grades 9-12.This could bring ring a graduate to 30.0 total credits awarded. Additional Endorsements — Westlake Academy seniors can also graduate with additional endorsements. Students who fulfill the Westlake Academy graduation requirements can also select and earn the Arts & Humanities endorsement based upon the completion of five social studies credits or the completion of four credits of the same language other than English. Westlake Academy students can also select and earn the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) endorsement by choosing to take Physics in high school. In addition, the STEM endorsement requires students to complete five credits of mathematics including Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 with two credits beyond Algebra 2 or complete five credits of science including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics with two additional science credits. 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 Director. 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 Director 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 Resolution 17-05 Page 5 of 6 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 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 11/02/15 Resolution 17-05 Page 6 of 6