_Chapter 10 - AEA Base Indicators_

To determine ratings, the alternative education accountability (AEA) procedures use four base indicators:

• performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS),
• performance on the State-Developed Alternative Assessment II (SDAA II),
• Completion Rate II for the Class of 2006, and
• 2005-06 Annual Dropout Rate for grades 7–12.

TAKS Progress Indicator

A single performance indicator is evaluated for TAKS.  The TAKS Progress indicator sums performance results across grades (3-12) and across subjects to determine alternative education campus (AEC) and charter ratings under AEA procedures.  This indicator is not based on the number of students tested but on the number of tests taken.  Students who take multiple TAKS tests are included multiple times (for every TAKS test taken).  Students who take multiple TAKS exit-level retests are included only when the passing standard is met.

The TAKS Progress indicator numerator is calculated as the number of tests meeting the student passing standard or having a Texas Growth Index (TGI) score that meets the student growth standard of 0 (zero) or higher and TAKS exit-level retests meeting the student passing standard at the February and April administrations or in the previous October or July.  The denominator is the number of TAKS tests taken and the number of TAKS exit-level retests meeting the student passing standard at the February and April administrations or in the previous October or July.

The TAKS Progress indicator includes the following results:

• TAKS grades 3-11 Spring 2007 primary administration:
  • Panel Recommendation student passing standard
  • TGI:  2006 to 2007, growth of 0 (zero) or higher
  • Campus accountability subset
• TAKS grade 12 April 2007, February 2007, October 2006, and July 2006 administrations:
  • Actual student passing standard
  • Tests meeting passing standard
  • No accountability subset
• TAKS grade 11 April 2007, February 2007, October 2006, and July 2006 administrations:
  • Retests only
  • Actual student passing standard
  • Tests meeting passing standard
  • No accountability subset

Who is evaluated for the TAKS Progress Indicator:

• AECs that test students on any TAKS subject.
• AECs of Choice and Residential Facilities.
• Use of District At-Risk Data.  If the AEC does not meet the accountability standard based on results for fewer than 10 tests, or if there are no TAKS results for the AEC, then the AEC is evaluated on the district performance of at-risk students.  See Chapter 11 – Additional Features of AEA.  If there are results for fewer than 10 at-risk tests in the district, then Special Analysis is conducted.  See Chapter 12 – AEA Ratings.
• Charters that operate only registered AECs.
• Charters that operate both standard campuses and registered AECs, meet the AEC enrollment criterion, and opt to be evaluated under AEA procedures.

Table 10: TAKS Progress Indicator

Standard:

• AEA: Academically Acceptable – At least 45%.
• The TAKS Progress standard will be reviewed annually and is subject to change.

Student Groups:  TAKS performance is always evaluated for All Students.  The following student groups that meet minimum size requirements are evaluated:  African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged.

Methodology:

Minimum Size Requirements:

• All Students.  All Students performance is always evaluated.
• Student Groups.  Student groups are evaluated if there are:
  • 30 to 49 tests for the student group and the student group represents at least 10% of All Students tests; or
  • at least 50 tests for the student group even if these tests represent less than 10% of All Students tests.

Accountability Subset:

• Campus Accountability Subset.  AECs are accountable for TAKS results for students enrolled on the AEC on the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) enrollment snapshot date (the last Friday in October) and on the testing date.
• District Accountability Subset.  Charters are accountable for TAKS results for students enrolled at the charter on the PEIMS enrollment snapshot date and on the testing date.
• Accountability subset does not apply to TAKS exit-level results.

Years of Data:

• Spring 2007 grades 3-11 TAKS results (primary administration)
• April 2007, February 2007, October 2006, and July 2006 grade 11 exit-level retest results
• April 2007, February 2007, October 2006, and July 2006 grade 12 exit-level results

Data Source:  Pearson Educational Measurement

Other Information:

• Grades and Subjects.  The TAKS results for English (grades 3-11) and Spanish (grades 3-6) are summed across grades and subjects and are evaluated for All Students and each student group that meets minimum size requirements.  Second administration results of grades 3 and 5 reading and grade 5 mathematics are included.
• Testing Window.  Results for students given a make-up test within the testing window are included in the accountability measures.
• Student Passing Standard.  The TAKS Progress indicator is calculated as percent Met Standard using the student passing standard adopted by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for the current year.  See Chapter 2 – The Basics: Base Indicators.
• Rounding.  The TAKS Progress indicator percent Met Standard calculations are rounded to whole numbers.  For example, 49.877% is rounded to 50%; 79.4999% is rounded to 79%; and 89.5% is rounded to 90%.
• TGI.  The TGI has been developed for accountability purposes to evaluate individual student growth from one year to the next on the TAKS.  The TGI compares how students taking a TAKS subject test in one year perform on the same TAKS subject test in the next higher grade the following year.  An individual TGI score indicates the amount of growth for each student in relation to the average growth of all students who performed at the same level in the base year.  The TGI score of zero (0) indicates that the year-to-year change in scale score is equal to the average change.  The TGI measures growth for a student who passes as well as a student who does not pass the TAKS.
  
  The TGI calculation is limited to students who have test results in the same subject for two consecutive years, in consecutive grades:
  • Reading/ELA – grades 4–11
  • Mathematics – grades 4–11
  • Social Studies – grade 11
  • Science – grade 11

Detailed TGI information can be found in Appendix E – Texas Growth Index.

SDAA II Indicator

The SDAA II assesses students with disabilities in grades 3-10 who receive instruction in the state’s curriculum but for whom the TAKS test is not an appropriate measure of their academic progress.  SDAA II tests are given in the areas of reading, English language arts (ELA), writing, and mathematics.  Students are assessed at their appropriate instructional levels, as determined by their Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committees.

The SDAA II is administered on the same schedule as TAKS and designed to measure annual growth based on appropriate expectations for each student, as decided by the student's ARD committee.

A single performance indicator is evaluated for SDAA II.  Performance results are summed across grades (3-10) and across subjects.  This indicator is not based on the number of students tested but on the number of tests taken.  The SDAA II indicator is calculated as the number of tests meeting ARD committee expectations divided by the number of SDAA II tests for which ARD expectations were established.  Students who take multiple SDAA II tests are included multiple times (for every SDAA II test taken).

2007 is the last year the SDAA II will be administered.  See Chapter 17 – Preview of 2008 and Beyond for information on future alternate assessments for students with disabilities.

Who is evaluated for SDAA II:

• AECs that test students on any SDAA II subject.
• AECs of Choice and Residential Facilities.
• Charters that operate only registered AECs.
• Charters that operate both standard campuses and registered AECs, meet the AEC enrollment criterion, and opt to be evaluated under AEA procedures.

Standard:  AEA: Academically Acceptable – At least 45% of SDAA II tests taken must meet ARD expectations.

Student Groups:

• Performance for the percent Meeting ARD Expectations is evaluated for All Students only.
• Student group performance is not evaluated separately.

Methodology:

Minimum Size Requirements:

• SDAA II performance is evaluated for AECs and charters with results from 30 or more tests (summed across grades and subjects).
• Special Analysis is not conducted on SDAA II performance.
• Student groups are not evaluated separately.

Accountability Subset:

• Campus Accountability Subset.  AECs are accountable for SDAA II results for students enrolled on the AEC on the PEIMS enrollment snapshot date (the last Friday in October) and on the testing date.
• District Accountability Subset.  Charters are accountable for SDAA II results for students enrolled at the charter on the PEIMS enrollment snapshot date and on the testing date.

Year of Data:  Spring 2007 grades 3-10 SDAA II results

Data Source:  Pearson Educational Measurement

Other Information:

• Students Tested in both SDAA II and TAKS.  In some cases, students may take both the SDAA II and TAKS.  For example, a grade 6 student may take the TAKS for mathematics, but the SDAA II for reading.  In this case, the student’s performance is included in both indicators.
• TAKS-I.  Beginningin 2006, students served in special education may take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Inclusive (TAKS-I) in subjects and grades where the SDAA II is not available.  TAKS-I performance is not used in determining the accountability ratings in 2007, but will be shown on the AEIS reports released in the fall.
• Rounding.  The Met ARD Expectation calculations are expressed as a percent, rounded to whole numbers.  For example, 49.877% is rounded to 50%; 79.4999% is rounded to 79%; and 89.5% is rounded to 90%.

Completion Rate II (Grades 9-12) Indicator

This longitudinal rate shows the percent of students who first attended grade 9 in the 2002-03 school year who graduated, received a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or who are continuing their education four years later.  Known as the 2002-03 cohort, these students’ progress was tracked over the four years using data provided to TEA by districts and charters and data available in the statewide GED database.

Completion Rate II includes graduates, continuing students (students who return to school for a fifth year), and GED recipients in the definition of Completion Rate II for AECs of Choice and charters evaluated under AEA procedures.

Beginning with 2007 accountability, the definition of a dropout changes to comply with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) definition.  The transition to the NCES dropout definition also impacts the Completion Rate II indicator.  Beginning with 2007 accountability, the dropout component of the Completion Rate denominator changes.  In 2007, only one of the four years in the cohort is affected.  In 2008, two years of the cohort are affected, and so on, until 2010 when the Completion Rate denominator uses the NCES dropout definition for all four years of the cohort.  See Appendix I – NCES Dropout Definition for detailed information on the NCES dropout definition.

Who is evaluated for Completion Rate II:

• AECs of Choice that have served students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 for the last five years.
• Residential Facilities are not evaluated on Completion Rate II.
• If the AEC of Choice does not serve students in any of grades 9-12 in the 2006-07 school year, then the AEC of Choice is not evaluated on Completion Rate II.
• Use of District At-Risk Rate.  If the AEC of Choice does not meet the accountability standard, does not meet minimum size requirements for All Students, or if the AEC of Choice has students in any of grades 9-12 but does not have a Completion Rate II, then the AEC of Choice is evaluated on Completion Rate II (including GED recipients) of at-risk students in the district.  If at-risk students in the district do not meet minimum size requirements for All Students, then the AEC of Choice is not evaluated on Completion Rate II.  See Chapter 11 – Additional Features of AEA.
• Charters that operate only registered AECs.
• Charters that operate both standard campuses and registered AECs, meet the AEC enrollment criterion, and opt to be evaluated under AEA procedures.

Table 11: Completion Rate II (Grades 9-12) Indicator

Standard:

• AEA: Academically Acceptable – At least 75.0% Completion Rate II.
• The Completion Rate II standard will be reviewed annually and is subject to change.

Student Groups:  Completion Rate II is evaluated for All Students and the following student groups that meet minimum size requirements:  African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged.

Minimum Size Requirements:

• All Students. These results are evaluated if there are:
  • at least 5 dropouts (non-completers), and
  • at least 10 students in the AEC of Choice or charter Completion Rate II class.
• Student Groups. These results are evaluated if there are:
  • at least 5 dropouts (non-completers) within the student group, and;
  • 30 to 49 students in the student group and the student group represents at least 10% of All Students in the class; or
  • at least 50 students in the group even if they represent less than 10% of All Students in the class.
• Special Analysis is not conducted on Completion Rate II.

Accountability Subset:

• Completion data are attributed to the student’s last campus of attendance.
• The 85-day rule is phased out completely.

Years of Data:

• Graduating Class of 2006 (results are based on the original 2002-03 cohort, whether the students remain on grade level or not)
• Continued enrollment in 2006-07
• GED records as of August 31, 2006

Data Sources:

• PEIMS Submission 1 enrollment data for 2002-03 through 2006-07
• PEIMS Submission 1 leaver data for 2003-04 through 2006-07
• PEIMS Submission 3 attendance data for 2002-03 through 2005-06
• GED records as of August 31, 2006

Other Information:

• School Leaver Provision for 2007.  For 2007 AEA ratings, if the Completion Rate II and/or Annual Dropout Rate indicator(s) are the only cause for an AEA: Academically Unacceptable rating, then the AEC or charter is assigned the AEA: Academically Acceptable label.  As a safeguard to this provision, districts are subject to identification and intervention by Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) for dropout rates and leaver reporting.  Additionally, campuses that avoid being rated AEA: Academically Unacceptable due to this provision will be subject to technical assistance team (TAT) intervention requirements in the 2007-08 school year.  See Chapter 6 – Special Issues and Circumstances for more information on the School Leaver Provision.
• Transfers.  Any student who transfers into the cohort is added to it, and any student who transfers out of the cohort is subtracted from it.
• Rounding.  All calculations are expressed as a percent, rounded to one decimal point.  For example, 74.875% is rounded to 74.9%.  However, student group percents (minimum size requirements) are always rounded to whole numbers.
• Students with Disabilities.  The completion status of students with disabilities is included in this measure.

Annual Dropout rate (Grades 7-12) Indicator

The Annual Dropout Rate indicator is grade 7-12 dropouts as a percent of total students enrolled at the AEC or charter in grades 7-12 in a single school year.

Beginning with 2007 accountability, the more rigorous NCES definition will be used.  See Appendix I – NCES Dropout Definition for detailed information on the NCES dropout definition.

Who is evaluated for Annual Dropout Rate:

• AECs of Choice and Residential Facilities that serve students in any of grades 7-12.
• Charters that operate only registered AECs.
• Charters that operate both standard campuses and registered AECs, meet the AEC enrollment criterion, and opt to be evaluated under AEA procedures.

Table 12: Annual Dropout Rate (Grades 7-12) Indicator

Standard:

• AEA: Academically Acceptable – An Annual Dropout Rate of 10.0% or less.
• The Annual Dropout Rate standard will be reviewed annually and is subject to change.

Student Groups:  Annual Dropout Rate is evaluated for All Students and the following student groups that meet minimum size requirements:  African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged.

Methodology:

Minimum Size Requirements:

• All Students. These results are evaluated if there are:
  • at least 5 dropouts, and
  • at least 10 students in grades 7-12.
• Student Groups. These results are evaluated if there are:
  • at least 5 dropouts within the student group, and;
  • 30 to 49 students within the student group and the student group represents at least 10% of All Students in grades 7-12; or
  • 50 students within the student group even if they represent less than 10% of All Students in grades 7-12.
• Special Analysis is not conducted on Annual Dropout Rate.
• If the AEC or charter does not meet the minimum size requirements for All Students, then the AEC or charter is not evaluated on Annual Dropout Rate.

Accountability Subset:

• Dropout data are attributed to the student’s last campus of attendance.
• The 85-day rule is phased out completely.

Year of Data:  2005-06

Data Sources:

• PEIMS Submission 1 data for 2005-06 and 2006-07
• PEIMS Submission 1 leaver data for 2006-07
• PEIMS Submission 3 attendance data for 2005-06

Other Information:

• School Leaver Provision for 2007.  For 2007 AEA ratings, if the Completion Rate II and/or Annual Dropout Rate indicator(s) are the only cause for an AEA: Academically Unacceptable rating, then the AEC or charter is assigned the AEA: Academically Acceptable label.  As a safeguard to this provision, districts are subject to identification and intervention by PBM for dropout rates and leaver reporting.  Additionally, campuses that avoid being rated AEA: Academically Unacceptable due to this provision will be subject to TAT intervention requirements in the 2007-08 school year.  See Chapter 6 – Special Issues and Circumstances for more information on the School Leaver Provision.
• Cumulative Attendance.  A cumulative count of students is used in the denominator.  This method for calculating the dropout rate neutralizes the effects of mobility by including in the denominator every student reported in attendance at the AEC or charter throughout the school year, regardless of length of stay.
• Rounding.  All calculations are expressed as a percent, rounded to one decimal point.  For example, 2.49% is rounded to 2.5%, and 0.25% is rounded to 0.3%.  However, student group percents (minimum size requirements) are always rounded to whole numbers.
• Students with Disabilities.  Students with disabilities who drop out of school are included in this measure.

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