Glossary

for the

Academic Excellence Indicator System

2000-01 Report

Accountability Rating: This refers to the district and campus ratings assigned by the 2001 accountability system. Districts and campuses are evaluated on performance on the TAAS and the dropout rate. The four levels of ratings are:

• Exemplary (district and campus);
• Recognized (district and campus);
• Academically Acceptable (district) / Acceptable (campus); and
• Academically Unacceptable (district) / Low-Performing (campus).

Other rating labels:

Alternative Education - Campuses that applied and were identified as eligible to be evaluated under alternative education procedures receive a rating of AE: Commended, AE: Acceptable, AE: Needs Peer Review, or AE: Not Rated.

Charters - At the district level, open-enrollment charters receive the label Charter. At the school level, they are given one of the four rating categories listed above, based on the regular accountability system. They may also be rated under the alternative education procedures if appropriate. Note that the first year of operation for a charter school is a benchmark year and it is not rated; it is labeled NR: Charter (New). If a charter had insufficient data to be evaluated for a rating (typically because of very low enrollment or very high student mobility), it will receive a rating label of NR: Charter (Insufficient Data).

NR: PK-K - Campuses that do not serve students within the 1st through 12th grade span, such as pre-kindergarten centers and early education through kindergarten schools are not rated.

Academically Unacceptable: SAI - These districts have been designated as Academically Unacceptable due to a Special Accreditation Investigation. Special Accreditation Investigations may be conducted when excessive numbers of absences or exemptions of students eligible to be tested on state assessment instruments are determined; in response to complaints related to alleged violations of civil rights or other legal requirements; in response to compliance reviews of financial accounting practices and state and federal program requirements; when extraordinary numbers of students are placed in alternative education programs; and in response to allegations involving conflict between members of the board of trustees or between the board and the district administration.

Suspended: Data Inquiry - These districts and campuses have their ratings Suspended due to serious errors in the reporting of PEIMS data that affect one or more of the base indicators used for assigning accountability ratings. The errors are of such magnitude that the performance results are deemed to be unsuitable for evaluation for standard ratings purposes. The rating will be in effect until such time as an agency investigation determines otherwise.

For a more detailed explanation of the accountability system, see the 2001 Accountability Manual. A copy of the manual was provided to each superintendent and principal in April 2001. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2001/manual/. For a detailed explanation of the accountability system used for alternative education schools, see the 2000-2001 Accountability Procedures for Alternative Education Manual, available from the TEA Office of Accountability, Development and Support. It is also available online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/account.eval.

Accountability Subset: This refers to the group of students whose performance on the TAAS is used to determine a school and district's accountability rating. While all students in grades 3-8 and 10 are required to take the TAAS, not every student's performance is used for their school or district's accountability rating:

• Only test takers who were enrolled in the district as of the last Friday in the previous October are included. This means that, for example, a student who moved into the district a week before the TAAS was given would not be included in the performance for that district or campus or any other, for accountability rating purposes. However, the results for students who move from school to school within the same district are used for accountability purposes. The test results go to the last school where the student was tested.
• For exit-level performance, only 10th graders tested in the spring administration are included in the subset. This includes 10th graders who are repeating the grade and may have previously taken the exit-level TAAS. It does not include test takers in the 11th or 12th grade who are taking the exit-level TAAS, even if they are taking it for the first time.
• While nearly all special education and LEP students take an assessment, some are exempted.

The TAAS Participation Report, included with the AEIS report, shows what percent of a district or school's test takers made up the Accountability Subset. Also see Mobile Subset, TAAS, and TAAS Participation Report.

Additional Acknowledgment: This refers to the school or district's performance on the additional indicators in the accountability system. For 2001, the accountability system includes performance on college admissions tests, the TAAS/TASP equivalency, Recommended High School Program, Comparable Improvement (campus-level only), and new for this year, Attendance Rate. Schools and districts may receive a rating of Acknowledged on one or more of these indicators; Does Not Qualify indicates that they did not meet the standards for the indicator(s); Not Eligible indicates that the school or district was not eligible due to Low-Performing or Academically Unacceptable status; Not Applicable indicates there were no data to be evaluated for the indicator, usually due to the grades served by the district or campus. Schools evaluated under the alternative education procedures are not eligible for additional acknowledgment.

Please refer to the 2001 Accountability Manual for detailed information on the standards for additional acknowledgment. A copy of the manual was provided to each superintendent and principal in April 2001. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2001/manual/. See College Admissions Tests, TAAS/TASP Equivalency, Recommended High School Program, Attendance Rate, and Comparable Improvement.

Adopted Tax Rate (calendar year 2000) (District Profile only): This is the locally adopted tax rate set for the 2000-01 school year. The total adopted rate is composed of a maintenance and operation rate (M&O) and a debt service rate (sometimes referred to as the Interest and Sinking fund rate). Rates are expressed per $100 of taxable value. Taxes based on this rate were to be paid by taxpayers in early 2001. The state value shown for the adopted tax rates is the simple average of all the district rates. (Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 2001)

Advanced Courses: This indicator is based on a count of students who complete and receive credit for at least one advanced academic course in grades 9-12. This year, for the first time, the definition of advanced courses has been broadened to include dual enrollment courses. Dual enrollment courses are those for which a student gets both high school and college credit. Deciding who gets credit for which college course is described in Texas Administrative Code §74.25:

To be eligible to enroll and be awarded credit toward state graduation requirements, a student must have the approval of the high school principal or other school official designated by the school district. The course for which credit is awarded must provide advanced academic instruction beyond, or in greater depth than, the essential knowledge and skills for the equivalent high school course.

Appendix C lists all courses noted as advanced, with the exception of courses designated only as dual enrollment. These cannot be listed, as the list could potentially include a large proportion of all high school courses.

Course completion information is reported by districts through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) after the close of the school year. The values, expressed as a percent, are calculated as follows:

number of students who completed at least one advanced academic course in 1999-2000
divided by
number of students who completed at least one course in 1999-2000

Special education students are included in the results shown for the campus or district and the individual student groups. For purposes of comparison, advanced course completion rates are also shown for prior year (1998-99). The prior year values have been recomputed to include participation in dual enrollment courses. See Appendix C: List of Advanced Courses. (Source: PEIMS, June 2000, June 1999)

Advanced Placement Examinations: See AP/IB Results.

Annual Dropout Rate: See Dropout Rate (Annual).

AP/IB Results (District Performance only): These refer to the results of the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and the International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations taken by Texas public school students in a given school year. High school students may take these examinations, ideally upon completion of AP or IB courses, and may receive advanced placement or credit, or both, upon entering college. Generally, colleges will award credit or advanced placement for scores of 3, 4, or 5 on AP examinations and scores of 4, 5, 6, or 7 on IB examinations.

Three values were calculated for this indicator:

(1) The percent of students in grades 11 and 12 taking at least one AP or IB examination:

number of 11th and 12th grade students taking at least one AP or IB examination
divided by
number of 11th and 12th grade students

(2) The percent of AP scores of 3 or above or IB scores of 4 or above:

number of grade 11 & 12 AP examination scores of 3 or above or IB scores of 4 or above
divided by
number of grade 11 and 12 AP & IB examination scores

(3) The percent of examinees with at least one AP score of 3 or above or IB score of 4 or above:

number of grade 11 & 12 examinees with at least one AP score of 3 or above or IB score of 4 or abovenumber of grade 11 and 12 AP or IB examinees

Note that "number of 11th and 12th graders" in the denominator of equation (1) does not include 11th and 12th grade students served in special education; however, all students who took at least one AP examination are included in the numerator.

This indicator is provided on district reports only. For purposes of year-to-year comparison, information is provided for students taking examinations in the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 school years. (Sources: Educational Testing Service, a College Board contractor, Aug. 2001, Aug. 2000; The International Baccalaureate Organization, Aug. 2001, Aug. 2000; and PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999)

ARD Exempt: This refers to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal committee that determines the education plan for every student in special education. See Special Education and TAAS Participation Report.

Attendance Rate: Attendance rates reported in AEIS are based on student attendance for the entire school year. Attendance is calculated as follows:

total number of days students were present in 1999-2000
divided by
total number of days students were in membership in 1999-2000

In the past, attendance rate has been a base indicator, used as part of the calculation in determining district and campus accountability ratings. As of this year, attendance rate is an additional indicator. In order to qualify for Additional Acknowledgment for attendance, an elementary school must have a rate of at least 97.0%; a middle school or junior high school must have a rate of at least 96.0%; a high school must have a rate of at least 95.0%; multi-level schools and districts must have a rate of at least 96.0%. For a more detailed explanation of the accountability system, see the 2001 Accountability Manual.

Attendance rates are shown for 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Only students in grades 1-12 are included in the calculations. (Source: PEIMS, June 2000, June 1999)

Auxiliary Staff (District Profile only): This shows the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) count of staff reported without a role but with a PEIMS employment and payroll record. Counts of auxiliary staff are expressed as a percent of total staff. For auxiliary staff, the FTE is simply the value of the percent of day worked expressed as a fraction. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Average Actual Salaries (regular duties only): For each professional staff type, the total salary is divided by the total FTE count of staff who receive that salary. The total actual salary amount is pay for regular duties only and does not include supplemental payments for coaching, band and orchestra assignments, and club sponsorships. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Average Teacher Salary by Years of Experience (regular duties only): Total pay for teachers within each experience group is divided by the total teacher FTE for the group. The total actual salary amount is pay for regular duties only and does not include supplements. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Average Years Experience of Teachers: Weighted averages are obtained by multiplying each teacher's FTE count by years of experience. These amounts are summed for all teachers and divided by the total teacher count, resulting in the averages shown. Average years experience refers to the total number of (completed) years of professional experience for the individual, while average years experience with a district refers to tenure, i.e., the number of years employed in the reporting district, whether or not there has been any interruption in service. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Budgeted Instructional Operating Expenditures by Program: These are budgeted instructional operating expenditures categorized by the individual program for which they were budgeted: Regular Education (Basic Educational Services); Special Education (Services to Students with Disabilities); Compensatory Education (Accelerated); Career and Technology Education; Bilingual/ESL Education (Bilingual and Special Language Programs); and Gifted and Talented Education. Percentages are expressed per total instructional operating expenditures. Instructional operating expenditures include those activities which deal directly with the instruction of pupils (functions 11, 95). Instructional Leadership expenditures (function 21) are not included. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Campus Group: See Comparable Improvement.

Class Size Averages by Grade and Subject: These values show the average class size for elementary classes (by grade) and for secondary classes by subject for selected subjects. Classes identified as serving regular, as well as compensatory/remedial, gifted and talented, career & technology, and honors students are included in these averages. The method for calculating the number of classes differs depending on whether the class is elementary or secondary due to different reporting practices. For secondary classes, each unique combination of teacher and class time is counted as a class. Averages are determined by summing the number of students served and dividing by a calculated count of classes. For elementary classes, the teacher's FTE value is considered when determining class size. Districts do not report actual class size averages; these values are derived from Staff Responsibility records. Class averages are reported on both the campus and district reports. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

College Admissions Tests: These include the College Board's SAT I and ACT, Inc.'s ACT Assessment. Both testing companies provide the agency with testing information annually on test participation and performance of the most recent graduating seniors at all Texas public schools. Only one record is sent per student. If a student takes an ACT or SAT I test more than once, the agency receives the record for the most recent SAT and ACT taken.

Three values are calculated for this indicator:

(1) The percent of examinees who scored at or above the criterion score on either test (1110 on the SAT I, or 24 on the ACT):

number of examinees who scored at or above criterion
divided by
number of examinees

(2) The percent of graduates who took either college admissions test:

number of graduates who took either the SAT I or the ACT
divided by
number of graduates

(3) The average score for each (SAT I total and ACT composite), calculated as follows:

total score for all students who took the SAT I
divided by
number of students who took the SAT I

and

total score for all students who took the ACT
divided by
number of students who took the ACT

Note that "graduates" in the denominator of equation (2) does not include special education graduates; however, special education graduates who took either the SAT I or ACT are included in the numerator. (See Graduates.) For purposes of year-to-year comparison, results are reported for graduating seniors in the class of 1999 and the class of 2000.

In order to qualify for Additional Acknowledgment for performance on college admissions tests, the school or district must have at least 70.0% of its graduates taking either the SAT I or the ACT, and 50.0% of examinees meeting or exceeding the criterion score on either test. (Source: Educational Testing Service, a College Board contractor (SAT I) Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999; ACT, Inc. (ACT) Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999; and PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999)

Comparable Improvement: Comparable Improvement (CI) is a measure that shows how student performance on the TAAS test has changed (or grown) from one year to the next, and then compares that growth to that of the 40 schools that are demographically most similar to the target school.

Campus Group - The first step to determining a school's comparable improvement is to create the school's comparison group. Each school (also referred to as campus) has a unique comparison group of 40 other public schools (from anywhere in the state), that closely matches that school on six characteristics. (Note that only schools that carry a rating of Exemplary, Recognized, Acceptable, or Low Performing are included in comparison groups. Also, schools that were initially Not Rated but were later granted a rating as a result of an appeal are not included in the comparison groups and are not eligible for additional acknowledgment for CI.)

The demographic characteristics used to construct the campus comparison groups include those defined in statute as well as others found to be statistically related to performance. They are:

• the percent of African American students enrolled for 2000-01;
• the percent of Hispanic students enrolled for 2000-01;
• the percent of White students enrolled for 2000-01;
• the percent of economically disadvantaged students enrolled for 2000-01;
• the percent of limited English proficient (LEP) students enrolled for 2000-01; and
• the percent of mobile students as determined from 1999-2000 cumulative attendance.

All schools are first grouped by type (elementary, middle, high school, or multi-level). Then the group is determined on the basis of the most predominant features at the target school. In the attached example (Appendix D, page 1) the target school (Sample H S) has 7.6% African American, 36.8% Hispanic, 53.9% White, 28.2% economically disadvantaged, 10.7% limited English proficient, and 23.7% mobile students. Of these features, the most predominant (i.e., the largest percentage) is the percent of White students, followed by the percent of Hispanic students, the percent of economically disadvantaged students, the percent of mobile students, the percent of limited English proficient students, and finally, the percent of African American students. The following steps illustrate the group identification process:

Step 1: 100 high school campuses having percentages closest to 53.9% White students are identified;

Step 2: 10 schools from the initial group of 100 are eliminated on the basis of being most distant from the value of 36.8% Hispanic;

Step 3: 10 of the remaining 90 schools which are most distant from 28.2% economically disadvantaged students are eliminated;

Step 4: 10 of the remaining 80 schools which are most distant from 23.7% mobile students are eliminated;

Step 5: 10 of the remaining 70 schools which are most distant from 10.7% limited English proficient students are eliminated;

Step 6: 10 of the remaining 60 schools which are most distant from 7.6% African American students are eliminated; and

Step 7: 10 of the remaining 50 schools which are most distant from 7.6% African American and/or 28.2% economically disadvantaged students are eliminated. (This last reduction step is based on the least predominant characteristics among the four student groups evaluated in the accountability system: African American, Hispanic, White, and economically disadvantaged.)

The final group size is 40 schools. This methodology creates a unique comparison group for every campus. Please note the following:

• With this methodology, the number of times a school appears as a member of other groups will vary.
• In cases where the campus has a missing mobility value, the district's average mobility is used as a proxy. This will happen for schools in their first year of operation.
• Districts are not grouped, nor is CI calculated for districts.

In the performance section of a campus AEIS report, the value given in the Campus Group column is the median of the values from the 40-school group for that campus. (The median is defined as that point in the distribution of values, above and below which one-half of the values fall.) However, on the profile section of the report, the value given in the Campus Group column is the mean, or average value. If a report contains question marks (?) in the Campus Group column, this means there were too few schools in the comparison group (specifically, fewer than 25 schools) to have confidence in the median values. Such small numbers are considered too unstable to provide an adequate comparison group value.

Texas Learning Index (TLI) - The TLI is a score that describes a student's performance on the TAAS reading or mathematics test. It can be used to tell how far a student is above or below the passing standard. For example, the passing standard is a TLI of 70. If a student's TLI is 72, then we know that while the student passed, he did not pass by as great a margin as a classmate whose TLI was 90. The TLI is available only for the TAAS (English version) reading and mathematics tests at grades 3 through 8 and 10.

TLI Average Growth (TAG) - Calculation of Comparable Improvement for a particular school is based on the growth in the students' Texas Learning Index (TLI) scores on the TAAS reading and mathematics tests given from one year to the next.

Students included in a school's CI are those who:

• took the spring 2001 TAAS reading and/or mathematics tests, in grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10;
• are part of the 2001 Accountability Subset (see TAAS);
• can be matched to the spring 2000 TAAS administration-anywhere in the state-to find their prior year TLI score for reading, and/or mathematics. Note: tenth grade students tested in spring 2001 are matched to their eighth grade test of 1999; and growth is not calculated for third grade test takers since that is their first TAAS test; and
• scored a TLI of 84 or below in the 2000 TAAS administration. Students who score above a TLI of 84 are at the top of the score range. Since they are most likely to show loss rather than growth, they are removed from the TAG calculation and reported separately.

CI is calculated separately for TAAS reading and TAAS mathematics. For each matched student and each subject, TLI growth is determined by subtracting the prior year TLI value from the current year TLI value. The student-level TLI growth values are then aggregated to the campus level to create a TLI Average Growth (TAG) for each campus. The TAG values, rounded to two decimal places, are calculated as follows:

Interpretation of Comparable Improvement - Comparable Improvement is expressed as the quartile position of a school within its comparison group. For example, if a school is in the top quartile for reading, that means that the average growth in reading of the students tested at that school is greater than that of at least three-quarters of the schools in its comparison group.

Quartile positions are determined separately for reading and mathematics. First, the TAG values for the schools in the comparison group are arranged in order from highest to lowest, and then they are divided into four quartiles, with each quartile containing one-fourth of the schools:

• Q1 (top 25 percent of TAG values within the comparison group);
• Q2 (in the top 50 percent, but not in the top 25 percent);
• Q3 (in the bottom 50 percent, but not in the lowest 25 percent); and
• Q4 (lowest 25 percent).

Note the following points:

• Because there are 40 schools in a comparison group, there are 10 schools in each quartile (with the target school being the 11th school in its quartile). Exceptions to this rule occur when a group has tied TAG values at the border between quartiles, or when a school in a group has too few "matched students," and is therefore not assigned a TAG value or a quartile. This will cause the number of schools in each quartile to vary.
• High growth (TAG) values do not necessarily imply that more students are passing the TAAS. It simply evaluates the performance growth of all students regardless of whether they passed or failed a test.
• A school's quartile position can vary by subject. For instance, in the attached example (Appendix D, page 2), the target school is Q1 in reading with a TAG value of 5.38, and is Q2 in mathematics with a TAG value of 2.90. Quartile position is relative to the performance of the other schools in the group.
• A school may be Q1 for its own group and Q4 as a member of another school's group. (However, the quartile value that matters is the one determined for the school's own group.)
• Any school with fewer than 10 matched students for a subject will not have TAG values calculated and will not be assigned a quartile position.
• The number of matched students for reading may differ from the number of matched students for mathematics.

In order to qualify for Additional Acknowledgment for performance on Comparable Improvement, the school must be in Q1, and have at least 50.0% of their (matched) test takers scoring a TLI of 85 or greater in the prior year.

For a description of each aspect of the Comparable Improvement Report, see Appendix D. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, and June 2000; TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Completion Rate / Student Status Rate: These longitudinal rates show the high school outcomes for a the cohort of grade 9 students. The outcomes are determined for the year graduation is expected (four years after entering grade 9). For the class of 2000, the indicator summarizes the outcomes for the grade nine cohort of 1996-97. This indicator is shown for districts as well as for high schools that have had continuous enrollment in grades 9-12 since at least the 1996-97 school year. The four final outcomes are:

(1) Percent Graduated: Based on the 1996-97 cohort, this shows what percentage received a High School diploma by the end of the 1999-2000 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of on-time graduates from the 1996-97 cohort plus early graduates
divided by
Number of 9th graders in 1996-97 plus transfers in minus transfers out

(2) Percent Received GED: Based on the 1996-97 cohort, this shows what percentage received a General Educational Development certificate by the end of the 1999-2000 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of GED recipients from the 1996-97 cohort
divided by
Number of 9th graders in 1996-97 plus transfers in minus transfers out

(3) Percent Continued High School: Based on the 1996-97 cohort, this shows what percentage were enrolled as students for the 2000-01 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the 1996-97 cohort who were enrolled for the 2000-01 school year
divided by
Number of 9th graders in 1996-97 plus transfers in minus transfers out

(4) Percent Dropped Out: Based on the 1996-97 cohort, this shows what percentage dropped out and did not return by the end of the 1999-2000 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the 1996-97 cohort who dropped out before their on-time graduation date
divided by
Number of 9th grade cohort plus transfers in minus transfers out

These four outcomes sum to 100%.

Students are taken out of the counts if during those four years:

• they moved out of state or out of the country;
• they died; or
• they are otherwise not reported in PEIMS.

For purposes of comparison, the completion rate / student status for the class of 1999 is also provided. For further information on these rates, see the Report on Secondary School Completion and Dropouts 1999-00. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, June 1999, Oct. 1998, June 1998, Oct. 1997, June 1997, Oct. 1996, June 1996, June 1995, June 1994)

Criterion Score: This refers to the scores on SAT I and ACT college admissions tests and the AP and IB tests. For college admissions tests, the criterion scores are at least 24 on the ACT (composite) and at least 1110 on the SAT I (total). For AP and IB tests, the criterion scores are at least 3 on AP tests, and at least 4 on IB tests. See College Admissions Tests and AP/IB Results.

Data Quality (from District Profile Section): For 2001, AEIS reports show the percent of errors a district made in two key data submissions: 1) the PID Error Rate, and 2) the Underreported Student Rate.

(1) The Person Identification Database (PID) system ensures that each time information is collected for a student, the identifying information matches other data collections for that student. This allows linking student data such as enrollment records, which are collected in October, to attendance records, which are collected in June, or data to be matched across years. It also helps maintain student confidentiality by assigning an ID number that is not part of the student's identifying information.

Each district receives a report during the data submission process which shows any PID errors found. The district then has some time to correct the errors before their submission is finalized. While the PID error rate has declined significantly over the years, it is still considered to be unacceptably high, especially for calculating longitudinal measures such as the four-year dropout rate and the high school completion rate. The AEIS reports show the student PID error rate for PEIMS Submission 1 (Fall 2000).

The rate is calculated as follows:

Number of student PID errors found in PEIMS submission 1 (fall 2000)
divided by
Number of student records in PEIMS submission 1 (fall 2000)

(2) Underreported students are 7th - 12th graders who were enrolled at any time the prior year, whom the district has not accounted for in the current year: In other words, they were not reported as returning to school, having graduated or received a GED, having died, having dropped out or having transferred to another school. (For a more complete definition of leavers, see Leaver Records.) This is the first year the underreported student rate is shown in the AEIS reports.

The rate is calculated as follows:

(Number of 7th - 12th graders reported in enrollment or attendance in 1999-2000)
minus
(Number of those same students reported as returning in 2000-01 or as leavers)
divided by
Number of 7th - 12th graders reported in enrollment or attendance in 1999-2000

Note that in some cases districts overreport students as leavers when those students were not in attendance or enrollment at the district in the prior year. These overreported leavers are in the denominator of the above formula.

A rate greater than 10.0% or a number over 1,000 is over the current threshold and for this reason is noted with a double asterisk (**). Districts with 5 or fewer underreported students and a rate greater than 10.0% are not considered to be over the threshold. Any district that exceeds this threshold cannot be rated Exemplary or Recognized. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999)

Dropout: A student is identified as a dropout if he or she is absent without an approved excuse or documented transfer and does not return to school by the fall of the following year, or if he or she completes the school year but fails to re-enroll the following school year.

Dropout counts are obtained from PEIMS records. Districts report the status of all students who were enrolled in grades 7 - 12 in the district during the prior school year in one of two ways: as being currently in school (Enrollment record) or as having left school (Leaver record). The Leaver record provides 43 possible reasons for leaving school. Generally, a school leaver can be put into one of four categories:

1. The student graduated or received a GED.
2. The student died.
3. The student left school with appropriate documentation of continuing education elsewhere.
4. The student left school for other reasons.

Students coded with one of the many reasons under the fourth category are considered dropouts. However, before the dropout rate is finalized, a statewide recovery system is run in which information about these students is merged with statewide enrollment and attendance records, graduation records, and GED records. Those students who are found in these files are excluded from the dropout rate for the school and district. See Dropout Rate (Annual).

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, June 1999, Oct. 1998, and June 1998; and General Educational Development Information File;)

Dropout Rate (Annual): The annual dropout rate is the count of dropouts summed across all grades, 7-12, divided by the number of students summed across all grades 7-12. It is calculated as follows:

number of students who dropped out during the school year
divided by
number of students who were in attendance at any time during the school year

Annual dropout rates are shown for 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Note that a cumulative count of students is used in the denominator as well as the numerator. This method for calculating the dropout rate neutralizes the effects of mobility by including in the denominator every student who enrolled at the school throughout the school year. If the student dropped out, the student was counted as a dropout for the district last attended (as well as for the campus where the student was enrolled in that district). See Dropout and Leaver Record. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, and June 1999)

Economically Disadvantaged: The percent of economically disadvantaged students is calculated as the sum of the students coded as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or eligible for other public assistance, divided by the total number of students:

number of students coded as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance
divided by
total number of students

See Comparable Improvement. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999; and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Educational Aides: Educational aides are staff who are reported with a role of 033 (Educational Aide) or 035 (Interpreter for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing). These aides are referred to as paraprofessional staff. FTE counts of educational aides are expressed as a percent of the total staff FTE. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

End-of-Course Examination: Students completing an Algebra I, Biology, English II, or U.S. History class must take an end-of-course (EOC) examination. The 2000-01 AEIS report shows two values for this indicator:

(1) The percent of students who passed each end-of-course examination:

number of students who passed the EOC examination
divided by
number of students who took the EOC examination

(2) The percent of students who took each end-of-course examination:

number of students who took the EOC examination
divided by
number of students enrolled in the grades taking the EOC examination

The grades included for reporting each examination are:

• Algebra I - grades 7-12
• Biology - grades 9-12
• English II - grades 9-12
• U.S. History - grades 9-12

Students may take end-of-course examinations at different times of the year. The passing and taking rates include the following test administrations:

• Algebra I 2001 - summer 2000, fall 2000, and spring 2001
• Algebra I 2000 - summer 1999, fall 1999, and spring 2000
• Biology 2001 - summer 2000, fall 2000, and spring 2001
• Biology 2000 - summer 1999, fall 1999, and spring 2000
• English II 2001 - summer 2000, fall 2000, and spring 2001
• English II 2000 - summer 1999, fall 1999 and spring 2000
• U.S. History 2001 - summer 2000, fall 2000, and spring 2001
• U.S. History 2000 - summer 1999, fall 1999 and spring 2000

The performance of special education students is included in all groups for this measure.

Preview of 2003 Exit Level - For planning purposes, the passing rates for each of the four end-of-course examinations can be used as a preview of the 2003 exit-level examination, and are labeled as such on the AEIS report. These tests are considered the best currently available predictor of performance on the new exit-level examinations which will be administered beginning in 2003.

(Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment and PEIMS, Oct. 2000, and Oct. 1999)

End-of-Course Examination Credit for Graduation: Students eligible to take the spring 2001 exit-level TAAS at grade 10 may have chosen not to take the test if they had already met their testing requirements for graduation by passing end-of-course examinations. In order to be eligible for this credit, the student must have passed (by fall 2000) the end-of-course examinations for both Algebra I and Biology, and either U.S. History or English II. Students in this category were credited as passers in calculating the school and district's TAAS passing rate for the accountability ratings.

If a student met the end-of-course testing requirement for graduation but still chose to take the TAAS, his or her performance on the TAAS was used in calculating the school and district's accountability ratings.

Enrollment: See Total Students.

Ethnic Distribution: Students are reported as White, African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American. In the profile section, both counts and percentages of the total number of students are shown. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999; Educational Testing Service; American College Testing Program; and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Exclusions: These are staff who serve public school students, but are not included in the FTE totals for any of the other staff statistics. There are two types of these entries: individuals participating in a shared services arrangement and individuals on contract with the district to provide instructional services. Shared Services Arrangement (SSA) Staff (District Profile only) work in schools located in districts other than their employing district, or their payroll shows an organization code of "751" indicating they are employed by the fiscal agent of an SSA. Only the portion of a person's total FTE amount associated with the school in another district (or with the 751 organization code) is counted as SSA. SSA staff are grouped into three categories: Professional Staff (which includes teachers, administrators, and professional support), Educational Aides, and Auxiliary Staff. Note that SSA Auxiliary Staff are identified by the type of fund from which they are paid. Contracted Instructional Staff refers to counts of instructors for whom the district has entered into a contractual agreement with some outside organization. Through the contract, the outside organization has committed to supplying instructional staff for the district. They are never employees of the reporting school district. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

FTE: Full-Time Equivalent.

Fund Balance Information (from District Profile Section): The amount of unreserved, undesignated fund balance that existed at the end of the 1999-2000 school year is reported for each district.

The unreserved fund balance is not legally restricted and has two components, designated and undesignated. Designated requires board action to earmark fund balance for bona fide purposes that will be fulfilled within a reasonable period of time. Undesignated is available to finance monthly operating expenditures.

The amount reported here represents the difference between the total unreserved fund balance and the designated unreserved fund balance. The fund balance amount is expressed as a percent of the total budgeted expenditures (for the general fund) for the current (2000-01). (Source: Financial Audit Report, Dec. 2000)

Graduates (Class of 2000): In the profile section, this is the total number of graduates (including summer graduates) for the 1999-2000 school year, reported in the fall of 2000. The value includes 12th graders who graduated as well as graduates from other grades. Students in special education who graduate are included in the totals and reported as a separate group; counts of students graduating under the advanced, advanced with honors diplomas, recommended high school, or distinguished achievement program are also shown.

Students graduating with the class of 2000 can be coded with one of the following types:

• Regular Graduation
• Advanced High School Program
• Advanced High School Honors Program
• Distinguished Achievement Program
• Recommended High School Program
• Minimum High School Program
• Special Education student completing an IEP

Graduates are calculated slightly differently for three of the indicators on the performance section of the AEIS report:

• College Admissions results do not indicate whether or not the examinee is served in special education; therefore, there is no way to know if a student taking the SAT or ACT is served in special education. However, because relatively few students served in special education take college admissions tests, only non-special education graduates are included in the denominator.
• The TAAS/TASP Equivalency denominator includes some special education graduates, but not all. It excludes those who graduate under an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and are therefore exempt from taking the exit-level TAAS, the performance measure used to create this indicator.
• The Recommended High School Program indicator includes all graduates, special education and non-special education.

See also Completion Rate / Student Status Rate and Recommended High School Program. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

International Baccalaureate (IB): See AP/IB Results.

Leaver Records: In the fall of each year, districts report all 7th through 12th grade students who were enrolled or in attendance at any point during the prior year but who did not re-enroll that fall. This group of "Leavers" includes students such as those who graduated or received a GED, moved to another district, state, or country, died, or dropped out. This information is sent to TEA in Submission 1 of the annual PEIMS data collection.

After the data submission process is complete, PEIMS and several other statewide databases are searched to determine if any of the leaver records can appropriately be excluded from consideration as dropouts for the accountability system. Students' leaver records are excluded from the district and campus list of dropouts if the students:

• have remained enrolled in a public school somewhere in the state, according to the school district attendance and enrollment information provided through PEIMS;
• have received a General Educational Development (GED) certificate and appear on the GED information file at the time the recovery procedures are executed;
• graduated from any other district;
• were identified as a dropout in the past. A student will be counted only once as a dropout in his or her lifetime, even if the student drops out repeatedly in the future.

See Data Quality Measures. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, June 1999, Oct. 1998, and June 1998; General Educational Development Information File; and TEA, Secondary School Completion and Dropouts, 1999-00, Texas Education Agency)

Limited English Proficient (LEP): These are counts of students identified as limited English proficient by the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) according to criteria established in the Texas Administrative Code. Pupils identified as LEP do not necessarily receive bilingual or English as a second language instruction, though most do. Percentages are calculated by dividing the number of LEP pupils by the total number of students in the school or district. See Comparable Improvement and TAAS Participation Report. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Longitudinal Dropout Rate: See Completion Rate / Student Status Rate.

Mobile Subset: This refers to the group of TAAS test takers whose performance is excluded when determining a school or district's accountability rating. Students may take the test but be excluded for accountability ratings purposes if they were not enrolled in that district by the last Friday in the previous October. Note that this calculation is different from that used to determine Mobility (below). See Accountability Subset, TAAS Participation Report, and Appendix E.

Mobility (from Campus Profile Section): A student is considered to be mobile if he or she has been in membership at the school for less than 83% of the school year (i.e., has missed six or more weeks at a particular school).

This rate is calculated at the campus level. The district mobility rate shown in the profile section of campus reports is based on the count of mobile students identified at the campus level. That is, the rate reflects school-to-school mobility, even within the same district. See Comparable Improvement. (Source: PEIMS, June 2000)

n/a: This indicates data that are not available or are not applicable.

Number of Students per Teacher: This shows the total number of students divided by the total teacher FTE count. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Paired Schools: Schools that reported enrollment but do not have grades in which the TAAS is given (e.g. 9th grade centers, K-2 schools, etc.) are paired with schools with which they have a "feeder" relationship to determine accountability ratings. For example, Travis 9th Grade Center feeds its students into Navarro High School, a 10th-12th grade high school, so the district pairs these two schools for accountability purposes. The accountability ratings for these two schools are determined as follows: Travis' dropout rate is used along with Navarro's TAAS pass rates to determine Travis' rating. Navarro High School, on the other hand, has its own dropout rate and TAAS pass rates to determine its rating. For this reason, two schools that are paired can receive different ratings.

Schools are also paired to determine Comparable Improvement (CI) and Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers, if they only test students in grade 3. While students at these schools have current year test scores, these two indicators measure change in student performance on the TAAS from prior year to current year. The schools must be paired with schools that test in grade 4. Note that this type of pairing does not affect the accountability ratings for these schools, but it will have an effect on whether or not they receive Additional Acknowledgment for Comparable Improvement. For more information, see Comparable Improvement and Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers.

Permits by Type (from District Profile Section): This indicates the number of permits issued by permit type. Individuals may be issued more than one permit; for that reason only counts are shown, not percentages. Permit types are emergency for certified personnel, emergency for uncertified personnel, nonrenewable, temporary classroom assignment, district teaching, and temporary exemption. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Per Pupil Expenditures: Budgeted expenditures for groups of functions divided by the total number of students in the district or school. Note that the number shown is not the amount actually spent per pupil, but rather a per-pupil average of the total budget. Per pupil expenditures are shown for total expenditures and for various groupings of operating categories. See Total Operating Expenditures by Function for definitions of each functional group. See Total Campus Budget by Function for definitions of each functional group shown on the campus report. In the "per pupil" sections on both the district and campus reports, instructional leadership is combined with the instruction category in order to comply with legislative mandates that instructional costs per pupil and administrative costs per pupil be reported. Please note that when comparing averages for school-level expenditures, the state and district averages include all types of schools. To illustrate, a high school's per pupil expenditures may not be comparable to the state average because the state value is the average per pupil expenditure of all schools in the state, including elementary and middle schools, which typically have lower per pupil expenditures than high schools. Other variables may include the experience level of teachers and administrators, types of instructional programs offered, and student characteristics. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Preview of 2003 Exit Level: See End-of-Course Examination.

Professional Staff: This is a full-time equivalent (FTE) count of teachers, professional support staff, campus administrators, and, on the district profile, central administrators. Staff are grouped according to the PEIMS roles reported. Each type of professional staff is shown as a percentage of the total staff FTE. See Appendix A. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers: The progress, or growth, shown with this measure is determined by comparing the performance of students who failed the TAAS in the prior year with their subsequent performance the following year. This year, the AEIS reports also show the percent of prior year TAAS failers who passed the TAAS the following year.

Specifically, for the 2001 measure, students included are those who:

• took the spring 2001 TAAS reading and/or mathematics tests in grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10;
• are part of the Accountability Subset;
• can be matched to the spring 2000 TAAS administration-anywhere in the state-to find their prior year TLI (Texas Learning Index) score for reading and/or mathematics. Note: tenth grade students tested in spring 2001 are matched to their eighth grade test of 1999. Also, growth is not calculated for third grade test takers since that is their first TAAS test;
• scored a TLI of 69 or below in the 2000 TAAS administration. Students who scored above a TLI of 69 are excluded from this measure because they passed the test in 2000.

The growth is calculated separately for TAAS reading and TAAS mathematics. For each matched student, a growth value is determined by subtracting the prior year TLI value from the current year TLI value. The TAAS failer student-level growth values are then aggregated to the campus level to create average TLI growth measures for each campus. The reported measures, rounded to two decimal places, are calculated as follows:Growth (reading) =

Note that reports of Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers by grade are available for each district and campus on the internet, within the AEIS report that appears on the Division of Performance Reporting's website. Simply call up a campus or district report from the AEIS site (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2001/). A link below the line showing the Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers will produce a separate report, by grade. See Texas Learning Index. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE): These tests are designed to measure annual growth in the English reading proficiency of second language learners, and are used along with English and Spanish TAAS to provide a comprehensive assessment system for limited English proficient (LEP) students.

The RPTE is constructed with items from each of three levels of proficiency - Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. LEP students in Grades 3-12 are required to take the RPTE until they achieve advanced proficiency. Once they achieve a rating of Advanced they are required to take the TAAS in subsequent years.

The AEIS reports show the percent of students who moved from a level of Beginning or Intermediate on the 2000 RPTE to each of the three levels on the 2001 test. Students included in the measure are those who:

• scored at the Beginning or Intermediate level on the spring 2000 RPTE;
• took the RPTE in spring 2001;
• were part of the Accountability Subset; and
• took the spring 2000 RPTE anywhere in the state.

(Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Recommended High School Program: This indicator reports the percent of graduates who were reported as having satisfied the course requirements for the Texas State Board of Education Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program. It is calculated as follows:

number of graduates reported with graduation codes for "Recommended High School Program," or "Distinguished Achievement Program"
divided by
number of graduates

Note that all special education students are included in this calculation. In order to qualify for Additional Acknowledgment for this indicator, at least 35.0% of the school or district's graduates must have met or exceeded the requirements for the SBOE's Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program. See Graduates. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999)

Retention Rates by Grade: The retention rate, which is reported in the profile section, shows the percent of students in Texas public schools who enrolled in 2000-01 in the same grade as their grade in the last reported six-week period of the prior year (1999-2000). It is calculated as follows:

number of students not advanced to the next gradenumber of students advanced to the next grade + number of students
divided by
not advanced to the next grade

Note that all special education retention rates are calculated and reported separately from the rates of non-special education students because local retention practices appear to differ greatly between these two populations of students. Also, the AEIS report only shows retention rates for grades K-8. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, June 2000)

Revenues by Source (District Profile only): Budgeted revenues for groups of object categories are expressed as a percent of total revenue. The amounts appearing as revenue in any of the categories shown are the amounts that were budgeted by districts in the general fund (fund 199, including state food services), the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (240, 701), and the debt service funds (599). The groups of object categories are:

The Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds are not reported to the TEA by districts and so do not appear here. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

RPTE: See Reading Proficiency Tests in English.

SAT/ACT Results: See College Admissions Tests.

School Type: For purposes of demographic grouping, schools are placed into one of four classifications based on lowest and highest grades in which students are enrolled at the school: Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and both Elementary/Secondary (K-12).

SDAA: See State-Developed Alternative Assessment.

Special Education: This refers to the population served by programs for students with disabilities. Students are placed in special education by their Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee, made up of their parent(s) or guardian, teacher, administrator, and other concerned parties. A student in special education may take the TAAS tests or the SDAA or be exempted from one or all of them; however, the performance of any special education student who takes the TAAS will be included in the performance of his or her school or district for accountability ratings evaluation purposes.

Other indicators that include the performance of students in special education are: advanced course completion, attendance rate, dropout rate, end-of-course examinations, completion rate, recommended high school program, TAAS cumulative pass rate, and TAAS/TASP equivalency. Information on the performance of special education students on college admissions tests and on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations is not available. Note that in the profile section of the report, retention rates are shown separately for special education and non-special education students. See State-Developed Alternative Assessment and TAAS Participation Report. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999, and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Special Education Compliance Status:The Texas Education Agency is required to report the special education compliance status (SpECS) of each district and charter in the state on the AEIS reports. Districts and charters may receive a status of:

• Desk Audit: Compliant
• Desk Audit: Self Evaluation Required
• Desk Audit: Site Visit Pending
• Site-Visit: Compliant
• Site-Visit: Corrective Action Compliant
• Site-Visit: Corrective Action Required (Under Review by TEA)
• Site-Visit: Corrective Action Required (Unresolved)
• Sanctions Imposed: Unresolved Corrective Actions

For a description of each status, refer to Appendix F.If you have questions about this item, contact the Division of Accountability, Development , and Support at (512) 463-9816. (Source: Division of Accountability, Development, and Support)

Standardized Local Tax Base (Comptroller Valuation) (District Profile only): The Comptroller conducts a study each year that uniformly evaluates the property values within school district boundaries. Locally assessed values may vary from the Comptroller's study values. The values certified by the Comptroller's Property Tax Division (Comptroller Valuation) are standardized in that they are deemed to be comparable across the state. Note that the values shown are final for tax year 2000. This is not the same property value used for school funding calculations.

Value per Pupil: school district property value, or Standardized Local Tax Base, divided by the total number of students. This per pupil figure is one definition of "wealth." Note that the values shown are final for tax year 2000.

Value by Category: shows aggregates of individual property tax categories expressed as a percent of the Comptroller's property value before the exemptions are applied. Note that the values shown are final for tax year 2000.

(Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 2001)

State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA): This test, new for 2001, assesses special education students in Grades 3-8 who are receiving instruction in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) but for whom TAAS is an inappropriate measure of their academic progress. This test assesses the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. Students are assessed at their appropriate instructional levels, as determined by their admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committees. The SDAA is administered on the same schedule as TAAS and is designed to measure annual growth based on appropriate expectations for each student as decided by the student's ARD committee. Because 2001 is a baseline year for this test, growth results will not be available to be included in AEIS until next year. Results of the alternative assessment are expected to become a part of the school accountability system in the future. See TAAS Participation Report and Appendix E. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Student Enrollment by Program: Students are identified as served through the special education, career and technology education, bilingual/ESL education, or gifted and talented education programs. The percentages may reflect duplicate counts, as a student may be enrolled in more than one program. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Students by Grade: Percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students in each grade by the total number of students. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Students with Disciplinary Placements: Counts and percents of students placed in alternative education programs under Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code (Discipline Law and Order) are shown (for the 1999-2000 school year) in the AEIS reports. Disciplinary placement counts are obtained from PEIMS records. Districts report the disciplinary actions taken toward students who are removed from the classroom for at least one day. Although students can have multiple removals throughout the year, this measure counts students only once and includes only those whose removal results in a placement in a disciplinary alternative education program or juvenile justice alternative education program. It is calculated as follows:

number of students with one or more disciplinary placements
divided by
number of students who were in attendance at any time during the school year

(Source: PEIMS, June 2000)

TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills): Students in Texas public schools in grades 3 through 8 and 10 take this criterion-referenced test during the spring semester of each school year. It measures student achievement in the following subjects:

• Grade 3 - reading and mathematics (English and Spanish versions)
• Grade 4 - reading, mathematics, and writing (English and Spanish versions)
• Grade 5 - reading and mathematics (English and Spanish versions)
• Grade 6 - reading and mathematics (English and Spanish versions)
• Grade 7 - reading and mathematics
• Grade 8 - reading, mathematics, writing, science, and social studies
• Grade 10 - reading, mathematics, and writing (This last test is known as the exit-level test; students are required to pass it in order to qualify for graduation from high school.)

The AEIS report shows TAAS passing rates in two ways:

• By Grade: The report shows TAAS passing rates by grade for each subject area and for all tests taken. As shown above, the number of tests given varies by grade. This means that the number of tests included in "All Tests Taken" varies by grade. Two years of information are shown-for tests administered in the spring of 2001 and the spring of 2000.
• Summed Across All Grades (Sum of 3-8 & 10): The report also shows the passing rates summed across all grades by subject-as they are used in the accountability system to determine a school or district's rating. "All grades" refers to all grades tested at the particular school. For example, the passing rate for reading in an elementary school with a grade span of K-5 is calculated as follows:

number of students who passed the reading test in grades 3, 4, & 5
divided by
number of students who took the reading test in grades 3, 4, & 5

Other important information:

• Only test takers who were enrolled in the district as of the last Friday in the previous October are included. This means that, for example, a student who moved into the district a week before the TAAS was given would not be included in the performance for any district or campus. This is referred to as the "October subset" or the Accountability Subset.
• The results for students who move from school to school within the same district are included in the accountability subset. The test results go to the last school where the student was tested.
• For exit-level, only 10th graders tested in the spring administration are included in the count. This includes 10th graders who are repeating the grade and may have previously taken the exit-level TAAS. It does not include test takers in the 11th or 12th grade who are taking the exit-level TAAS.
• Students may choose not to take the exit-level TAAS if they have already met their testing requirements for graduation by passing End-of-Course examinations. Students in this category were credited as passers in calculating the school and district's TAAS passing rates for the accountability ratings. See End-of-Course Examination Credit for Graduation for more information.
• Although "All Tests Taken" is not a measure evaluated for accountability ratings purposes, it is shown on the AEIS report, both "by grade" and "summed across all grades." This value shows the percent of students who passed every test they took. For example, a group of 100 students tested in Reading and Mathematics at the 3rd grade might have the following results: 90 students passed Reading and 80 students passed Mathematics. However, only 75 of those students passed BOTH Reading and Mathematics. For this reason, while the percent passing Reading would be 90%, and the percent passing Mathematics would be 80%, the percent passing All Tests Taken would be only 75%, not an average of 80% and 90%. All Tests Taken is always equal to or less than the percent of students who passed any of the individual subject areas. The more tests taken and considered for this measure, the more likely the All Tests Taken value will be lower than any of the individual subject areas. However, please note that for "summing across all grades," Science and Social Studies results are not included in All Tests Taken.

For an explanation of TAAS participation see TAAS Participation Report and Appendix E. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

TAAS Exit-level Cumulative Pass Rate (from District Performance Section): The TAAS cumulative pass rate for the class of 2001 shows the percent of students who first took the exit-level test in spring 1999, and eventually passed all tests taken (in the same district) by spring 2001. This measure is intended to show the relative success of districts in their efforts to help all their students pass the exit-level TAAS, which is a requirement for graduation from Texas public schools.

Test takers included in the TAAS Exit-level Cumulative Pass Rate for the class of 2001:

• Any student who took the test for the first time in spring 1999, including 11th and 12th graders. (Grade 10 students who are repeating the grade and taking the TAAS exit-level test for the second time are not included.)
• All special education students who took the test.
• All students who did not take the exit-level TAAS because they met their graduation requirements on the End-of-Course examinations (class of 2001 only).
• All students who took and failed one or more portions of the exit-level TAAS, but met their graduation requirements on the End-of-Course examinations (class of 2001 only).
• All above students, whether or not they were in the Accountability Subset.

Test takers NOT included in the TAAS Exit-level Cumulative Pass Rate:

• Students who first took the exit-level test in District A, but didn't pass all sections and then moved to District B and retested, are taken out of both the numerator and denominator, whether or not they eventually passed all tests taken.
• Students who move out of state, or leave the country, or die before passing all tests taken are in the denominator but not the numerator. (These students cannot be removed because they are not specifically identified in the data.)
• Students who drop out of school before passing all tests taken are in the denominator but not the numerator.
• Students who moved into the state after the spring of 1999 are not included, even if they took the TAAS and graduated with the class of 2001.

The information is available by sex and ethnicity but not by economic status. The performance of special education students are included in all the values and are not reported separately. Results of this indicator are also shown for the class of 2000. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

TAAS Participation Report: Every student enrolled in a Texas public school in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 must be given the opportunity to take the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) or the SDAA (State-Developed Alternative Assessment). Although it is the intention to test every student in these grades, there are circumstances under which some students are not tested. Also, of the students who are tested, not all students' test results are included in the school or district's accountability evaluations. The reasons for exclusion are as follows:

• Students may take the test but be excluded because they were not enrolled in that district by the last Friday in the previous October (Mobile Subset).
• Students may be absent during every test administration.
• Students served in special education may now take the SDAA (State-Developed Alternative Assessment) in grades 3-8. Because this test is designed to measure annual growth, and it was administered for the first time in 2001, the growth measure results will not be available for inclusion in the AEIS reports until next year.
• Students may receive an ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) exemption for every test. (Note that fewer students were ARD exempt in 2001, because grades 3-8 special education students can now take the SDAA in reading, writing and mathematics.)
• Students may receive a LEP (Limited English Proficient) exemption for every test.
• Students may not test due to illness during testing or other test administration irregularities.

For the current year report (spring 2001), the percentages are based as much as possible on the total number of students for whom a TAAS or SDAA answer document was submitted. Districts submit answer documents for each student enrolled at the time of the spring TAAS and SDAA administration in the grades tested. Students who take different tests (for example TAAS Mathematics and SDAA Reading) will have duplicate answer documents. The new methodology eliminates duplicate counts of students resulting from duplicate answer documents. This is a slight change from the way totals were calculated in the past. The prior year (spring 2000) totals shown on this year's report were recomputed using the new methodology to allow for valid comparisons of TAAS participation for 2000 and 2001.

The TAAS Participation Report provides a breakdown of categories of results that were included or excluded in the evaluations used to assign accountability ratings. Appendix E provides a description for each component of the TAAS Participation Report. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

TAAS Passing Standard: The standard for passing (or meeting minimum expectations on) the exit-level TAAS test is equivalent to correctly answering 70% of the items based on the October 1990 exit-level test. In the spring of 1994 the passing standards in reading and mathematics at grades 3-8 were aligned with the exit-level standard in order to measure student achievement across time. Students in grades 3-8 and 10 achieving a Texas Learning Index (TLI) score of 70 or higher meet minimum expectations in reading and mathematics. On the writing test, students must achieve a scale score of 1500 or higher to meet minimum expectations. The passing standard for the Spanish TAAS (reading, mathematics, and writing) also requires a scale score of 1500 or higher. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

TAAS/TASP Equivalency: This indicator shows the percent of graduates from the class of 2000 who did well enough on the exit-level TAAS to have a 75% likelihood of passing the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test. To be counted for this indicator a student must have achieved a TLI of X-81 or higher on the TAAS reading test, a TLI of X-77 or higher on the TAAS mathematics test, and a scale score of 1540 or higher on the TAAS writing test.

Test takers included in the TAAS/TASP Equivalency:

• All 10th graders who took the test for the first time in spring 1998.
• All 11th graders who took the test for the first time in October 1998 or spring 1999.
• All 12th graders who took the test for the first time in October 1999 or spring 2000.

Test takers NOT included in the TAAS/TASP Equivalency:

• Students who were special education (ARD) exempt during all testing periods.
• Students who took the TAAS but did not get a Texas High School diploma
  • because they dropped out,
  • because they moved out of state, or
  • because they died.

Results of the TAAS/TASP Equivalency are also shown for the class of 1999. Note that the Accountability Subset does not apply to this indicator.

In order to qualify for Additional Acknowledgment for performance on the TAAS/TASP Equivalency, at least 80.0% of the school or district's graduates must have met or exceeded the TAAS/TASP equivalency standard. See TAAS, TASP, and Graduates. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment; PEIMS, Oct. 2000, and Oct. 1999)

TASP: The Texas Academic Skills Program measures reading, writing, and mathematics proficiency. It is required of all persons entering Texas public institutions of higher education for the first time. The TASP is administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Teachers by Ethnicity and Sex: These are counts of teacher FTEs by the major ethnic groups and by sex. Counts are also expressed as a percent of the total teacher FTE. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Teachers by Highest Degree Held (District Profile only): This shows the distribution of degrees attained by teachers in the district. The FTE counts of teachers with no degree, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees are expressed as a percent of the total teacher FTEs. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Teachers by Program (population served): Teacher FTE counts are categorized by the type of student populations served. Regular education, special education, compensatory education, career and technology education, bilingual/ESL education, gifted and talented education, and miscellaneous other populations served are shown. Teacher FTE values are allocated across population types for teachers who serve multiple population types. Percentages are expressed as a percent of total teacher FTEs. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Teachers by Years of Experience (District Profile only): This is the FTE count of teachers with years of professional experience that fall into the ranges shown. Experience in these categories is the total years of experience for the individual, not years of experience in the reporting district or campus. Teacher counts within each range of experience are expressed as a percent of total teacher FTEs. A beginning teacher is a teacher reported with zero years of experience. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Texas Learning Index: See TLI.

TLI (Texas Learning Index): The TLI is a score that describes a student's performance on the TAAS reading or mathematics test. It can be used to tell how far a student is above or below the passing standard. For example, the passing standard is a TLI of 70. If a student's TLI is 72, then we know that while the student passed, he did not pass by as great a margin as a classmate whose TLI was 90. The TLI is available only for the TAAS (English version) reading and mathematics tests at grades 3 through 8 and 10.

TLI Average Growth: Improvement for a group of TAAS test takers is based on the growth in the students' Texas Learning Index (TLI) scores on the TAAS reading and mathematics tests from one year to the next. On the AEIS, TLI Average Growth is calculated at a campus-wide level for determining Comparable Improvement. CI is calculated only at the campus level. TLI Average Growth is also calculated for reporting the Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers. Note that this latter TLI Average Growth only looks at the performance of students who failed the TAAS in the prior year. See Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers and Comparable Improvement for more information.

Total Campus Budget by Function (Campus Profile only): Operating expenditures, by function, are expressed as a percent of the total campus operating budget. Function codes appear in parentheses.

• Instruction - all activities dealing directly with the interaction between teachers and students, including instruction aided with computers (11); and, expenditures to provide resources for Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (95).
• Instructional Leadership - managing, directing, supervising, and providing leadership for staff who provide instructional services (21).
• School Leadership - directing and managing a school (23).
• Other Campus Costs - resource centers and libraries (12); curriculum and instructional staff development (13); support services, including guidance and counseling (31), social work (32) and health services (33); food services (35); cocurricular/extracurricular activities (36); plant maintenance and operations (51); security and monitoring services (52), and data processing services (53). The information in the campus group, district, and state columns show the total costs of these expenditures for campuses in the group, campuses in the district, and all campuses in the state, respectively. Other costs not found in campuses-such as central office administrative expenditures-are not included.

See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Exclusions (District Profile only): These expenditure amounts are omitted from the other financial information presented, in order to provide a more equalized financial picture. Function codes are shown in parentheses following each item.

• Tuition Transfers for Grades/Services Not Offered is the amount budgeted for the cost of obtaining instructional services from another district for grade levels not served or services not offered (91). This category also includes payments to other school districts under the Public Education Grant Program (94).
• Wealth Equalization Transfers is the amount budgeted by districts for the cost of reducing their property wealth to the required equalized wealth level (91). Payments to Charter Schools (96) are also included in this category.
• Payments to Fiscal Agents/Members of Shared Services Arrangements (SSA) is the amount budgeted for payments to a fiscal agent from a member district (or vice versa) for services provided (93). The portion of SSA payments budgeted in the Special Revenue Funds are no longer collected by TEA, and so do not appear in this amount.

See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Expenditures by Object (District Profile only): Total budgeted expenditures are grouped into operating and non-operating categories by object of expense. The operating categories are:

• Payroll Costs - gross salaries or wages and benefit costs for all employees (6100);
• Professional and Contracted Services - services rendered to school districts by firms, individuals and other organizations (6200);
• Supplies and Materials - supplies and materials including fuel for vehicles, other reading materials (not including the cost of state-adopted textbooks), and food service supplies (6300); and
• Other Operating Costs - other expenses necessary for the operation of the school district (6400).

The non-operating categories are:

• Debt Service - all expenditures for debt service including the retirement of debt and bond principal, and all interest expenses (6500); and
• Capital Outlay - expenditures for fixed assets, such as land, buildings, and equipment (6600).

The Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds are not reported to the TEA by districts and so do not appear here. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Expenditures for Athletic Programs (District Profile only): Budgeted expenditures for the costs of competitive athletic activities such as football, basketball, golf, swimming, baseball, etc. (program intent code 91). This includes costs associated with coaching as well as sponsors for drill team, cheerleaders, or any other organized activity to support athletics. However, this does not include band. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Expenditures for Community Services (District Profile only): Budgeted expenditures for activities or purposes other than regular public education. These are activities relating to the whole community, such as the operation of a school library, swimming pool, and playgrounds for the public (function 61). (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Operating Expenditures by Function (District Profile only): Operating expenditures by function are expressed as a percent of total operating expenditures. Function codes appear in parentheses.

• Instruction - all activities dealing directly with the interaction between teachers and students, including instruction aided with computers (11); and, expenditures to provide resources for Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (95).
• Instructional Related Services - expenditures for educational resources and media, such as resource centers and libraries (12); and, curriculum development and instructional staff development (13).
• Instructional Leadership - managing, directing, supervising, and providing leadership for staff who provide instructional services (21).
• School Leadership - directing and managing a school (23).
• Support Services - Student - guidance, counseling, and evaluation services (31); social work services (32); and, health services (33).
• Student Transportation - transporting students to and from school (34).
• Food Services - food service operation, including cost of food and labor (35).
• Cocurricular/Extracurricular Activities - school-sponsored activities during or after the school day that are not essential to the delivery of instructional services (36).
• Central Administration - managing or governing the school district as an overall entity (41); costs associated with the purchase or sale of attendance credits either from the state or from other school district(s) (92); and for Charter Schools only, fund raising (81).
• Plant Maintenance and Operations - keeping the physical plant and grounds in effective working condition (51).
• Security and Monitoring Services - keeping student and staff surroundings safe (52).
• Data Processing Services - data processing services, whether in-house or contracted (53).

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Revenues (District Profile only): The total for all revenues budgeted in the General Fund (199, including Food Services), the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (240, 701), and the Debt Service Funds (599). Total Revenues per Pupil is total revenue divided by the total number of students The Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds are not reported to the TEA by districts and so do not appear here.. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Staff: Total staff includes professional staff (teachers, professional support, administrators), educational aides, and (on the district profile) auxiliary staff. Minority staff is the sum of the FTE counts for all non-white staff groups (African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American). This FTE count is expressed as a percent of the total staff FTE. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

Total Students: This is the total number of public school students who were reported in membership as of October 27, 2000 at any grade, from early childhood education through grade 12. Membership is a slightly different number from enrollment, because it does not include those students who are served in the district for less than two hours per day. For example, the count of Total Students excludes students who attend a nonpublic school but receive some services, such as speech therapy-for less than two hours per day-from their local public school district. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000)

TSSAS (Texas Successful Schools Award System): TSSAS was created by the Texas Legislature for schools that exhibit the highest levels of sustained success or the greatest improvement in achieving education goals. Awards are in the form of either recognition or monetary disbursements. A portion of that amount is awarded to schools based upon criteria designed to recognize effective and innovative approaches to increasing the number of parents or guardians attending parent-teacher conferences. For more information on TSSAS, contact the Division of Accountability Development and Support at (512) 463-9837.

Turnover Rate for Teachers (District Profile only): This shows the total FTE count of teachers not employed in the district in the fall of 2000-01 who were employed as teachers in the district in the fall of 1999-2000, divided by the total teacher FTE count for the fall of 1999-2000. Social security numbers of reported teachers are compared from the two semesters to develop this information. Staff who remain employed in the district but not as teachers are counted as teacher turnover. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2000, Oct. 1999)

Who to Call

Information about the calculation of all Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) data elements is provided in this Glossary. Information on the calculation of accountability ratings and comparable improvement is included in the 2001 Accountability Manual. If, after reading these documents, you have questions about the calculation of AEIS indicators, accountability ratings, or comparable improvement, contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.

Questions related to programs and policies for the following subjects should be directed to the contacts listed below. All telephone numbers are in the (512) area code.

Accountability information provided at the agency website includes: 2001 Accountability Manual, 2001 Accountability Ratings and Data Tables; 2001 district and campus AEIS data (posted in late November); and Campus Comparison Groups (under Comparable Improvement) based on 2000-01 characteristics (posted in late November).

Appendix A, Appendix B

English Language Arts

A3220100	English Language And Composition
A3220200	English Literature And Composition
A3220300	International English Language
I3220300	English III
I3220400	English IV
03221100	Research/Technical Writing
03221200	Creative/Imaginative Writing
03221800	Independent Study In English
03231000	Independent Study/Journalism
03240400	Oral Interpretation III
03240800	Debate III
03241100	Public Speaking III
03241200	Independent Study/Speech
03221600	Humanities
03221500	Literary Genres
03231902	Advanced Broadcast Journalism

Mathematics

A3100101	Calculus AB
A3100102	Calculus BC
A3100200	AP Statistics
I3100300	Mathematics Higher Level
I3100400	Advanced Mathematics Subsidiary Level
03101100	Pre-Calculus
03102500	Independent Study in Mathematics (1st time)
03102501	Independent Study in Mathematics (2nd time)

Computer Science

• All courses shown were for the 1999-2000 school year.
• An "A" prefix indicates a College Board Advanced Placement course.
• An "I" prefix indicates an International Baccalaureate course.
• Dual Enrollment courses are not specifically shown on this list.