The Texas School Alliance (TSA) today announced its strong support of Senate Bill 213, which allows for the continued use of Individual Graduation Committees. SB 213, filed by State Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), gives deserving students who fail one or two state mandated exams, but otherwise meet all other graduation requirements, a path to high school graduation.
“The Texas School Alliance strongly supports Senator Seliger and SB 213. We encourage the Texas Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign SB213 in order to put this impactful policy in place permanently,” said HD Chambers, President of TSA and Superintendent of Alief ISD.
“Policymakers and others who learn and understand the IGC process, realize that the 3% of Texas students graduating under this system are being assessed and measured under a more rigorous, balanced and arguably more accurate program than those graduating under a single STAAR Standardized End of Course exam,” continued Chambers.
SB 213 ensures that students who have passed all of their courses and demonstrated that they are prepared for college or the workforce will graduate from high school. Individual Graduation Committees have been in existence for four academic years and are the result of the passage of SB 149 from the 84th Legislative Session.
“The workforce, colleges and military want well-rounded high school graduates who have demonstrated they are prepared for roles that require problem solving, team collaboration and effective communication, all skills that a government-mandated test does not and cannot measure. I encourage Legislators and policy makers to consider there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to how people learn and how they demonstrate what they have learned. This is true of all adults and is especially true of the 5.4 million students we educate in our schools every day,” Chambers emphasized.
The Texas School Alliance (TSA) is a school district member organization that comprises 37 of the more prominent school districts in Texas and educates over 2 million students or nearly 40 percent of the state’s total pupil enrollment. The Texas School Alliance is a superintendent-led organization that utilizes a thorough process to research and consider significant policy issues. Topics range from school finance to teaching and learning to assessment and accountability. The TSA also studies specific topics and works on issues to improve educational quality for Texas students, particularly those in large and urban districts.
Texas School Alliance leaders have served on numerous statewide select committees, appointed boards and commissions over the past twenty-five years. The TSA has been a valued partner to senators and House members throughout the legislative process.
