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Introduction This glossary provides definitions of terms and descriptions of calculations used in the Texas Education Agency reports College Admissions Testing Results for Graduating Seniors in Texas Public Schools, Class of 2016, and College Admissions Testing Results for Graduating Seniors in Texas and the United States, Class of 2016.
Overview Under the Texas public school accountability system, distinction designations are awarded to recognize school districts and campuses for outstanding achievement in specified academic areas (Texas Education Code, Chapter 39, Subchapter G [retrieved October 30, 2017]). The distinction designations are based on results across a number of indicators. To be eligible to earn a distinction designation, a district or campus must receive an accountability rating of Met Standard.
Scores for the small percentage of class of 2016 SAT examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test. See also Concordance and SAT Examination Redesign.
Academic Achievement Distinction Designations (AADDs) For the 2017 accountability ratings cycle, six AADD indicators for SAT and ACT examinations were available at the campus level. Results for a campus were evaluated in relation to results for a comparison group of similar campuses. The SAT and ACT indicators for AADDs were evaluated based on data for the class of 2016. AADDs were not available for districts.
Following were the SAT and ACT indicator calculations for AADDs.
Postsecondary Readiness Distinction Designations (PRDDs) For the 2017 accountability ratings cycle, one PRDD was available at the campus level, and one was available at the district level. In each case, the PRDD included three SAT/ACT indicators: participation in, and performance on, either the SAT or ACT examination, and college-ready graduates. Results for a campus were evaluated in relation to results for a comparison group of similar campuses. Results for a district were evaluated based on results for campus-level indicators aggregated across all campuses in the district. The SAT/ACT indicators for PRDDs were evaluated based on data for the class of 2016.
Following were the SAT/ACT indicator calculations for campus-level PRDDs.
Additional Resources For more information about the SAT and ACT indicators, see College Admissions Testing General Information, Class of 2016. For more information about distinction designations, see the 2017 Accountability Manual. See also Criterion Score and Texas Success Initiative Criteria.
ACT Composite Score The composite score is calculated by ACT, Inc., as the average of the scores received on the four required sections of the ACT—English, mathematics, reading, and science—rounded to the nearest whole number. The optional writing section is not included in the composite score calculation.
ACT Examination The ACT is a curriculum-based, college readiness test that assesses what students learn in their classes; similar to an achievement test.
At-Risk A student identified as at-risk of dropping out of school is one who is under age 26 and who meets one or more of the following criteria:
[Source: 2015-2016 Texas Education Data Standards]
Bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) Bilingual indicates that the student is participating in a state-approved bilingual education program. The program must be a full-time program that provides dual-language instruction through the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills in the content areas (mathematics, science, health, and social studies) in the primary language of English language learners (ELLs). In addition, the program must provide for a carefully structured and sequenced mastery of English cognitive academic language development. ESL indicates that a student is participating in a state-approved ESL program. An ESL program in Grade 8 and below is a program of intensive instruction in English from teachers either certified or endorsed in ESL who use second language acquisition information to teach ELLs the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). An ESL program in Grades 9-12 is a program of intensive instruction in English from teachers trained in recognizing and dealing with language differences who use secondary language acquisition information to teach ELLs the ELPS.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) A student may be enrolled in a state-approved CTE program either as a participant in the district's career and technical coherent sequence of courses or as a participant in the district's tech prep program.
Concordance A small percentage of class of 2016 SAT examinees took the redesigned SAT examination. Because scores for the redesigned SAT and its predecessor are not equivalent, scores for examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test using the College Board's concordance tables. This made it possible to summarize data for the class of 2016 SAT examinee population as a whole for the report College Admissions Testing Results for Graduating Seniors in Texas Public Schools, Class of 2016. See also SAT Examination Redesign.
[Source: College Board SAT Concordance (retrieved December 5, 2017)]
Criterion Score For purposes of awarding postsecondary readiness distinction designations under the Texas public school accountability system, the SAT/ACT examination performance indicator measures the percentage of graduating examinees who scored at or above a criterion score on either the SAT or ACT examination. The criterion scores are defined as a combined score of 1110 on the critical reading and mathematics sections of the SAT and a composite score of 24 on the ACT. Scores for the small percentage of class of 2016 SAT examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test. See also ACT Composite Score, Concordance, Distinction Designations, and SAT Examination Redesign.
Data Masking The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (Title 20 of the United States Code §1232g [retrieved October 30, 2017]; Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 99 [retrieved October 30, 2017]) prohibits improper disclosure of personally identifiable student information by any educational agency or institution that receives funding under any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In 2016, ED guidance on reporting education data in compliance with FERPA changed, relaxing requirements for masking state-level data. Based on this guidance, state-level data presented will no longer be masked, beginning with 2015-16 reporting.
Economically Disadvantaged A student identified as economically disadvantaged is one who is eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Program.
English Language Learner (ELL) A student is classified as an ELL when: (a) a language other than English is used as the primary language in the home, and (b) the student's English language proficiency is determined to be limited by a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee or as indicated by a test of English proficiency. Most students identified as ELLs receive bilingual or English as a second language instruction.
[Source: 2015-2016 Texas Education Data Standards; 19 Texas Administrative Code §89.1225 (amended to be effective May 28, 2012)]
Examinee Although a student may take the SAT and/or ACT before senior year in high school, results are not reported to the Texas Education Agency by the College Board and ACT, Inc., until the year the student is expected to graduate. Consequently, Texas public school results for a given year are based only on data for examinees reported by the testing companies as expected to graduate that year.
Gifted and Talented A student identified as gifted and talented is one who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment, and who: (a) exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area; (b) possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or (c) excels in a specific academic field.
[Source: Texas Education Code §29.121 (retrieved October 30, 2017)]
Graduates A student is classified as a graduate in the year in which he or she is reported in the Public Education Information Management System as having graduated from the Texas public school system. For instance, students who graduated in 2015-16 must have done so by August 31, 2016, to be included in 2015-16 graduate counts. The number of graduates is used as the denominator in calculations of examination participation rates.
Graduation Year The percentages of Texas public school graduates who participate in the SAT, the ACT, or both examinations are calculated using the numbers of examinees reported by the testing companies and the number of graduates reported in the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). The testing companies use student-reported information, including expected year of graduation, to determine whether to include examinees' scores in that reporting year. PEIMS uses the actual year of graduation reported by school districts after students have graduated. Because examinees who are reported by the testing companies to have graduated in any given year may not have actually done so, the difference in reporting methods can result in imprecise participation rates.
Immigrant A student identified as an immigrant is one who: (a) is aged 3 through 21; (b) was not born in any state in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia; and (c) has not been attending school in the United States for more than three full academic years. U.S. citizenship is not a factor when identifying a student as an immigrant for the purpose of public school data collection.
Migrant A student identified as a migrant is one who: (a) is aged 3 through 21; (b) is (or whose parent, spouse, or guardian is) a migratory agricultural worker; and (c) in the preceding 36 months, to obtain temporary employment in agriculture or fishing, or to accompany a parent, spouse, or guardian to obtain such employment: (1) has moved from one school district to another; or (2) resides in a school district of more than 15,000 square miles, and migrates a distance of 20 miles or more to a temporary residence to engage in a fishing activity.
Participation Rate Participation rates for Texas public school graduates are presented for the SAT and ACT separately, as well as for the two examinations combined. When combined results are presented, data for an individual who took both examinations are counted only once. Participation rates are calculated as follows:
Calculation of Texas public school SAT and ACT participation rates changed beginning with the class of 2012. For the class of 2011 and earlier classes, students served in special education programs were included in the numerators but excluded from the denominators in such calculations. Beginning with the class of 2012, special education students were included in both numerators and denominators. Consequently, results for the class of 2012 and later classes are not comparable to results for the class of 2011 and earlier classes. SAT and ACT participation rates for public and nonpublic school graduates combined in Texas, other states, and the United States were obtained, when available, from summary reports released annually by the College Board and ACT, Inc., respectively. The denominators for these rates are projected counts of graduating seniors reported by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Participation rates not available from College Board or ACT, Inc., reports were derived by dividing counts of graduating examinees obtained from the testing companies by WICHE projections of graduating seniors. For information about participation rate calculations for distinction designations, see Distinction Designations.
Performance: Examinees Scoring At or Above Criterion Performance results for Texas public school graduates are presented for SAT and ACT examinations separately, as well as for the two examinations combined. When combined results are presented, data for an individual who took both examinations are counted only once. As an example, the percentage of graduating examinees who scored at or above criterion on either test is calculated as follows:
See also Criterion Score. For information about performance indicator calculations for distinction designations, see Distinction Designations.
Performance: Average Score An average score is the mean score for a given group on a given examination or examination section. As an example, the average ACT composite score for all graduating examinees in Texas public schools is calculated as follows:
Average ACT scores are rounded to the first decimal place, and average SAT scores are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Scores for class of 2016 examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test using the College Board's concordance tables. Because scores for the combined critical reading and mathematics measure were converted separately from the individual test sections, sums of section mean scores may not always equal the mean scores of the combined measure. See also Concordance and SAT Examination Redesign.
SAT and ACT performance results for public and nonpublic school graduates combined in Texas, other states, and the United States were obtained, when available, from summary reports released annually by the College Board and ACT, Inc., respectively. For the class of 2015 and earlier classes, the College Board reported SAT performance data for three separate Hispanic subgroups: Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and other Hispanic students. TEA used these data to calculate results for Hispanic students overall. Because of rounding, the average scores for Hispanic students on the critical reading and mathematics sections of the examination may not sum to the average critical reading and mathematics combined scores shown for the group. See also Race/Ethnicity. For information about performance indicator calculations for distinction designations, see Distinction Designations.
ACT, Inc. ACT, Inc., uses the Student Profile Section (SPS) and the ACT examination answer form to obtain self-reported demographic information, such as race/ethnicity. The SPS is completed when students register for the ACT examination.
For the class of 2010 and earlier classes, ACT, Inc., reported the following five racial/ethnic categories: African American, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and White.
Beginning with the class of 2011, ACT, Inc., collected data on race and ethnicity in compliance with a new federal standard. The standard requires that race and ethnicity be collected separately using a specific two-part question, presented in a specific order, and that both parts of the question be answered. ACT, Inc., combines the answers to the two-part question to create the following seven mutually exclusive racial/ethnic categories:
College Board The College Board collects self-reported demographic information, such as race/ethnicity, when examinees take each examination.
For the class of 2015 and earlier classes, College Board reported the following five racial/ethnic categories: African American, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, or other Hispanic), and White.
Beginning with the class of 2016, College Board collected data on race and ethnicity in compliance with the federal standard. The standard requires that race and ethnicity be collected separately using a specific two-part question, presented in a specific order, and that both parts of the question be answered.
College Board combines the answers to the two-part question to create the following seven mutually exclusive racial/ethnic categories: African American, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, White, and multiracial. A student identified as Hispanic is included only in the count for Hispanics. A student not identified as Hispanic is included in the count for only one of the following six racial categories: African American, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, White, or multiracial. A student identified as having two or more races is included only in the count for multiracial students, not in the count for any single racial category.
Texas Education Agency School districts submit student demographic information to TEA through the Texas Student Data System. In 2009-10, TEA began collecting data on race and ethnicity in compliance with a new federal standard. The standard requires that race and ethnicity be collected separately using a specific two-part question, presented in a specific order, and that both parts of the question be answered.
The racial/ethnic categories are defined as follows. Hispanic includes students of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. American Indian or Alaska Native includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain a tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Black or African American includes students having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. White includes students having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
For purposes of reporting Texas public school SAT and ACT data, TEA combines the answers to the two-part question to create seven mutually exclusive racial/ethnic categories. A student identified as Hispanic is included only in the count for Hispanics. A student not identified as Hispanic is included in the count for only one of the following six racial categories: African American, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, White, or multiracial. A student identified as having two or more races is included only in the count for multiracial students, not in the count for any single racial category.
[Source: 2009-2010 PEIMS Data Standards; 2015-2016 Texas Education Data Standards]
SAT Examination The SAT is a curriculum-based, college readiness test that assesses the academic skills and knowledge students acquire in high school and the ability to apply that knowledge.
SAT Examination Redesign The College Board began administering a redesigned version of the SAT in March 2016. The redesigned SAT has an evidence-based reading and writing section that includes a reading test and a writing and language test; a mathematics section; and an optional essay section. The previous version of the SAT had critical reading, mathematics, writing, and essay sections. A small percentage of class of 2016 SAT examinees took the redesigned SAT. Because scores for the redesigned SAT and its predecessor are not equivalent, scores for examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test using the College Board's concordance tables. This made it possible to summarize data for the class of 2016 SAT examinee population as a whole for the report College Admissions Testing Results for Graduating Seniors in Texas Public Schools, Class of 2016. For the report College Admissions Testing Results for Graduating Seniors in Texas and the United States, Class of 2016, results for the class of 2016 include data only for examinees who took the previous version of the SAT. See also Concordance.
Special Education A student enrolled in a special education program is one who is participating in a special education instructional and related services program or a general education program using special education support services, supplementary aids, or other special arrangements.
Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Criteria For purposes of awarding postsecondary readiness distinction designations under the Texas public school accountability system, the college-ready graduates indicator measures the percentage of graduates with results in both English language arts (ELA) and mathematics who scored at or above the TSI criteria in both ELA and mathematics on any of three assessments: the TSI assessment, the SAT, or the ACT. The ELA TSI criteria were defined as a score of 351 on the reading section of the TSI assessment; a score of 500 on the critical reading section and a combined score of 1070 on the critical reading and mathematics sections of the SAT; or a score of 19 on the English section and a composite score of 23 on the ACT. The mathematics TSI criteria were defined as a score of 350 on the mathematics section of the TSI assessment; a score of 500 on the mathematics section and a combined score of 1070 on the critical reading and mathematics sections of the SAT; or a score of 19 on the mathematics section and a composite score of 23 on the ACT. Scores for the small percentage of class of 2016 SAT examinees who took the redesigned SAT were converted to scores comparable to those for the previous version of the test. See also ACT Composite Score, Concordance, Distinction Designations, and SAT Examination Redesign.
[Source: 2017 Accountability Manual]
Title I A Title I student is one participating in a program authorized under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is designed to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.
Copyright Information SAT® is a trademark of the College Board, and ACT® is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners. Contact Information For questions or comments, please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis, or contact the division by phone at 512-475-3523. This page last updated November 14, 2018.
