portraits

    »     AMARILLO ISD

21

A Lifesaver

End-of-course assessments are given to all high school students in the 

subject areas English I, English II, algebra I, biology and U.S. history. 
Schools can choose to form an individual graduation committee for 
a student who has otherwise successfully completed all curriculum 
requirements for graduation. “Individual graduation committees are for 
juniors and seniors who have failed up to two end-of-course exams,” says 
Tracey Morman, Amarillo ISD Director of Guidance and Counseling.

Individual graduation committees are an option at all Amarillo ISD 

high schools. “Graduation committees include the principal, the teacher 
of the course where the student failed the exam, a department chair or 
lead teacher, the student’s parent or guardian, or the student, if he or she 
is over 18,” Tracey explains.

The individual graduation committee standards also require a 

student’s IGC to recommend additional requirements for graduation. 
This might include a fi nal project or a portfolio of work in the subject 
area in question. Committees also consider a number of other success 
factors, including teacher recommendations, the student’s grades, end-
of-course exam scores, attendance and language barriers. An IGC vote to 
recommend a student for graduation must be unanimous. 

“Bottom line, these committees protect many students who are 

perfectly capable of being successful in their post-secondary education 
from being held back by a test,” says Tracey. “We want to make sure each of 
our students is prepared for success beyond high school. We also want to 
be considerate of testing anxiety, language barriers, and other challenges 
they may face which are beyond their control.”

Bahman’s Story

There’s possibly no better way to describe Bahman Rashid’s situation 

than to call it circumstances beyond his control. Bahman was in the middle 
of his high school years when his mother had a heart attack. Bahman was 
left to care for his family while his mother recovered, meaning he missed 
many school days. Still, he managed to pass all of the STAAR end-of-
course exams except for English I and II. “My junior year, I heard from the 
counselor that if I passed three of the fi ve I could graduate. I wanted to do 
my best. I passed those three and did well on them.”   

Bahman speaks three languages: English, Farsi and Arabic. He prides 

himself on being a well-behaved student and respectful to his teachers. 
Each time Bahman would take the English test, he would do well on 
the essay part, but the multiple choice section proved too diffi cult. An 
individual graduation committee determined Bahman could graduate, 
and when he walked the stage, his mother was able to be there to watch. 
“When they called my name to graduate, my mom was crying because I’m 
the fi rst one in the family to graduate from high school,” says Bahman.

Bahman is now enrolled in the x-ray technician program at Amarillo 

College, and he’s a cashier at Market Street United. His confi dence and 
pride were only strengthened by his untraditional path to graduation. 
“Just work hard,” says Bahman. “Hard work pays off.”

Rebecca’s Story

As the only female in her college welding program, Rebecca Gonzalez 

makes it a point to work harder than her classmates. She’s often ranked at 
the top of her class.

But it wasn’t always that way.
Rebecca missed several months of her senior year of high school 

after she was injured in a serious car accident. Admittedly not the most 
dedicated student before the accident, when she returned to school 
Rebecca had a whole new outlook on life and education. “The accident 
made me realize a lot. Why did I not go to school every day before?” 
says Rebecca. 

She struggled with the STAAR end-of-course exam for English and 

considered dropping out. That’s when she learned about the IGC option. 
“I thought, ‘I’ve got this. I’m going to fi nish strong.’ ” 

Rebecca graduated from Caprock High School last spring and enrolled 

in the welding program at Lincoln Technical Institute in Grand Prairie. 
After all she has overcome, Rebecca approaches her welding courses with 
fi ery enthusiasm. “I may be the only girl, but I’m going to be better than 
the guys,” she says. “I tell them, ‘Watch out. I’ll be better than y’all. Wait 
and see.’” 

“Just work hard,” says Bahman. 

“Hard work pays off.”

“I thought, ‘I’ve got this. 

I’m going to fi nish strong.’ ”