Texas Public School Accountability Presented at Midwinter by the Texas Education Agency

2 State Performance on Accountability Indicators

3 Campus Accountability Ratings * as of October 2002 * Excludes campuses evaluated under alternative education procedures. * Charters were rated as campuses only beginning in * Beginning in 1999, TAAS accountability indicators include the results of non-special education students, special education students, and Spanish TAAS. ** The TAAS Acceptable standard for social studies is 50% and applies only to the “All Students” group in Includes Charters **

4 District Accountability Ratings * as of October 2002 * Beginning in 1999, TAAS accountability indicators include the results of non-special education students, special education students, and Spanish TAAS. ** The TAAS Acceptable standard for social studies is 50% and applies only to the “All Students” group in **

5 Texas Accountability: Changes for the Future, 2003 and Beyond n New Statutory Requirements: – Results of the new TAKS assessment program, including additional subjects and grades; – Results of the State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA); – Use of completion rates either in conjunction with, or in lieu of, annual dropout rates; – Incorporation of a new improvement measure; – Results of the Student Success Initiative; and – Progress of prior year failers

6 TAAS vs. TAKS A Comparison of Subjects and Grades Assessed

7 Ratings and Indicators Student Success Initiative n Indicators – progress of students provided accelerated instruction under student success initiative – progress of students promoted by the Grade Placement Committee – progress of students who failed any TAAS test n Ratings – include standards based on current and prior year performance of students failing TAAS under student success initiative

8 Texas Accountability: Changes for the Future, 2003 and Beyond n New Federal Requirements: – Assessment and accountability provisions in the No Child Left Behind legislation n Adequate Yearly Progress n Additional student groups n Minimum size criteria n Mobility adjustment n 95% testing requirement (5% limit on absences and other) n 1/2% ARD exemptions limitation

9 Texas Accountability: Changes for the Future, 2003 and Beyond n Advisory Committee Recommendations: – Consideration of a weighted (compensatory) versus “all or nothing” (conjunctive) system; – Consideration of more rigorous minimum size criteria for student group evaluations; and – Consideration of new data quality measures

10 Accountability Demands of the Future n Accommodate all students – special education – limited English proficient n Accommodate greater program diversity – charter schools – alternative education – juvenile detention centers

11 Accountability Demands of the Future (continued) n Use longitudinal vs. annual measures of school improvement n Evaluate growth as well as absolute performance n Measure performance at all levels n Take into account ever increasing rigor of curriculum content, graduation requirements, as well as other indicators of school success n Provide links between different types of school data – e.g., financial data  student performance n Provide national comparisons

12 Accountability Demands of the Future (continued) n Current, accurate, and easily accessible data n Transactional rather than snapshot-in-time collections n Continued debate about the appropriate level of state analysis for school accountability – district? – campus? – grade-level? – classroom?

13 Accountability System Features Linked to Student Success n An understandable rating system n Dual goals: raising standards and increasing student participation n Institutional accountability and student accountability n Campuses and districts held accountable n A criterion-referenced state assessment program that is aligned to the state curriculum and assesses all students at specific grade levels n All students held to the same standards

14 Accountability System Features Linked to Student Success (continued) n Indicator data disaggregated for specific student groups n Realistic targets for increased standards n A stable system with gradual increases in standards n Continuous improvement and refinement of the system n Advance notice of future rating standards n Multiple indicators of performance and multiple rating levels

15 Accountability System Features Linked to Student Success (continued) n Performance reported against absolute and improvement standards n Program diversity accommodated (alternative education / charter schools) n Special circumstances accommodated (small numbers of students / student mobility) n System safeguards for data integrity n A fair appeals process n Publicly released annual campus and district ratings

16 Accountability System Features Linked to Student Success n Public access to accountability information n Positive and negative consequences for results n Interventions target deficit areas n A set of increasingly severe sanctions, applied as appropriate for specific district and campus circumstances

17 Commissioner of Education Plan for 2003 and 2004 Accountability

18 Student Passing Standards on TAKS and Campus/District/State Accountability Standards

19 Comparison of Selected Assessment and Accountability Provisions Texas and NCLB Texas Education Code or Texas Administrative Code No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 SubjectsReading Mathematics Writing English Language Arts Science Social Studies Reading/Language Arts Mathematics Science (phased in later) Grades and either 10, 11 or 12 AssessmentsTAKS & SDAATAKS, SDAA, & local assessments Student GroupsAll students African American Hispanic White Economically Disadvantaged All students African American Hispanic White Economically Disadvantaged Special Education Limited English Proficient Student MobilityDistrict mobilityCampus mobility Student Testing Policies90/95% tested; Data investigations 95% tested; 1/2 % ARD exemption limitation Minimum Size Criteria30/50? Alternative Education CampusesSeparate rating proceduresOne accountability system Interventions & SanctionsLow PerformingNot meeting AYP Data Quality RequirementsFor ISD to be Exemplary or Recognized; Data investigations N/A

Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner Office of Accountability Reporting and Research Texas Education Agency 1701 N. Congress Avenue Austin, TX (512) (512) (fax)