La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § IV-1703

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section IV-1703 - High School's Certification of Student Achievement

A. Responsibility for Reporting and Certifying Student Performance

1. Through the 2002 academic year (high school), responsibility for the identification and certification of high school graduates who meet the academic qualifications for a TOPS Award is as follows:

a. the principal or the principal's designee for public high schools;

b. the principal or headmaster or designee of each nonpublic high school approved by BESE;

c. the principal or headmaster or designee of an eligible non-Louisiana high school;

d. the principal or headmaster or designee of an out-of-state high school is responsible only for providing the high school transcript or the date of graduation for those students who have applied for a student aid program administered by the board.

2. Commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), responsibility for the submission and certification of courses attempted and the grades earned for high school graduates is as follows:

a. the principal or the principal's designee for public high schools;

b. the principal or headmaster or designee of each nonpublic high school approved by BESE;

c. the principal or headmaster or designee of an eligible non-Louisiana high school;

3. The Louisiana Department of Education shall certify to the board the names of students who are enrolled in and have completed all mandatory requirements through the twelfth grade level of a state-approved home study program.

B. Procedures for Reporting and Certifying Student Performance

a. Through the 2002 academic year (high school), the responsible high school authority shall record student performance on the form provided by the board or in an electronic format pre-approved by the board. The certification form shall be completed, certified and returned to the board by the deadline specified on the form.

b. Commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), the responsible high school authority shall submit the required student information in a standard electronic format approved by the board.

a. Through the 2002 academic year (high school), the certification form shall contain, but is not limited to, the following reportable data elements:

i. student's name, address, phone number and Social Security number;

ii. month and year of high school graduation; iii. final cumulative high school grade point average for all courses attempted, converted to a maximum 4.00 scale, if applicable;

NOTE: Beginning with students graduating in 2002-2003, the cumulative high school grade point average will be calculated by using only grades obtained in completing the core curriculum; and

iv. through the graduating class of the academic year (high school) 2002-2003, number of core units earned and the number of core units unavailable to the student at the school attended. After the graduating class of the academic year (high school) 2002-2003, core unit requirements may not be waived.

b. Commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), certification shall contain, but is not limited to, the following reportable data elements:

i. student's name and Social Security number;

ii. month and year of high school graduation;

iii. the course code for each course completed;

iv. the grade for each course completed;

v. designation of each advanced placement, international baccalaureate, gifted and dual enrollment course;

vi. the grading scale for each course reported;

vii. list the high school attended for each course reported; and

viii. through the graduating class of the academic year (high school) 2002-2003, number of core units earned and the number of core units unavailable to the student at the school attended. After the graduating class of the academic year (high school) 2002-2003, core unit requirements may not be waived.

c. Commencing with the 2014-2015 academic year (high school), for each student for whom the school has been granted consent to collect and disclose PII to LOSFA, Louisiana public high schools as defined in §1703. A.1 above shall collect the following reportable data elements for each year of attendance for those students in the ninth through twelfth grades:

i. verification that the school has been granted written consent to collect and disclose the students PII to LOSFA from the students parent or legal guardian, if the student is not at least 18 or judicially emancipated; or by the student, if the student is at least 18 or judicially emancipated;

ii. student's full name, date of birth, and Social Security number;

iii. transcript data, including, but not limited to:

(a). students BESE identification number;

(b). month and year of high school graduation;

(c). the course code for each course completed;

(d). the grade for each course completed;

(e). the term and year each course is completed;

(f). designation of each advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, honors, gifted and talented, articulated course for college credit, and dual enrollment course;

(g). the grading scale for each course reported; and

(h). the high school attended for each course reported.

d. Commencing with the 2014-15 academic year (high school), certification from all approved non-public Louisiana high schools as defined in §1703. A.2 above shall contain, but is not limited to, the following reportable data elements:

i. student's full name, date of birth, and Social Security number;

ii. transcript data, including, but not limited to:

(a). month and year of high school graduation;

(b). the course code for each course completed;

(c). the grade for each course completed;

(d). the term and year each course is completed;

(e). designation of each advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, honors, gifted and talented, articulated course for college credit, and dual enrollment course;

(f). the grading scale for each course reported; and

(g). the high school attended for each course reported.

3. Through the 2002 academic year (high school), the responsible high school authority shall certify to the board the final cumulative high school grade point average of each applicant and that average shall be inclusive of grades for all courses attempted and shall be computed and reported on a maximum 4.00 grading scale.

a. The following grading conversion shall be used to report the applicant's cumulative high school grade point average:

i. letter grade A = 4 quality points;

ii. letter grade B = 3 quality points;

iii. letter grade C = 2 quality points;

iv. letter grade D = 1 quality point.

b. Schools which award more than 4 quality points for a course must convert the course grade to a maximum 4.00 scale using the formula described in the example that follows. (In this example, the school awards one extra quality point for an honors course.)

i. Example: an applicant earned a "C" in an honors English IV course and received 3 out of the 5 possible quality points that could have been awarded for the course.

ii. In converting this course grade to a standard 4.00 maximum scale, the following formula must be used:

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iii. In this example, the quality points for this honors English IV course should be recorded as 2.40 when the school calculates and reports the student's cumulative high school grade point average.

4. Commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), the board shall determine whether high school graduates have completed the core curriculum and compute the TOPS cumulative high school grade point average for each such graduate using a maximum 4.00 grading scale. Grades awarded on other than a maximum 4.00 scale shall be converted to a maximum 4.00 scale.

C. Certifying 1998 Graduates for the TOPS Performance Award. 1998 graduates who are ranked in the top five percent of their graduating class in accordance with §1703 shall be credited with having completed the core curriculum for purposes of the TOPS; however, only those meeting the following criteria shall be eligible for the Performance Award by the board:

1. those students who have attained a final cumulative high school grade point average of at least a 3.50 on a 4.00 maximum scale; and

2. an ACT score of at least 23.

D. Certification

1. Through the 2002 academic year (high school), the high school headmaster or principal or designee shall certify that:

a. all data supplied on the certification form are true and correct, to the best of his knowledge or belief, and that they reflect the official records of the school for the students listed; and

b. records pertaining to the listed students will be maintained and available upon request to the board and the Legislative Auditor for a minimum of three years or until audited, whichever occurs first; and

c. the school under the principal's jurisdiction shall reimburse the board for the amount of a program award which was disbursed on behalf of a graduate of the school, when it is subsequently determined by audit that the school incorrectly certified the graduate;

2. commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), the submission of the required data by the high school headmaster or principal or designee shall constitute a certification that:

a. all data reported are true and correct, to the best of his knowledge or belief, and that they reflect the official records of the school for the students listed; and

b. records pertaining to the listed students will be maintained and available upon request to the board and the legislative auditor for a minimum of three years or until audited, whichever occurs first; and

3. commencing with the 2014-2015 academic year (high school), the submission of the required data by the high school headmaster or principal or designee of Louisiana public high schools as defined in §1703. A.1 above shall constitute a certification that:

a. the school has complied with the requirements of R.S. 17:3913(K) to :

i. beginning in the eighth grade, annually at the beginning of each school year, provide a form to be signed by the parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled in the school, whereby the student's parent or legal guardian may provide consent or deny consent for the collection and disclosure of the student's personally identifiable information as follows:

(a). full name;

(b). date of birth;

(c). Social Security number; and

(d). transcript data, including, but not limited to:

(i). students BESE identification number;

(ii). month and year of high school graduation;

(iii). the course code for each course completed;

(iv). the grade for each course completed;

(v). the term and year each course is completed;

(vi). designation of each advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, honors, gifted and talented, articulated course for college credit, and dual enrollment course;

(vii). the grading scale for each course reported; and

(viii). the high school attended for each course reported;

ii. use a form provided by LOSFA or a form substantially similar to LOSFAs form that:

(a). provides notification of exactly what items of student information will be collected and that disclosure of the student information collected will be restricted to Louisiana postsecondary educational institutions and the Office of Student Financial Assistance to be used solely for the purpose of processing applications for admission and for state and federal financial aid;

(b). requires acknowledgment that the failure to provide written consent for the collection and disclosure of the student's information may result in delays or may prevent successful application for admission to a postsecondary educational institution and for state and federal student financial aid;

iii. collect the personally identifiable information for each student for whom consent was provided;

4. commencing with the 2003 academic year (high school), if a student is determined to be eligible for a TOPS Award based on data that is incorrect and the student was in fact ineligible for a TOPS Award or the level awarded, the high school must reimburse the board for the amount paid in excess of what the student was eligible for.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § IV-1703

Promulgated by the Student Financial Assistance Commission, Office of Student Financial Assistance, LR 22:338 (May 1996), repromulgated LR 24:643 (April 1998), amended LR 24:1912 (October 1998), LR 25:258 (February 1999), LR 26:1998 (September 2000), LR 26:2269 (October 2000), repromulgated LR 27:1863 (November 2001), amended LR 29:880 (June 2003), LR 30:1165 (June 2004), LR 40:57 (January 2014), LR4L656 (April2015), Amended by the Board of Regents, Office of Student Financial Assistance, LR 44552 (3/1/2018).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:3021-3031, R.S. 17:3129.7 and R.S. 17:5001 et seq.