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Alternative
Education Accountability (AEA)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
(updated
May 4, 2011)
1.
Who can answer my questions about AEA policies and
procedures?
Part
2 of the Accountability Manual
describes the AEA indicators and procedures
applicable to alternative education campuses
(AECs) and charters evaluated under AEA procedures.
Part 2 of the Manual is
on the TEA website at
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/aea/.
For
information regarding the administration, monitoring,
and safety at AECs, refer to the questions and
answers below.
For
additional assistance regarding AEA policies
and procedures, contact the AEA Unit of the
Division of Performance Reporting
at (512) 463-9704 or via e-mail at Performance.Reporting@tea.state.tx.us.
2.
What are the advantages of registering my AEC for
evaluation under AEA procedures?
AEA
procedures recognize that AECs are dedicated
to serving students at risk of dropping out
of school [TEC§29.081(d)] and evaluate
AECs on different indicators from those used
under standard accountability procedures.
Chapter 10 of the Accountability Manual
describes in detail the AEA indicators.
3.
Can elementary schools be AECs?
AECs
dedicated to serving students at risk of dropping
out of school may qualify for evaluation under
AEA procedures.
4.
How and when do I register my AEC for evaluation
under AEA procedures?
Details
on AEC registration are available on the AEA
website at
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/aea/.
The
2011 AEA campus registration process occurred
September 8 - 22, 2010.
To
qualify for evaluation under AEA procedures,
AECs must meet the registration criteria and
the at-risk registration criterion described
in Chapter 8 of the Accountability
Manual.
5.
Are charter operators evaluated under AEA procedures?
Charters
that operate only registered AECs are evaluated
under AEA procedures.
Charters
that operate both standard campuses and registered
AECs have the option to be evaluated under AEA
procedures if at least 50% of the charter’s
students are enrolled at registered AECs. Details
are provided in Chapter 8 of the Accountability
Manual.
6.
Please explain AEC Registration Requirement (8)
- the "AEC must provide each student the opportunity
to attend a 7-hour school day as defined in TEC§
25.082(a), according to the needs of each student."
State
statute requires that a school day “be
at least 7 hours each day, including intermissions
and recesses.” This law applies to AECs.
However, depending upon the terms of a charter,
this requirement may not apply to charter AECs.
Several
AECs offer four-hour blocks of instruction. Nevertheless,
if a student requires more than four hours of
instruction to progress, then the instruction
must be provided.
7.
What is the at-risk registration criterion? How
will this criterion affect AECs?
Each registered
AEC must have a minimum percentage of at-risk
students enrolled on the AEC verified through
current-year PEIMS fall enrollment data in order
to remain registered and be evaluated under AEA
procedures.
The at-risk criterion is 75% in
2008-2011.
Safeguards are incorporated for
AECs not meeting the at-risk registration
criterion. The Prior-Year PEIMS At-Risk Data
and New Campus safeguards are described in Chapter
8 of the Accountability Manual.
If
an AEC does not meet the at-risk registration
criterion, then AEA registration is rescinded
and the AEC receives a rating under standard accountability
procedures.
8.
What are AECs of Choice?
At-risk
students enroll at AECs of Choice to expedite
progress toward performing at grade level and
high school completion.
9.
What are Residential Facilities?
Education
services are provided to students in residential
programs and facilities operated under contract
with the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), detention centers and correctional facilities
that are registered with the Texas Juvenile
Probation Commission (TJPC), and private residential
treatment centers.
10.
Will the 85-day rule remain in effect?
The
85-day rule has been phased out completely. Chapter
9 of the Accountability Manual describes in detail attribution of AEC data.
Campus
accountability subset determines attribution
of AEC test data.
Leaver
data are attributed to the last campus of
attendance.
As
required in statute, DAEP and JJAEP data must
be attributed to the student’s home campus.
11.
What is meant by summing across grades and subjects
for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
(TAKS) Progress indicator?
The
TAKS Progress indicator does not evaluate grades
or subjects individually. Performance results
are summed across grades (3-12) and across subjects
(reading/English language arts, mathematics, writing,
social studies, and science) to determine AEA
ratings.
12.
What test results are included in the TAKS Progress
indicator?
| TAKS
Tests Included |
April/May |
March |
Oct |
July |
| Grades 3-11 |
X |
X |
n/a |
n/a |
| Grade 11 Retests |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Grade 12 All Tests |
X |
X |
X |
X |
13.
How should I code the exit-level TAKS answer documents
for students who have previously passed a section
of the test?
Questions
regarding the administration of tests should
be directed to the Division of Student Assessment
at (512) 463-9536 or visit the TEA
website at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3534&menu_id=793
14.
What is the Texas Projection Measure (TPM)?
The use of TPM is discontinued in 2011 state and federal accountability.
15.
What is the Texas Growth Index (TGI)?
The use of TGI is discontinued in 2011 state accountability.
16.
What is Required Improvement?
Required
Improvement measures growth or improvement by
comparing prior-year performance to current-year
performance.
Registered
AECs and charters can achieve an AEA: Academically
Acceptable
rating by meeting the absolute standards or by
demonstrating Required Improvement.
17. Does the Completion Rate II include
General Educational Development (GED) recipients?
Yes,
the Completion Rate II calculation for AECs
of Choice and charters evaluated under AEA procedures
includes graduates, GED recipients, and students
who return to school for a fifth year.
18. If a Residential Facility is one of
several campuses of a charter operator, does the
Completion Rate II calculation for the charter include
the completion data of the students from the Residential
Facility?
Yes,
performance results of all students in the
charter are included in the charter's performance
and used in determining the charter's rating.
However, charters that are evaluated under
AEA procedures and operate only registered
Residential Facilities are not evaluated on
Completion Rate II.
19.
Does an AEC rating of AEA: Academically Unacceptable
impact the district rating?
Registered
AECs rated AEA: Academically Unacceptable
do not prevent a district rating of Exemplary
or Recognized.
20. What waivers apply to AECs?
21.
How do I access accountability data on the TEA Secure
Environment (TEASE)?
The
TEASE Accountability website includes confidential
state accountability (including standard accountability
and AEA), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and
Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System (PBMAS)
data.
Only
district superintendents and designated staff
approved by the superintendent may request
access to TEASE. The TEASE Request for
Access to Accountability form is on the
TEA website at
http://tea.texas.gov/index4.aspx?id=25769818165
.
Both
the requestor and the district superintendent
must sign the request. Fax signed forms to the
Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 936-6431.
Allow approximately two weeks for processing.
22.
Who can answer my questions about at-risk students?
A
State Compensatory Education Questions and
Answers (Q and A) document
that addresses proper coding of at-risk students
is on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=4082 Also, Education Service Center (ESC) Compensatory
Education contacts can assist with at-risk
questions.
23.
Who can answer my questions about the DAEP Data
Integrity Report?
For
questions about the PBMAS reports or the data
integrity indicators, contact the Division of
Performance-Based Monitoring at (512) 936-6426
or via e-mail at pbm@tea.state.tx.us.
24.
Who can I talk to about a complaint about my child's
AEC?
Contact
the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions
at (512) 463-9414 or visit the TEA website
at
http://tea.texas.gov/pmi/.
25.
Who can I talk to about a safety issue at my child's
AEC?
26.
How can I obtain teacher or administrator certification
for an AEC?
27.
What is the definition of the uniform school
start date?
TEC
§25.0811 requires
that a school district not begin instruction
for students for a school year before
the fourth Monday in August unless the
district operates a year-round system
under Section 25.084.
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