Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Graduation Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gadsden ISD reviews new graduation policy that removes test “competency” requirement and adds 24-credit framework
Summary
Superintendent and academic staff outlined a proposed revision to policy IKF that would remove the state-era “demonstration of competency” test requirement, require students entering 2025–26 to earn 24 credits (including Algebra II and local credits), and require students to attempt federally required ESSA assessments with a local waiver process.
Gadsden Independent Schools officials presented a draft revision to policy IKF on March 20 that would change graduation requirements for students who enter ninth grade in 2025–26, remove the prior state-centered demonstration-of-competency requirement, and add a district expectation that students attempt federally required assessments.
The proposal, presented by a district presenter, lays out a 24-credit diploma for students entering in 2025–26 that includes specific course requirements (English courses, mathematics through Algebra II, science, social studies, a half unit of health and physical education, and two local units: a language-of-English course and an academic/personal-effectiveness or college-success sequence). The draft also repeats state guidance that a course may fulfill only one graduation category and instructs districts to accept locally required credits earned at other districts toward a student’s graduation.
Why it matters: The discussion comes after the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) removed the administrative rule that made passing a state competency test a graduation requirement. District staff told the board the change creates a new policy decision point for local districts and that Gadsden is choosing to require students to “attempt” the federally required ESSA assessments so students remain familiar with credentialing tests should state rules change again.
Superintendent Nicholas Dempsey and academic services highlighted two policy mechanics that board members pressed on: transfer credits from other U.S. districts and transcript translation/acceptance for students coming from Mexico or out of state, and the treatment of students with disabilities under the state’s program-of-study rules. Board members asked for procedures that will specify how the district will verify and apply incoming credits and how waivers will be handled for students who cannot take an assessment during the testing window.
District staff explained the assessment requirement this way: “Students must attempt, and I want to emphasize attempt, not pass, but just attempt the federally required ESSA Title I assessments that measure proficiency in language arts, math, and science. Any student who does not meet the attempt requirement may submit a substitute assessment attempt or assessment waiver attempt form to the superintendent or the designee.” The policy text would allow the superintendent or a designee to approve waivers in specified cases.
Special education: The draft retains three program-of-study paths for students with disabilities (standard, modified, ability) but incorporates a statutory change: the modified program of study will only be available to students who began ninth grade before 2025–26. Students entering ninth grade in 2025–26 or later would be limited to the standard program or the ability pathway, per the statutory language quoted by staff.
Next steps and outstanding implementation work: Staff recommended moving the draft forward as a first reading and said regulations and administrative procedures (timelines for waiver requests, how counselors document transferred credits, IEP alignment with the district’s “next step” plans, and notification protocols for parents of at-risk seniors) will be developed and returned for board review. Board members asked academic services to bring back (a) a proposed waiver process and timeline so testing coordinators are not scheduling unnecessarily, (b) guidance on how transcripts from Mexico and other states will be evaluated for local-credit acceptance, and (c) confirmation of how the policy interacts with eligibility for state scholarships and any statutory limits.
The draft policy text quoted state references (NMSA and NMAC) and tied the assessment attempt language to the PED’s current list of federally required assessments so the policy will follow whatever assessments the state requires at the time of testing.
The board did not vote on the policy at the March 20 meeting; staff said the board will consider action after regulations and clarifying procedures are developed.
