Glossary

for the

Academic Excellence Indicator System

2001-02 Report

You may also download this Glossary as a PDF file. It is available in Spanish, the Glosario PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download and open these files.

Accountability Rating: This refers to the district and campus ratings assigned by the 2002 accountability system. Districts and campuses are evaluated on performance on the TAAS and the dropout rate. The four levels of ratings are:

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 in a new charter district is a benchmark year and it is not rated (unless it requests a rating); 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 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 2002 Accountability Manual. A copy of the manual was provided to each superintendent and principal in April 2002. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2002/manual/. For a detailed explanation of the accountability system used for alternative education schools, see the 2001-2002 Accountability Procedures for Alternative Education Manual, available from the TEA Office of Accountability, Development and Support. It is also available online at 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 are attributed to the school where the student was tested last.

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: See Gold Performance Acknowledgment.

Adopted Tax Rate (calendar year 2001) (District Profile only): This is the locally adopted tax rate set for the 2001 calendar 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 2002. 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 2002)

Advanced Courses: This indicator is based on a count of students who complete and receive credit for at least one advanced course in grades 9-12. The definition of advanced courses includes 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 identified as advanced, with the exception of courses designated only as dual enrollment. These are not shown, 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 in grades 9-12 who completed at least one advanced course in 2000-01

divided by

number of students grades 9-12 who completed at least one course in 2000-01

Schools and districts may qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment for advanced course completion. In order to qualify, schools and districts serving grades 9-12 must have a rate of at least 25 percent. For a more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

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 the prior year (1999-2000). See also Appendix C: List of Advanced Courses, and Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Source: PEIMS, June 2001, June 2000)

Advanced Placement Examinations: See AP/IB Results.

Annual Dropout Rate: See Dropout Rate (Annual).

AP/IB Results: 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 are 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 scores at or above the criterion score (3 on AP or 4 on IB):

number of grade 11 and 12 AP & IB examination scores at or above criterion

divided by

number of grade 11 and 12 AP & IB examination scores

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

number of grade 11 and 12 AP or IB examinees who scored at or above criterion

divided by

number of grade 11 and 12 AP or IB examinees

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 or IB examination are included in the numerator. The performance of special education students is included in the both numerator and denominator of the other equations.

Several items are new for this year:

See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Sources: Educational Testing Service, a College Board contractor, Aug. 2001, Aug. 2000; The International Baccalaureate Organization, Aug. 2001, Aug. 2000; and PEIMS, Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000)

ARD Exempt: This refers to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal committee that determines the education plan for every student in special education. See also 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 2000-01

divided by

total number of days students were in membership in 2000-01

Schools and districts may qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment based on their attendance rate. In order to qualify, 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 Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

Attendance rates are shown for 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Only students in grades 1-12 are included in the calculations. See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Source: PEIMS, June 2001, June 2000)

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. 2001)

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. 2001)

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. 2001)

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 FTE 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. 2001)

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 also Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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. 2001)

College Admissions Tests: These include the College Board's SAT 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 from all Texas public schools. Only one record is sent per student. If a student takes an ACT or SAT test more than once, the agency receives the record for the most recent examination taken.

Three values are calculated for this indicator:

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

number of graduates who took either the SAT or the ACT

divided by

number of graduates

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

number of examinees who scored at or above criterion

divided by

number of examinees

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

total score for all students who took the SAT

divided by

number of students who took the SAT

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 (1) does not include special education graduates; however, special education graduates who took either the SAT 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 2000 and the class of 2001.

In order to qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment for performance on college admissions tests, the school or district must have at least 70.0% of its graduates taking either the SAT or the ACT, and 40.0% of examinees meeting or exceeding the criterion score on either test. For a more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Source: Educational Testing Service, a College Board contractor (SAT) Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000; ACT, Inc. (ACT) Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000; and PEIMS, Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000)

Comparable Improvement: Comparable Improvement (CI) is a measure that calculates how student performance on the TAAS mathematics and reading tests has changed (or grown) from one year to the next, and compares the change 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.)

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:

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) 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:

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.) 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 of 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. A student TLI of 72 indicates that the student passed, but not 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, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10.

TLI Average Growth (TAG) - Calculation of Comparable Improvement for a particular school is based on the growth in 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:

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:

TAG (reading) =
sum of matched student TLI growth values for reading
divided by
total number of matched students in reading

TAG (mathematics) =
sum of matched student TLI growth values for mathematics
divided by
total number of matched students in mathematics

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 the students at three-quarters of the schools in its comparison group.

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

Note the following points:

In order to qualify for Gold Performance 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 more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

For a description of each aspect of the Comparable Improvement Report, see Appendix D. See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, and June 2001; TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Completion Rate/Student Status: These longitudinal rates show the status of the students expected to graduate with the class of 2001 who first attended ninth grade in the 1997-98 school year. This group of students is known as the 1997-98 cohort, and their progress was tracked over four years using the data provided to TEA by districts. Any student who transferred into the 1997-98 cohort is added to it, and any student who transfers out of the 1997-98 cohort is subtracted from it.

A student who "transfers in" is one who, for example, moves into the cohort from another high school in Texas or from out of state.

A student who "transfers out" is one who, for example, moves to another high school in Texas; note that these students are then "transferred into" the cohort of the receiving high school and district. There are also students who move out of the state or out of the country, or students who transfer to private schools or who are home-schooled. These types of transfers cannot be tracked and are taken out of the cohort.

This indicator is reported for districts as well as for high schools that have had continuous enrollment in grades 9-12 since at least the 1997-98 school year. The four final outcomes are:

(1) Percent Graduated: Based on the 1997-98 cohort, this shows the percentage that received their high school diploma on time or earlier - by the end of the 2000-01 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the cohort who received a high school diploma by the end of 2000-01

divided by

Number of students in the 1997-98 cohort

(2) Percent Received GED: Based on the 1997-98 cohort, this shows the percentage that received a General Educational Development certificate by the end of the 2000-01 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the cohort who received a GED by the end of 2000-01

divided by

Number of students in the 1997-98 cohort

(3) Percent Continued High School: Based on the 1997-98 cohort, this shows the percentage still enrolled as students for the 2001-02 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the cohort who were enrolled for the 2001-02 school year

divided by

Number of students in the 1997-98 cohort

(4) Percent Dropped Out: Based on the 1997-98 cohort, this shows the percentage that dropped out and did not return by the end of the 2000-01 school year. It is calculated as follows:

Number of students from the cohort who dropped out before the end of 2000-01

divided by

Number of students in the 1997-98 cohort

These four outcomes sum to 100%.

For purposes of comparison, the completion rate/student status for the class of 2000 is also provided. For further information on these rates, see the Report on Secondary School Completion and Dropouts 2000-01. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, June 2001, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, June 1999, Oct. 1998, June 1998, Oct. 1997, June 1997, June 1996, June 1995)

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

Data Quality (from District Profile Section): For 2002, 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 student data to be linked 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 a PID ID that is not part of the student's identifying information.

Each district during the data submission process has the ability to run PID Discrepancy Reports which show any PID errors found. The district then has time to correct the errors before its submission is finalized. While the PID error rate has declined significantly over the years, any amount of error has a detrimental effect on the calculation of 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 2001).

The rate is calculated as follows:

Number of student PID errors found in PEIMS submission 1 (fall 2001)

divided by

Number of student records in PEIMS submission 1 (fall 2001)

(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.)

The rate is calculated as follows:

(Number of 7th - 12th graders reported in enrollment or attendance in 2000-01)
minus
(Number of those same students reported as returning in 2001-02 or as leavers)

divided by

Number of 7th - 12th graders reported in enrollment or attendance in 2000-01

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.

There are accountability consequences for districts that exceed certain thresholds for this measure. A rate greater than 10.0% or a number over 1,000 exceeds the current threshold and for this reason is noted with a double asterisk (**) on the AEIS report. Districts with five 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. 2001, June 2001, Oct. 2000)

Distinguished Achievement Program: See Recommended High School Program.

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 reconciliation system is run in which information about reported leavers is merged with statewide enrollment and attendance records, graduation records, and GED records. Students who are found in these files, indicating they were reported as leavers, are excluded from the dropout rate for the school and district. Students not found in those files are considered official dropouts. See also Dropout Rate (Annual).

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, June 2001, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, and June 1999; and General Educational Development Information File)

Dropout Rate (Annual): The annual dropout rate is the count of official 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 at any time 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 2000-01 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 also Dropout and Leaver Record. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, June 2001, Oct. 2000, and June 2000)

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 also Comparable Improvement. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000; 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. The FTE counts of educational aides are expressed as a percent of the total staff FTE. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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 2001-02 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:

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

In 2002, schools and districts may qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment based on their performance on the Algebra I end-of-course examination. In order to qualify, 90.0% or more of students tested must have passed. For a more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

Other important information:

See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment and PEIMS, Oct. 2001, and Oct. 2000)

End-of-Course Examination Credit for Graduation: Students eligible to take the spring 2002 exit-level TAAS at grade 10 may have chosen not to take the test if they had already met their testing requirement for graduation by passing end-of-course examinations. In order to be eligible for this credit, the student must have passed (by fall 2001) the end-of-course examinations for both Algebra I and English II, and either U.S. History or Biology. 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. 2001, Oct. 2000; Educational Testing Service; American College Testing Program; and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Exclusions: These are counts of individuals who serve public school students, but are not included in the FTE totals for any of the other employee 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 that 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 (District and Campus Profile) 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. 2001)

FTE: Full-Time Equivalent.

Fund Balance Information (from District Profile Section): The amount of undesignated, unreserved fund balance that existed at the end of the 2000-01 school year is reported for each district.

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

The amount reported in the AEIS report is the undesignated component, calculated as the difference between the total unreserved fund balance and the designated unreserved fund balance. This balance amount is expressed as a percent of the total budgeted expenditures (for the general fund) for the current year (2001-02) as specified in statute. (Source: Financial Audit Report, Dec. 2001)

Gold Performance Acknowledgment: A school or district may qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment for their students' performance on any of the following indicators:

Schools and districts receive one of the following categories for each indicator. Acknowledged signifies they met the Gold Performance standard for the indicator; Does Not Qualify signifies that they did not meet the standard for the indicator or that the school or district was not eligible due to Low-Performing or Academically Unacceptable status; Not Applicable signifies 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 evaluated for Gold Performance Acknowledgment and are noted as Not Applicable. Schools that were initially Not Rated or were rated low-performing but were later assigned a different rating as a result of an appeal are not eligible for Gold Performance Acknowledgment.

In prior years these acknowledgments were known as Additional Acknowledgments. Please refer to the 2002 Accountability Manual for detailed information on the standards for Gold Performance Acknowledgment. A copy of the manual was provided to each superintendent and principal in April 2002. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2002/manual/index.html.

See also Attendance Rate, Comparable Improvement, End of Course Examination, Advanced Courses, AP/IB Examination Results, College Admissions Tests, TAAS/TASP Equivalency, and Recommended High School Program.

Graduates (Class of 2001): In the profile section, this is the total number of graduates (including summer graduates) for the 2000-01 school year, as reported by districts in the fall of 2001. 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 are also reported as a separate group. Counts of students graduating under the recommended high school or distinguished achievement programs are also shown.

Students graduating with the class of 2001 could be coded with one of the following types:

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

See also Completion Rate/Student Status and Recommended High School Program. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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

Leaver Record: 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 the following 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 accountability ratings purposes. Students' leaver records are excluded from the district and campus list of dropouts if the students:

See also Data Quality Measures. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, June 2001, Oct. 2000, June 2000, Oct. 1999, and June 1999; General Educational Development Information File; Secondary School Completion and Dropouts in Texas Public Schools, 2000-01, 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. Not all pupils identified as LEP receive bilingual or English as a second language instruction, although most do. Percentages are calculated by dividing the number of LEP pupils by the total number of students in the school or district. See also Comparable Improvement and TAAS Participation Report. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

Longitudinal Dropout Rate: See Completion Rate/Student Status.

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 also 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).

number of mobile students in 2000-01

divided by

number of students who were in attendance at any time during the 2000-01 school year

This rate is calculated at the campus level. The mobility rate shown in the profile section of campus reports under the "district" column is based on the count of mobile students identified at the campus level. That is, the district mobility rate reflects school-to-school mobility, within the same district or from outside the district. See also Comparable Improvement. (Source: PEIMS, June 2001)

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. 2001)

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 Gold Performance 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

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

Per Pupil Expenditures: This value shows 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 also Total Operating Expenditures by Function for definitions of each functional group, and 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. For example, a high school's per pupil expenditures may not be comparable to the state average because the state value includes elementary and middle schools, which typically have lower per pupil expenditures than high schools. Other variables that may affect comparisons are the experience level of teachers and administrators, the types of instructional programs offered, and the student characteristics. See also Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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 also Appendix A. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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. Specifically, for the 2002 measure, students included are those who:

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. For example, Student A received a TLI of 55 on TAAS reading in 2001 and a TLI of 60 in 2002, resulting in a "growth value" of 5. However, if Student B received a 55 on TAAS reading in 2001 and a 50 in 2002, the resulting value would be -5, a negative number. These growth values are added together at the campus level and divided by the number of matched students who failed the test in 2001 to create the average TLI growth for the campus. The reported measures for reading and mathematics, rounded to two decimal places, are calculated as follows:

Growth (reading) =
sum of growth values for reading
divided by
total number of matched students who failed reading in 2001

Growth (mathematics) =
sum of growth values for mathematics
divided by
total number of matched students who failed mathematics in 2001

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. To view these reports, access the HTML version of a campus or district report from the AEIS site (www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2002/). A link below the line showing the Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers will produce a separate report, by grade. See also 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 2001 RPTE to each of the three levels on the 2002 test. Students included in the measure are those who:

This year the AEIS reports show two years of RPTE performance. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Recommended High School Program: This indicator shows 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 Gold Performance Acknowledgment for this indicator, at least 40.0% 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. For a more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

See also Gold Performance Acknowledgment, and Graduates. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000)

Retention Rates by Grade: The retention rate, reported in the profile section, shows the percent of students in Texas public schools who enrolled in 2001-02 in the same grade as their grade in the last reported six-week period of the prior year (2000-01). It is calculated as follows:

number of students not advanced to the next grade

divided by

number of students advanced to the next grade + number of students 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.

The AEIS report only shows retention rates for grades K-8. Retention rates for all grades may found in Grade-Level Retention in Texas Public Schools, 2000-01, available from TEA. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, June 2001)

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, 702), and the debt service funds (599). The groups of object categories are:

Local Tax - district income from local real and personal property taxes (5710 & 5761, less function 91 & 96 expenditures);

Other Local and Intermediate - payments for services to other districts, tuition and fees from students, transfers from within the state, revenue from cocurricular and enterprising activities, all other local sources, and revenues from intermediate sources (county). Amounts budgeted in object 5746, TIF (Tax Increment Fund), appear as a footnote where appropriate and are not included in the Other Local and Intermediate total (5720-5745, 5747-5750, 5769);

State - per capita and foundation program entitlements, revenue from other state-funded programs, and revenue from other state agencies. State revenue also includes Teacher Retirement System benefits paid by the State of Texas on behalf of employees in the district. For both the revenue and expenditures sections of the AEIS report, a footnote indicates the amount budgeted by each district for this particular object code. This footnote does not apply to Charter Schools (5800); and

Federal - revenue received by the district directly from the federal government or distributed by the TEA or other state entities for programs such as career and technology education, programs for educationally disadvantaged children (Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, and Elementary and Secondary Education Act), food service programs, and other federal programs (5900).

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 also Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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 the 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 or SDAA tests 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 also State-Developed Alternative Assessment and TAAS Participation Report. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001, Oct. 2000, 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:

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) 463-9716. (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 2001. This is the traditional measure of property value, not the alternative 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." Thus, the sum of the category values will exceed the value used for per pupil calculations. Note that the values shown are final for tax year 2001.

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 2001.

(Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 2002)

State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA): This test 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. SDAA tests are given in 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. The AEIS report shows the percent of students tested who met their 2002 ARD committee expectations.

Results are calculated as follows:

number of SDAA test takers who met their 2002 ARD expectations on all tests taken

divided by

number of SDAA test takers

Note that state statute does not permit reporting of SDAA results by grade level or subject area, therefore:

For 2002, the results on the SDAA were not used in determining a school or district's accountability rating. See also TAAS Participation Report and Appendix E. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Student Enrollment by Program: Students are identified as served in programs for special education, career and technology education, bilingual/ESL education, or gifted and talented education. The percentages do not sum to 100, as a student may be enrolled in more than one of these programs. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

Students by Grade: Percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students in each grade by the total number of students. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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 2000-01 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 2001)

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:

The AEIS report shows TAAS passing rates in two ways:

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:

Note that 2001-02 is the last year of the TAAS test. Beginning with the 2002-03 school year, the new Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) will be administered. For more information on the grades and subjects to be assessed, visit the Division of Student Assessment website at: www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment.

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 2002 shows the percent of students who first took the exit-level test in spring 2000, and eventually passed all tests taken (in the same district) by spring 2002. 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 2002:

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

The information is available by sex and ethnicity but not by economic status. The performance of special education students is included in all the values and is not reported separately. Results of this indicator are also shown for the class of 2001. (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:

The percentages are based as much as possible on the total number of students enrolled at the time of testing. Districts are required to submit a TAAS or SDAA answer document for every student enrolled in grades 3 though 8 and 10. Students who take subject tests from different assessments (for example TAAS Mathematics and SDAA Reading) will have multiple answer documents. The methodology used to create the TAAS Participation Report eliminates, as much as possible, duplicate counts of students resulting from multiple answer documents.

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 a student must meet to pass (or meet 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 2001 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:

Results of the TAAS/TASP Equivalency are also shown for the class of 2000. Note that the Accountability Subset does not apply to this indicator.

Schools and districts may qualify for Gold Performance Acknowledgment based on their TAAS/TASP equivalency. In order to qualify, at least 80.0% of the school or district's graduates must have met or exceeded the TAAS/TASP equivalency standard. For a more detailed explanation of Gold Performance Acknowledgment, see the 2002 Accountability Manual.

See also TAAS, TASP, Gold Performance Acknowledgment, and Graduates. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment; PEIMS, Oct. 2001, and Oct. 2000)

TAG: See TLI Average Growth.

TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills): This new statewide test will replace the TAAS tests and will be given to students for the first time in 2003. The 2002-03 AEIS reports will have performance information on the TAKS.

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. 2001)

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. 2001)

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. 2001)

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. 2001)

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. See also Comparable Improvement and Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers for more information.

TLI Average Growth (TAG): 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 also Comparable Improvement and Progress of Prior Year TAAS Failers 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.

See also Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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.

See also Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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:

The non-operating 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. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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 program intent code does not include expenditures associated with the costs of band. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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. 2001)

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.

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 2001)

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, 702), 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. 2001)

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. 2001)

Total Students: This is the total number of public school students who were reported in membership as of October 26, 2001 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. 2001)

Turnover Rate for Teachers (District Profile only): This shows the total FTE count of teachers not employed in the district in the fall of 2001-02 who were employed as teachers in the district in the fall of 2000-01, divided by the total teacher FTE count for the fall of 2000-01. 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. 2001, Oct. 2000)

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 2002 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.

Subject

Contact

Number

Alternative Education Accountability

Accountability, Development & Support

463-9642

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) State and Federal Student Initiatives 463-4090

Advanced Placement (AP) Programs

Advanced Academic Services

463-9455

ARD Exemptions

School Governance, EEO, & Compliance

463-9414

Charter Schools

Charter Schools

463-9575

College Admissions Tests

 

 

Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT)

College Board, Southwestern Regional Office

891-8400

American College Testing (ACT)

ACT Regional Office

345-1949

Copies of AEIS reports

 

 

On the internet

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport

 

On paper or CD

Communications and Public Information

463-9000

DAEP (Disciplinary Alternative Education Program) Chapter 37 - Safe Schools 463-9982

DEC Visits

Accountability Evaluations

463-9297

Distinguished Achievement Program

Advanced Academic Services

463-9455

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Advanced Academic Services

463-9455

No Child Left Behind Act State and Federal Student Initiatives 463-4090
On-site Investigations Quality Compliance & Accountability Reviews 463-9495

Performance Objectives

Accountability Evaluations

463-9412

Public Education Grant (PEG) Program

Field Services

463-9354

Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS)

PEIMS Data Standards HelpLine

936-7346

Public Hearings

Accountability Evaluations

475-3112

Recommended High School Program

Curriculum

463-9581

Retention Policies

Curriculum

463-9581

Special Education

Special Education

463-9414

Special Education Compliance Status

Accountability Development & Support

463-9716

TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills)

Student Assessment

463-9536

TAAS Testing Contractor

NCS Pearson (Austin Operations Center)

(800) 252-9186

TASP (Texas Academic Skills Program)

National Evaluations Systems

927-5397

Texas Learning Index

Student Assessment

463-9536

TSSAS (Texas Successful Schools Award System)

Accountability Development & Support

463-9637

Appendix A, Appendix B

Appendix C

Advanced Academic Courses

2001-02 Academic Excellence Indicator System

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

A3580100 Computer Science I
A3580200 Computer Science II
I3580200 Computer Science I
I3580300 Computer Science II
03580200 Computer Science I
03580300 Computer Science II

Science

A3010200 Biology
A3020000 Environmental Science
A3040000 Chemistry
A3050001 Physics B
A3050002 Physics C
I3010200 Biology
I3040001 Chemistry I
I3040002 Chemistry II
I3050001 Physics I
I3050002 Physics II

Social Studies/History

A1139999 Advanced Placement Human Geography
A3310100 Micro Economics
A3310200 Macro Economics
A3330100 United States Government And Politics
A3330200 Comparative Government And Politics
A3340100 United States History
A3340200 European History
A3350100 Psychology
I3301100 History, Standard Level
I3301200 History: Africa, Higher Level
I3301300 History: Americas, Higher Level
I3301400 History: East And Southeast Asia, Higher Level
I3301500 History: Europe, Higher Level
I3302100 Geography, Standard Level
I3302200 Geography, Higher Level
I3303100 Economics, Standard Level
I3303200 Economics, Higher Level
I3304100 Psychology, Standard Level
I3304200 Psychology, Higher Level
I3366010 Philosophy
I3000100 Theory Of Knowledge
03310301 Economics Advanced Studies
03380001 Social Studies Advanced Studies

Fine Arts

A3150200 Music Theory
A3500100 History Of Art
A3500200 Art/General Portfolio
A3500300 Art/Drawing
I3250200 Music SL
I3250300 Music HL
I3600100 Art/Design HL
I3600200 Art/Design SL-A
I3600300 Art/Design SL-B
I3750200 Theatre Arts SL
I3750300 Theatre Arts HL
03150400 Music IV Band
03150800 Music IV Orchestra
03151200 Music IV Choir
03151600 Music IV Jazz Band
03152000 Music IV Instrumental Ensemble
03152400 Music IV Vocal Ensemble
03250400 Theatre IV
03251000 Theatre Production IV
03251200 Technical Theatre IV
03502300 Art IV Drawing
03502400 Art IV Painting
03502500 Art IV Printmaking
03502600 Art IV Fibers
03502700 Art IV Ceramics
03502800 Art IV Sculpture
03502900 Art IV Jewelry
03503100 Art IV Photography
03503200 Art IV Graphic Design
03503500 Art IV Electronic Media
03830400 Dance IV

Advanced Languages (Modern or Classical)

A3410100 French IV Language
A3410200 French V Literature
A3420100 German IV Language
A3430100 Latin IV (Vergil)
A3430200 Latin V (Catullus-Horace)
A3440100 Spanish IV Language
A3440200 Spanish V Literature
I3120400 Japanese IV
I3120500 Japanese V
I3410400 French IV
I3410500 French V
I3420400 German IV
I3420500 German V
I3430400 Latin IV
I3430500 Latin V
I3440400 Spanish IV
I3440500 Spanish V
I3450400 Russian IV
I3450500 Russian V
I3480400 Hebrew IV
I3480500 Hebrew V
I3490400 Chinese IV
I3490500 Chinese V
I3996000 Other Foreign Language IV
I3996100 Other Foreign Language V
03110400 Arabic IV
03110500 Arabic V
03110600 Arabic VI
03110777 Arabic VII
03120400 Japanese IV
03120500 Japanese V
03120600 Japanese VI
03120777 Japanese VII
03400400 Italian IV
03400500 Italian V
03400600 Italian VI
03400777 Italian VII
03410400 French IV
03410500 French V
03410600 French VI
03410700 French VII
03420400 German IV
03420500 German V
03420600 German VI
03420700 German VII
03430400 Latin IV
03430500 Latin V
03430600 Latin VI
03430777 Latin VII
03440400 Spanish IV
03440500 Spanish V
03440600 Spanish VI
03440700 Spanish VII
03450400 Russian IV
03450500 Russian V
03450600 Russian VI
03450777 Russian VII
03460400 Czech IV
03460500 Czech V
03460600 Czech VI
03460777 Czech VII
03470400 Portuguese IV
03470500 Portuguese V
03470600 Portuguese VI
03470777 Portuguese VII
03480400 Hebrew IV
03480500 Hebrew V
03480600 Hebrew VI
03480777 Hebrew VII
03490400 Chinese IV
03490500 Chinese V
03490600 Chinese VI
03490777 Chinese VII
03980400 American Sign Language IV
03980500 American Sign Language V
03980600 American Sign Language VI
03980700 American Sign Language VII
03996000 Other Foreign Language IV
03996100 Other Foreign Language V
03996200 Other Foreign Language VI
03996300 Other Foreign Language VII

 

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Special Education Compliance Status 2002

The Texas Education Code (TEC) requires the Texas Education Agency to determine the special education compliance status (SpECS) of each school district and charter school in the state. For 2002, the Agency determined the SpECS of each school district and charter school in accordance with the methodology described below. The 2002 SpECS of each school district and charter school is based upon information available to the Agency as of June 28, 2002.

1. Desk Audit: Compliant

In accordance with Section 29.010 of the TEC, the Agency has adopted and implemented a comprehensive system for monitoring school district and charter school compliance with federal and state laws relating to special education. The Agency's monitoring system provides for the ongoing analysis of district special education data and of complaints filed with the Agency concerning special education services. The analysis of data is conducted in accordance with the Agency's Special Education Data Analysis System (DAS). In January 2002, the Agency completed its most recent evaluation of school districts and charter schools under the DAS. The Agency then considered those DAS results as part of its process of selecting school districts and charter schools to receive District Effectiveness and Compliance (DEC) on-site monitoring visits during the 2002-2003 school year. The districts and charter schools selected to receive DEC visits during the 2002-2003 school year were notified of their selection on January 31, 2002. Desk Audit: Compliant is the 2002 SpECS assigned to all districts and charter schools that were not selected to receive a DEC on-site visit during the 2002-2003 school year based on the DAS and that are not identified, as of June 28, 2002, as having one of the following seven categories of SpECS.

2. Desk Audit: Self-Evaluation Required

Based on its continued evaluation of the January 2002 DAS results, the Agency anticipates that by September 1, 2002 it will select certain school districts and charter schools to participate in self-evaluations of their special education programs during the 2002-2003 school year. Evaluation of the 2002 DAS results is nearing completion. As of June 28, 2002, however, no district or charter school had yet been selected to conduct a self-evaluation of its special education program. In the event a district or charter school had been identified, as of June 28, 2002, to participate in a self-evaluation, then the district's or charter school's 2002 SpECS would have been Desk Audit: Self-Evaluation Required.

3. Desk Audit: Site Visit Pending

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school that received a DEC visit during the 2001-2002 school year but for whom the Agency had not completed and mailed the written DEC report relating to such visit as of June 28, 2002. This is also the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school selected through DAS to receive a DEC visit during the 2002-2003 school year based on the January 2002 DAS results.

4. Site-Visit: Compliant

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school that received a DEC visit during the 2001-2002 school year and the written report of the visit contained no special education citations.

5. Site-Visit: Corrective Action Compliant

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school involved in the implementation of corrective actions during the 2001-2002 school year (based on special education compliance citations noted during one or more on-site monitoring visits conducted by the Agency) which resulted in a written finding by the Agency, on or before June 28, 2002, that the corrective actions were sufficient to bring the school district or charter school into compliance with federal and state laws relating to special education.

6. Site-Visit: Corrective Action Required (Under Review by TEA)

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school involved in the implementation of corrective actions during the 2001-2002 school year (based on special education compliance citations noted during one or more on-site monitoring visits conducted by the Agency), and the corrective actions were still being reviewed for sufficiency by the Agency as of June 28, 2002.

7. Site-Visit: Corrective Action Required (Unresolved)

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school involved in the implementation of corrective actions during the 2001-2002 school year (based on special education compliance citations noted during one or more on-site monitoring visits conducted by the Agency), and the Agency has notified the district or charter school that the corrective actions are unacceptable or insufficient to bring the district or charter school into compliance. Additionally, this SpECS is assigned when the Agency has conducted one or more Corrective Action Review (CAR) follow-up visits to the district or charter school, and, as of June 28, 2002, citations still remain and corrective actions continue to be unresolved.

8. Sanctions Imposed

This is the SpECS assigned to each school district and charter school for which one or more of the sanctions or interventions authorized by state law or rule have been imposed by the Agency (and have not been removed as of June 28, 2002) as a result of issues or concerns relating to the district's or charter school's special education program.

If you have questions about the Special Education Compliance Status, please contact the Division of Accountability Development and Support at (512) 463-9716. (Source: Division of Accountability Development and Support)

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