_ Introduction_ |
Beginning with 2005, the accountability rating system for Texas public schools and school districts is comprised of two sets of procedures-standard and alternative education. Standard procedures result in ratings assigned to standard (including non-registered alternative education) campuses, while alternative education accountability (AEA) procedures result in ratings assigned to registered alternative education campuses (AECs).
This Accountability Manual is a technical resource that explains the accountability system used by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to evaluate the performance of public school districts and campuses. This includes alternative education campuses and charter operators and their campuses. This Manual provides all details of the accountability system for 2005, including ratings, acknowledgments, responsibilities and consequences, and special issues. All information necessary for determining 2005 ratings (standard and AEA) and acknowledgments is included.
The organization and format of this edition of the Accountability Manual differs from the Manual published in 2004. Most notably, this edition is divided into three parts. Part 1, comprised of chapters 1 - 7, is devoted to a description of the standard accountability procedures. Part 2, comprised of chapters 8 - 15, describes the new AEA procedures. Topics common to both sets of procedures-such as how to appeal and district responsibilities-are presented in Part 3, consisting of chapters 16 - 18.
As with previous editions of the Manual, selected chapters are adopted by reference as Commissioner of Education administrative rule. Appendix A provides the text of the rule, proposed at the time of publication, to adopt portions of this Manual by reference. The final adopted rule will be effective in September 2005.
For the review of the standard procedures put in place in 2004, and for developing the new accountability procedures for alternative education campuses, TEA staff invited the assistance and advice of educators, school board members, business and community representatives, professional organizations, and legislative representatives from across the state. The commissioner considers all proposals and makes final decisions which are reflected in this publication. The annual use of these advisory bodies will continue. With their assistance, the system can be modified, indicators improved, standards raised, and other necessary adjustments made. The result is a carefully deliberated system that will challenge our schools to prepare all students for the 21st century.
Over the years TEA has worked closely with public school personnel and others to develop an integrated accountability system. With the development and inclusion of AEA procedures, the system is more fully integrated than ever before. The standard and AEA procedures of the 2005 system are based upon these guiding principles:
Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). The AEIS is a comprehensive reporting system defined in state statute. Since 1990-91 campus and district AEIS reports have been generated and published annually for all campuses and districts in the state. Local districts share responsibility for disseminating the AEIS reports, including holding hearings for public discussion of the AEIS report content. All indicators used for accountability are reported in the AEIS, with additional disaggregations to show how each grade level and different populations performed. Indicators that may potentially be used in future accountability ratings are also published in the AEIS. The reports also show participation rates on the TAKS and SDAA II tests. Additionally, the AEIS reports demographic information about students and staff, program information, and financial information, all of which provides context for interpreting accountability results.
School Report Card (SRC). Also required by state statute, this agency-generated report provides a subset of the information found on the AEIS report and is produced at the campus level only. Campuses must provide the SRC to each student's family.
Snapshot: School District Profiles. This TEA publication provides a state and district-level overview of public education in Texas. Though no longer printed as a publication, the most current District Detail section of Snapshot-nearly 90 items of information for each public school district-is available on the agency website.
Pocket Edition. This brochure provides a quick overview of state-level statistics on students, their performance, campus and district ratings, personnel, and finances.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). AYP is a federal accountability program mandated under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. For more information on similarities and differences between the federal and state accountability systems, see Appendix C - Comparison of State and Federal Systems.
Online Reports. All of the reports cited above are available on the agency website through the Division of Performance Reporting homepage at www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/index.html.
Throughout this Manual, the terms listed below are defined as shown, unless specifically noted otherwise. See also Chapter 15 - AEA Glossary and Index for definitions of terms specific to the AEA procedures.
Charter Operator |
A charter operator is treated like a district in the accountability system. The charter operator is identified with a unique six-digit number as are districts. The campus or campuses administered by a charter are identified with unique nine-digit number(s). The charter operator may administer instruction at one or more campuses. |
| Districts | This term includes charter operators as well as traditional independent school districts. |
| Campuses | This term includes charter campuses as well as campuses administered by traditional independent school districts. |
| Superintendent | The educational leader and administrative manager of the district or charter operator. This term includes other titles that may apply to charter operators, such as chief executive officer, president, and chief administrative officer. |
| Standard Campus | A campus evaluated under standard accountability procedures. This includes campuses that serve students in alternative education settings, but that are not registered to be evaluated under the AEA procedures. |
| Registered Alternative Education Campus (AEC) | A campus registered for evaluation under AEA procedures. This term includes AECs of Choice as well as Residential Facilities. |
Accountability 2005 | Accountability | Performance Reporting | TEA Home