Requirement for Posting of Performance
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated October 11, 2018
Notice of Performance to the Public
Q: What does statute require of districts?
A: Texas Education Code requires the following:
- TEC §39.361 requires districts to state whether one or more of its campuses have been awarded a distinction designation or is currently rated Improvement Required and to provide an explanation of the significance of the information.
- TEC §39.362 requires districts to post on the district website the current accreditation status and accountability ratings, Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR), and School Report Cards (SRC) as well as an explanation of the information by the 10th day of each school year.
- TEC §39.363 requires TEA to post the following by October 1 of each year:
- The performance rating assigned to each district and campus
- Each distinction designation awarded
- The financial accountability rating assigned to each district
Notice in Student Grade Report
Q: Does the Improvement Required rating or distinction designations need to be printed on the student’s report card?
A: This is a local decision. The law states that the first written notice of a student’s performance that a school district gives during a school year must include this information. This could be achieved by including an insert that shows the required information, such as the 2018 Accountability Report Card.
Q: The first report the campus sends home is not a report card but a status report. Does the accountability information need to be provided at that time?
A: The statutory language is: “The first written notice of a student’s performance...” The district will have to make the decision in relation to the content of the status report. The first report sent that applies to all students and contains an evaluation of their academic performance in all subjects should be used.
Q: Does TEA have a sample letter with a brief and clear explanation that we can use?
A: No, however a complete explanation of all aspects of the system is contained in the 2018 Accountability Manual, in other explanatory documents posted on the 2018 Accountability Rating System site, and on the Frequently Asked Questions site. Districts are also free to prepare their own simplified explanatory materials.
Q: My district has submitted an appeal for the state accountability rating for my campus. Do I have to include the 2018 accountability rating in the notification if there is a chance that it will be updated following the appeals process?
A: The statute requires that districts provide the most recent performance rating in the notification. For the 2018–19 school year, the 2018 state accountability rating released publicly on August 15, 2018, is the most recent performance rating. The district can include the information that the rating has been appealed in the notification. If the appeal is granted, the district may wish to provide a follow-up notification.
Notice on District Web Site
Q: What specifically is "...the 10th day after the first day of instruction of each school year...?"
A: This is the 10th school day, or actual instructional day. It does not include weekends, holidays, or other non-instructional days.
Q: I have the accountability ratings for this year which I can post, but the school report cards aren't available yet. How can I post them?
A: Statute specifically requires that the district post "...the most recent campus report card..." on the website. That means that you must post the 2016–17 TAPR and 2016–17 SRC, if more current reports are not yet available. The posting should be revised later in the year as more current information becomes available. Districts are free to note the date of a posted report and the approximate date of future revisions.
Q: Which reports need to be posted on our website at the beginning of the 2018–19 school year?
A: For 2018–19, districts must post
- the 2016–17 TAPR for the district,
- the 2016–17 SRC for each campus,
- the current accountability rating and distinction designations, as of August 15, 2018, for each campus, and
- an explanation of the school accountability ratings such as the one page overview of the 2018 state accountability system.
The district should update its website with the 2017–18 TAPR and 2017–18 SRC as soon as they are available, later in the fall.
Q: Will we need to update our website when the latest TAPR and SRC are finally posted and/or when our rating changes due to a granted appeal?
A: TEC §39.305 and TEC §39.306 do not require that a district update its website with the latest TAPR or SRC after the 10th instructional day of the year. However, districts are encouraged to do so, especially if a rating has changed due to a granted appeal. In addition, there are other statutory requirements that require each campus to disseminate the SRC to the “parent, guardian, conservator, or other person having lawful control of each student at the campus.” Districts will receive detailed instructions regarding the distribution requirements for the SRC when these reports are released in December. Also, districts must follow TEA guidelines for publishing the TAPR when these reports are released in December.
Q: How exactly should districts post these reports?
A: Usually, districts save a PDF version of each report to the district server and make them available through a link on the district website.
Q: How long must these items remain on our website?
A: As statute does not specify an expiration date, these items should follow local district policy for web postings and should be updated annually with the release of new reports.