Glossary

for the
Academic Excellence Indicator System
1998-99 Report

Accountability Rating: This refers to the district and campus ratings assigned by the 1999 accountability system. Districts and campuses are evaluated on performance on the TAAS, the dropout rate, and the attendance 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 either AE: Acceptable, AE: Needs Peer Review, or AE: Not Rated.

Charter Schools - At the district level, open-enrollment charter schools receive the label Charter School. At the school level, they are given one of the four rating categories listed above, based on the regular accountability system. Note that during their first year of operation, charter schools are not rated; they are labeled Not Rated (Charter).

Not Rated - These campuses include those that do not serve students within the 1st- through 12th-grade span, such as pre-kindergarten centers and early education through kindergarten schools.

Unacceptable: SAI - Districts receiving a rating of Unacceptable: SAI have undergone a Special Accreditation Investigation as mandated in Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code.

Unacceptable: Data Quality (district) and Acceptable: Data Issues (campus) - In 1999, these two rating categories were assigned to certain districts and campuses. They were the result of serious errors in data reporting that affected one or more of the base indicators used for determining accountability ratings. The errors were of such magnitude that the results were deemed to be unsuitable for ratings purposes.

For a more detailed explanation of the accountability system, see the 1999 Accountability Manual. A copy of the manual was provided to each superintendent and principal in April 1999. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport. For a detailed explanation of the accountability system used for alternative education schools, see the 1998-99 Accountability Procedures for Alternative Education Manual, available from the TEA Office of Accountability and Accreditation.

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. 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.

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

Actual Longitudinal 6-Yr. Dropout Rate: See Dropout Rate (Actual Longitudinal).

Additional Acknowledgment: This refers to the school or district's performance on the additional indicators in the accountability system. For 1999, the accountability system includes performance on college admissions tests, the TAAS/TASP equivalency, and Comparable Improvement (campus-level only). 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 qualified due to Low-Performing or 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 1999 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 1999. It is also available on the Division of Performance Reporting's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport. See College Admissions Tests, TAAS/TASP, and Comparable Improvement.

Advanced Courses: This indicator is based on a count of the number of students who complete and receive credit for at least one advanced academic course in grades 9-12. Appendix C lists all the advanced courses included in this measure. Course completion information is reported by districts through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) at the end 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 1997-98
divided by
number of students who completed at least one course in 1997-98

Beginning with this year's report, counts of special education students are included in the results shown for the campus or district and the individual student groups. Advanced course completion rates are shown for 1996-97 and 1997-98 and both years include special education students. See Appendix C: List of Advanced Courses. (Source: PEIMS, June 1998, June 1997)

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 above
divided by

number 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 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years. (Sources: Educational Testing Service, a College Board contractor; The International Baccalaureate Organization, and PEIMS, Oct. 1998, Oct. 1997)

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 1997-98
divided by
total number of days students were in membership in 1997-98

Attendance rates are shown for 1996-97 and 1997-98. Only students in grades 1-12 are included in the calculations. (Source: PEIMS, June 1998, June 1997)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

Budgeted Instructional Operating Expenditures by Program: These are budgeted instructional operating expenditures categorized by the individual program (regular, special, compensatory, career and technology, bilingual/ESL, and gifted and talented) for which they were budgeted. Values shown are the percent of total instructional operating expenditures. Instructional operating expenditures include those activities which deal directly with the instruction of pupils (functions 11, 96). Instructional Leadership expenditures (function 21) are not included. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

Campus Group: See Comparable Improvement.

Class Size Average by Subject Area (District Profile only): This value shows the average class size for elementary and selected secondary classes. Class size averages are determined by summing the number of students served and dividing by a calculated count of classes. Only classes identified as serving "regular population" 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. For elementary classes, the teacher's FTE value is considered when counting classes. Class sizes for sixth grade elementary courses that are departmentalized are calculated using the methodology applied to secondary classes. Districts do not report actual class size averages; these are derived values. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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. For purposes of year-to-year comparison, results are reported for graduating seniors in the class of 1997 and the class of 1998.

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); ACT, Inc. (ACT); and PEIMS, Oct. 1998, Oct. 1997)

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 schools (from anywhere in the state), that closely match 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 1998-99;

• the percent of Hispanic students enrolled for 1998-99;

• the percent of White students enrolled for 1998-99;

• the percent of economically disadvantaged students enrolled for 1998-99;

• the percent of limited English proficient (LEP) students enrolled for 1998-99; and

• the percent of mobile students as determined from 1997-98 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 much 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 1999 TAAS reading and/or mathematics tests, in grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10;

• are part of the 1999 Accountability Subset (see TAAS);

• can be matched to the spring 1998 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 1999 are matched to their eighth grade test of 1997; 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 1998 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:

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 better 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 30), 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. 1998, Oct. 1997, June 1998, and June 1997; TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Completion Rate (District Performance only): The current year (class of '98) completion rate looks at the class (or cohort) of students who were first enrolled as 9th graders in the 1994-95 school year, and follows them through the 1997-98 school year. Completers are any students who during those years:

• graduated, either on time or early;

• received a GED (General Educational Development) certificate; or

• were continuing students, enrolled in school during the 1998-99 school year.

If a student transfers from one district to another during this time, his or her status is attributed to the last district in which he or she was enrolled. At this time, students no longer reported in PEIMS are treated as transfers out of the Texas public education system, not as dropouts.

For each district, the calculation is as follows:

On-time graduates plus early graduates plus GED recipients plus continuing students
divided by
Original 9th grade cohort plus transfers in minus transfers out

For purposes of comparison, the completion rate for the class of 1997 is also provided. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, Oct. 1997 & June 1998, Oct. 1996 & June 1997, Oct. 1995 & June 1996, Oct. 1993 & June 1995, and Oct. 1992 & June 1993)

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 score values 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.

Dropout: A student is identified as a dropout if the individual 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. Not all school leavers are dropouts; the reasons reported by districts for the students' departures are the primary determinants of whether any given student's PEIMS "leaver record" will be included in the dropout count.

Students whose PEIMS leaver records are coded with the following reasons are counted as dropouts:

• students who enter the military before graduation;

• students from special education, ungraded, or alternative education programs who leave school;

• students who leave school and enter a program not qualifying as an elementary/secondary school (e.g., cosmetology school); and

• students enrolled as migrants and whose whereabouts are unknown.

Students whose PEIMS leaver records are coded with the following reasons are not counted as dropouts:

• students who die;

• students showing regular attendance at an alternative program;

• students enrolled as migrants who have a subsequent school enrollment record;

• students who transferred to another public school, adult or alternative education program, or home schooling;

• students who were expelled for criminal behavior occurring on school property or at school-related functions and are incarcerated;

• students who met all graduation requirements but did not pass the exit-level Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test;

• students who enrolled in college early;

• students transferred or assigned to another public institution or educational program; and

• foreign students who return to their home country.

(Source: TEA, 1997-98 Report on Public School Dropouts, Texas Education Agency. The 1997-98 dropout rates are available (by district, county, or state) on the Division of Research and Evaluation's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/research.)

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 membership at any time during the school year

Annual dropout rates are shown for 1996-97 and 1997-98.

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. See Dropout and Leaver Record Exclusions. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, June 1998, Oct. 1997, and June 1997)

Dropout Rate (Actual Longitudinal): This year, for the first time, the district-level AEIS reports show actual longitudinal dropout rates. These rates were calculated by following the class (cohort) of students who began 7th grade in 1992-93 through their expected graduation date, in 1997-98. This rate is referred to as the "actual" rate to distinguish it from the "estimated" rate previously reported in TEA's annual Report on Public School Dropouts. It is based on six years of PEIMS data collected at the individual student level.

The rate is calculated by counting all the students in the cohort whose final status in PEIMS is as a dropout, and dividing that number by the final number of students in the cohort after six years. Note that students who transfer (e.g., to another district or state) out of the original cohort are subtracted from the denominator and those who transfer in are added to it. For further explanation, see the 1997-98 Report on Public School Dropouts. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, June 1998, Oct. 1997, June 1997, Oct. 1996, June 1996, Oct. 1995, June 1995, Oct. 1994, June 1994, Oct. 1993, June 1993, and Oct. 1992)

Dropout Records Excluded: See Leaver Record Exclusions.

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. 1998, Oct. 1997; and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Educational Aides: Educational aides are staff who are reported with a role of 033 or 035. Educational 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. 1998)

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 1998-99 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

• US History - grades 9-12

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

• Algebra I 1999 - summer 1998, fall 1998, and spring 1999

• Algebra I 1998- summer 1997, fall 1997, and spring 1998

• Biology 1999 - summer 1998, fall 1998, and spring 1999

• Biology 1998 - summer 1997, fall 1997, and spring 1998

• English II 1999 - fall 1998 and spring 1999

• U.S. History 1999 - fall 1998 and spring 1999

The two newests tests, English II and U.S. History, will have summer, fall, and spring results available for reporting in next year's AEIS reports. The performance of students in special education is included in all groups for this measure. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment and PEIMS, Oct. 1998, and Oct. 1997)

End-of-Course Examination Credit for Graduation: Students eligible to take the spring 1999 exit-level TAAS at grade 10 may have chosen not to take the test if they had already met their testing requirements for gradation by passing end-of-course examinations. In order to be eligible for this credit, the student must have passed (by fall 1998) 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.

This credit was available beginning with the spring 1999 TAAS administration.

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. 1998, Oct. 1997; 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 hired on contract by the district to provide services to students. For example, a district that contracted with a company to provide advanced mathematics instruction in its gifted and talented program would report FTEs in this category. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

FTE: Full-Time Equivalent.

Fund Balance Information (from District Profile Section): The amount of unencumbered surplus fund balance that existed at the end of the 1997-98 school year is reported for each district. The percent of the total budgeted expenditures (for the general fund) for the current year (1998-99) is also shown. (Source: Financial Audit Report, Dec. 1998)

Graduates (Class of 1998): This is the total number of graduates (including summer graduates) for the 1997-98 school year, reported in the fall of 1998. 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 with advanced or advanced with honors diplomas are also shown. Beginning this year, counts of students graduating under the recommended high school or distinguished achievement program are also shown.

Students graduating with the class of 1998 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

• Special Education student completing an IEP

See Completion Rate and Recommended High School Program. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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

Leaver Record Exclusions: In the fall of each year, districts report all 7th through 12th grade students who had been enrolled or in attendance at any point during the prior year but who did not re-enroll that fall. This information is sent to TEA in Submission 1 of the annual PEIMS data collection. In March, after the data submission process is complete, 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 Education Development (GED) certificate and appear on the GED information file at the time the recovery procedures are executed;

• graduated from any other district within the last year;

• were identified as a dropout at any time back to the 1990-91 school year. 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. First-time dropout identification applies to dropouts reported since the 1990-91 school year, the first year that student identification data were collected along with the dropout record.

(Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, June 1998, Oct. 1997, June 1997, Oct. 1996, and Oct. 1995; General Education Development Information File; and TEA, 1997-98 Report on Public School Dropouts, 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. 1998)

Longitudinal Dropout Rate: See Dropout Rate (Actual Longitudinal).

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 because 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).

number of mobile students in 1997-98
divided by
number of students who were in membership at any time during the 1997-98 school year

See Comparable Improvement. (Source: PEIMS, June 1998)

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. 1998)

Paired Schools: Schools that reported enrollment but do not have grades in which the TAAS test 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' attendance rate and dropout rate are used along with Navarro's TAAS pass rates to determine Travis' rating. Navarro High School, on the other hand, has its own attendance rate, dropout rate, and TAAS pass rates to determine its rating. For this reason, two schools that are paired can receive different ratings.

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. 1998)

Per Pupil Expenditures: Budgeted expenditures for groups of functions divided by the total number of students in the district or school. 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. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

Preview Indicator: One "preview" indicator is included in this year's AEIS reports. The purpose is to show the performance of students who are presently not included in the state accountability ratings, but whose performance next year will affect the school or district's 2000 rating. The 2000 Preview Indicator shows the combined passing rate for test takers who were in this year's accountability subset, plus the students who took the Spanish TAAS reading and mathematics in grades 5 and 6 and Spanish TAAS writing in grade 4. It provides a preview of what the school or district's accountability ratings will be based on in the year 2000.

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. 1998)

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 a graduation code of
"Recommended High School Program," or "Distinguished Achievement Program"
divided by
number of graduates

Note that special education students are included in this calculation. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, Oct. 1997)

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 1998-99 in the same grade as their grade in the last reported six-week period of the prior year (1997-98). 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 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. 1998, June 1998)

Revenues by Source (District Profile only): Budgeted revenues for groups of object categories are expressed as a percent of total revenue. Beginning with 1996-97, amounts budgeted in certain fund categories which were previously collected by the TEA are no longer collected. These are the Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds. Therefore amounts budgeted by districts in these funds stopped appearing on the AEIS reports with the 1996-97 school year. 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 services funds (599). Local Tax (5710 & 5761, less function 91 & 97 expenditures): district income from local real and personal property taxes. Other Local and Intermediate (5720-5745, 5747-5750, 5769): 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. State (5800): 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. Federal (5900): 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. See Appendix B. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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).

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 be exempted from one or all of them. In the past, performance of special education students on the TAAS was excluded from the performance of a school or district for accountability ratings evaluation purposes. As of 1999, their performance is included for ratings purposes. In order to provide comparisons for the same population of students, the values shown for 1998 have been recomputed to include the performance of special education students in the spring 1998 TAAS administration.

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 TAAS Participation Report. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998, Oct. 1997, and TEA Division of Student Assessment)

Standardized Local Tax Base (Comptroller Valuation) (District Profile only): This shows the district's total taxable property value as certified by the Comptroller's Property Tax Division (Comptroller Valuation). Value per Pupil: total taxable property value divided by the total number of students. This per pupil figure is often referred to as "wealth." Value by Category: shows aggregates of individual property tax categories expressed as a percent of the total market or taxable value of all property. Please note that the values shown are final for tax year 1998. (Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 1999)

Standardized Tax Rates (Comptroller Valuation) (District Profile only): Sometimes property values are not judged equivalently across appraisal districts. For this reason the Comptroller conducts a study each year which re-evaluates the property values within school districts. Standardized, or equalized, tax rates are the result of dividing the taxes collected by districts by the Comptroller's re-evaluated property values. Standardized rates are more comparable across districts than the locally adopted rates because the standardized rates are based on equalized property values. The total standardized rate is the sum of the school district maintenance and operation rate (M&O) and debt service (Interest & Sinking fund) rates. Rates are expressed per $100 of taxable value. (Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 1999)

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. 1998)

Students by Grade: Percentages are calculated by dividing the number of students in each grade by the total number of students. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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 1999 and the spring of 1998.

• 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. 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

Please note the following changes for the spring 1999 tests:

• TAAS results for all students and student groups include the performance of students in special education.

• TAAS results summed across grades also include the performance of those students who took the 3rd and 4th grade Spanish TAAS in reading and mathematics.

• The 1999 TAAS results summed across grades include those students who met the testing requirement for graduation by passing end-of-course examinations. (The results shown by grade for grade 10 do not include these results.)

• The 1998 TAAS results were recomputed to include the performance of students in special education. For TAAS results summed across all grades, they also include the performance of those students who took the 3rd and 4th grade Spanish TAAS in reading and mathematics. This allows for valid comparisons of performance for 1998 and 1999.

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 used for accountability purposes. 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.

• Although "All Tests Taken" is not used in the accountability system, it is shown on the AEIS report. This value shows the percent of students who passed every test they took. For this reason, it is always equal to or less than the percent of students who passed any of the individual subject areas. When summing across all grades for "All Tests Taken," science and social studies results are not included.

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 1999 shows the percent of students who first took the exit-level test in spring 1997, and eventually passed all tests taken (in the same district) by spring 1999. 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:

• Any student who took the test for the first time in spring 1997, 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 above students, whether or not they were in the "accountability subset" (see TAAS).

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 1997 are not included, even if they took the TAAS and graduated with the class of 1999.

The information is available by sex and ethnicity but not by economic status. Special education students' results are included in all the values, and are not reported separately. Results of the TAAS Exit-level Cumulative Pass Rate are also shown for the class of 1998. (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) test. 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 performance is considered for a school or district's accountability ratings. 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 excluded because they took the Spanish TAAS tests given in grades 5 or 6, or the Spanish TAAS writing test in grade 4. (Students who took the Spanish TAAS reading and writing tests in grades 3 and 4 are included in the accountability subset for 1999.)

• Students may be absent during every test administration.

• Students may receive an ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) exemption for every test.

• Students may receive a LEP (Limited English Proficient) exemption for every test.

The TAAS Participation Report included in the AEIS report provides a breakdown of who was included and who was excluded. The percentages are based on the number of answer documents submitted for the tests. Districts submit an answer document for each student enrolled at the time of the spring TAAS administration in the grades tested.

Beginning in 1999 the performance of students in special education who took the TAAS was included in the results used to rate each school. In 1998, the performance of students in special education was not included in the accountability subset, and is shown as a separate row on the report. For a description of each component of the TAAS Participation Report, see Appendix E. (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 1998 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 1996.

• All 11th graders who took the test for the first time in October 1996 or spring 1997.

• All 12th graders who took the test for the first time in October 1997 or spring 1998.

• Students in special education who took the TAAS. (This is new for this year: The results for the class of 1998 and the class of 1997 have been computed to include students in special education who took the TAAS.)

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 1997. Note that the "October 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 and TASP. (Source: TEA Division of Student Assessment; PEIMS, Oct. 1998, and Oct. 1997)

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.

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

Total Adopted Tax Rate (calendar year 1998) (District Profile only): This is the locally adopted total tax rate set by the school district to be in effect for the 1998 calendar year. Taxes based on this rate were to be paid by taxpayers in early 1999. (Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 1999)

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 (96). 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. 1998)

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 (91) or services not offered. This category also includes payments to other school districts under the Public Education Grant Program (95). 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 (97) 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. 1998)

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 (6100): gross salaries or wages and benefit costs for all employees. Professional and Contracted Services (6200): services rendered to school districts by firms, individuals and other organizations. Supplies and Materials (6300): supplies and materials including fuel for vehicles, other reading materials (not including the cost of state-adopted textbooks), and food service supplies. Other Operating Costs (6400): other expenses necessary for the operation of the school district. The non-operating categories are: Debt Service (6500): all expenditures for debt service including the retirement of debt and bond principal, and all interest expenses. Capital Outlay (6600): expenditures for fixed assets, such as land, buildings, and equipment. Beginning with 1996-97, amounts budgeted in certain fund categories which were previously collected by the TEA are no longer collected. These are the Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds. Therefore amounts budgeted by districts in these funds stopped appearing on the AEIS reports with the 1996-97 school year. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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. 1998)

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. 1998)

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 (96). 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); and, costs associated with the purchase or sale of attendance credits either from the state or from other school district(s) (92). For Charter Schools, central administration is function 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. 1998)

Total Revenues (District Profile only): The total for all revenues budgeted in the General Fund (199, including State Food Services), the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (240, 701), and the Debt Service Funds (599). Beginning with 1996-97, amounts budgeted in certain fund categories which were previously collected by the TEA are no longer collected. These are the Special Revenue Funds (including Shared Services Arrangements) and the Capital Projects Funds. Therefore amounts budgeted by districts in these funds stopped appearing on the AEIS reports with the 1996-97 school year. Total Revenues per Pupil is total revenue divided by the total number of students. (Source: PEIMS, Oct. 1998)

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. 1998)

Total Students: This is the total number of public school students who were reported in membership as of October 30, 1998 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. 1998)

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. The legislature allocated $2,500,000 for the Successful Schools Award Program in 1999-2000. 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) 463-9737.

Turnover Rate for Teachers (District Profile only): This shows the total FTE count of teachers not employed in the district in the fall of 1998-99 who were employed as teachers in the district in the fall of 1997-98, divided by the total teacher FTE count for the fall of 1997-98. 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. 1998, Oct. 1997)

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 1999 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: 1999 Accountability Manual, 1999 Accountability Ratings and Data Tables; 1999 district and campus AEIS data (posted in late November); and Campus Comparison Groups (under Comparable Improvement) based on 1998-99 characteristics (posted in late November).

• All courses shown were for the 1997-98 school year.
• An "A" prefix indicates a College Board Advanced Placement course.
• An "I" prefix indicates an International Baccalaureate course.

 Back to AEIS 1999 home page

Back to the Performance Reporting home page

Back to the TEA home page