2010 Professional School Counselors’ Conference New Orleans, LA From Policy to Reality

Keeping Up with Policy Changes 2 District Superintendents’ Update o Most Requested Info o Executive Office of the Superintendent o District Superintendents’ Update Bulletin 741 o BESE o Policies/Bulletins NOIs – Louisiana Register o

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High Stakes Policy Retention o The decision to retain a student in the 4 th or 8 th grade more than once as a result of his/her failure to achieve the passing standard shall be made by the LEA in accordance with the local PPP. (Bulletin 1566) Repeating 8 th graders o Students who are repeating the 8 th grade … shall not take or receive Carnegie credit for any high school courses in a content area in which they scored Unsatisfactory on the eighth grade LEAP. In addition to the courses in §2321.A, these students may receive Carnegie credit in other elective courses. 6

Remediation Courses o Any student entering the 9 th grade having scored Unsatisfactory in math or English on the 8 th grade LEAP test must enroll in and pass a high school remedial course approved by BESE in the Unsatisfactory subject (English language arts or mathematics) before earning Carnegie credit for any other English or mathematics course. (Bulletin 1566) 7

EOC Tests Assessment Requirement o For incoming freshmen in o Students must pass three end-of-course tests in the following categories: English II or English III; Algebra I or Geometry; Biology or American History Remediation Requirement for EOC tests o Students shall be offered 30 hours of remediation each year in each EOC test they do not pass. 8

EOC Tests Grading Policy Requirement o Students enrolled in a course for which there is an EOC test must take the EOC test. o The EOC test score shall count a percentage of the student’s final grade for the course. o The percentage shall be between 15% and 30% inclusive, and shall be determined by the LEA. o The grades assigned for the EOC test achievement levels shall be as follows 9 EOC Achievement LevelGrade ExcellentA GoodB FairC Needs ImprovementD or F

Attendance Students must be in attendance the equivalent of 167 six-hour days. For high school students, this equates to approximately 94% of the instructional time. Exemptions such as extended illness or death in the family are not counted as absences. Excused absences and unexcused absences do count. o For excused absences and suspensions, students can make up work. (§1103) 10

Attendance Recent clarifications to the policy o Minimum time for Carnegie credit 6-period day – 10,020 minutes 7-period day – 8,589 minutes 8-period day – 7,515 minutes o The 3 or more consecutive days has been removed from the definition for exemptions; doctor’s excused required for illnesses o Excused absences – parental note accepted for illnesses 11

Civics Act 327 requires students entering the 9 th grade in to complete one credit in Civics which will include a section on Free Enterprise. Students who are currently in high school can complete the new requirement or the old requirement (½ credit of Civics and ½ of FE) We are currently revising the social studies standards and hope to have a new Comprehensive Curriculum course for the one credit Civics course ready this summer. 12

Early Graduation Act 660 requires each LEA shall develop an early graduation program allowing students complete all state graduation requirements, and receive a high school diploma in less than four years. The early graduation program may include distance education, dual enrollment, and Carnegie credit earned in middle school. LEAs shall not have any policies or requirements that would prevent students from graduating in less than four years. (§2317) 13

Habitual Absences Act 644 requires each school to notify the parent in writing on or before a student's third unexcused absence or tardy, and shall hold a conference with such student's parent or legal guardian. This notification shall include information relative to o the parent’s legal responsibility to enforce the student’s attendance at school and o the civil penalties that may be incurred if the student is determined to be habitually absent or habitually tardy. The student's parent or legal guardian shall sign a receipt for such notification. (§1103) 14

Options for Dropouts Act 666 requires that a student, under eighteen years of age, who withdraws from school prior to graduating from high school and who has been ruled to be a truant, to exercise one of the following options: o Reenroll in school and make continual progress toward completing the requirements for high school graduation o Enroll in a high school equivalency diploma program and make continual progress toward completing the requirements for earning such diploma. o Enlist in the Louisiana National Guard or a branch of the United States Armed Forces, with a commitment for at least two years of service, and earn a high school equivalency diploma during such service period. (§1103) 15

Withdrawing from School Act 927 repealed the section of state law that allowed students to withdraw from school with parental consent if the students were between 17 and 18 years of age. Students aged 16 or 17 may still attend an alternative education program or a career and technical education program. (§1103) 16

Cyberbullying Act 755 requires that the LEA assure that the district discipline code includes policy prohibiting the harassment, intimidation, and bullying of a student by another student and specifically addresses the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying. (§1301 H) Act 755 and BESE policy detail what must be included in the policy about cyberbullying. 17

Admission of Students Act 699 states that no city, parish, or other local public school board shall deny admission or readmission to school of any student of suitable age who resides within the geographic boundaries of the school system unless such student is legally excluded from attending school. (§1109) 18

Biometric Information Act 498 requires that any LEA that collects biometric information shall develop, adopt, and implement policies that govern the collection and use of such information. The law and BESE policy stipulate what the LEA policies should include. (§1149) o Examples: fingerprints, eye scans, voice recognitions 19

Abuse of Teachers Act 404 requires LEAs to adopt rules and regulations to implement the following requirements regarding the physical abuse of public school teachers and other school employees by students: o An accurate record shall be kept of incidents of such abuse. o LEAs shall provide appropriate equipment to protect teachers and other school employees from such abuse. o Support services shall be provided to teachers and other school employees which afford them the opportunity to discuss the stress caused by such abuse. o Any teacher or other school employee who has been the victim of such abuse shall be provided the opportunity to seek another position for which he is certified within the same parish in which he will not have contact with the student(s) involved, provided that there is another position available. (§521) 20

Home Study Students and Athletics Act 691 provides that a student participating in a BESE approved home study program will be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletic activities at a high school that is a member of the LHSAA provided certain requirements are met. A decision by the principal to approve or disapprove the written request for the student to participate shall be final. (§3319) 21

Dating Violence Act 321 requires health courses in grades 7-12 shall include instruction relative to dating violence. Such instruction shall include but need not be limited to providing students with the following information: o The definition of “dating violence” o Dating violence warning signs o Characteristics of healthy relationships (§2347) 22

Statewide Grading Scale Act 701 requires BESE to develop, adopt, and implement a uniform grading scale for public elementary and secondary schools for the school year. The legislation also required BESE to appoint a Task Force with representatives from 19 organizations to provide input, recommendations, and advice on developing the uniform grading scale. 23

Contact Information Nancy Beben Director, Division of Curriculum Standards