This Week in Performance Reporting: August 23, 2019

Good afternoon, Performance Reporting bulletin members.

Welcome to this week’s update. 

Have a coworker who needs to sign up? Bulletin subscriptions can be managed on TEA’s website at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXTEA/subscriber/new.

What’s New in Performance Reporting

A–F Accountability

Data Downloads Now Available

The full 2019 accountability data downloads are now available in the Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) Accountability application and on the 2019 Accountability Rating System website. In addition to the accountability summary data, this data download provides all data included in the 2019 accountability data tables in an Excel, comma-delimited, or tab-delimited format.

Links to district and campus data tables are also available on the 2019 Accountability Rating System site, as well as data tables for each ESC region and for the state as a whole.

Accelerated Testers Guidance

As was shared in the August 22 Enhancements and Updates to the Texas Assessment Program for 2019‒20 TAA, there will be no policy changes to the testing requirements for accelerated students for the 2019–20 school year, as the agency works to implement new funding established under House Bill (HB) 3. Districts should continue to follow existing policies and guidance concerning testing of accelerated students for the 2019–20 school year. HB 3 will provide funding for districts to administer the SAT or ACT; this funding will facilitate the implementation of federal testing requirements for accelerated students who have taken the STAAR Algebra I end-of-course (EOC) prior to high school. During the upcoming school year, the agency will complete the required process to include these outcomes in August 2021 accountability.

Reminder on Substitute Assessments in Accountability

As a reminder, beginning with the December 2019 and spring 2020 STAAR EOC administrations, substitute assessments will no longer be included in accountability calculations. During the upcoming year, the agency will amend Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, §101.4002, as appropriate, and remove references to the inclusion of substitute assessments in accountability during the adoption of the 2020 Accountability Manual. Substitute assessments may continue to be used to meet individual student graduation requirements, as adopted under 19 TAC §101.4002. 

For questions about the accountability system, please contact Performance Reporting at performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov or (512) 463-9704.

Local Accountability System

Districts interested in participating in the Local Accountability System (LAS) process for the 2019–20 school year must submit an online Notice of Interest and attend a TEA-sponsored training session during the fall of 2019.

The Notice of Interest (NOI) form and the 2020 DRAFT Local Accountability System Guide and Appendices are now available on the LAS website. By submitting the NOI form, districts will be provided with additional information about the LAS process but are not committed to participate in the process. The deadline to submit a NOI form for the 2019–20 school year is Friday, September 13, 2019.

Districts that anticipate participating in the LAS process during the 2019–20 school year are also required to attend a TEA-sponsored training session during the fall of 2019. The schedule for LAS training sessions this fall will be posted (available soon) on the LAS website. Districts with an approved NOI will be given priority when registering for the LAS training.

Have a question or comment about the local accountability system? Drop us a line at LAS@tea.texas.gov or call (512) 463-9704.

Performance-Based Monitoring

The 2019 Leaver Records Data Validation Manual is now available at the following link: http://tea.texas.gov/pbm/DVManuals.aspx

The 2019 Leaver Records Data Validation district and student-level reports are scheduled to be posted to the TEAL Accountability application in early November.

Additionally, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) identified as a result of a 2018 Student Assessment Data Validation indicator are generally expected to (a) validate and document their data are, in fact, correct; and (b) if correct data reflect a program implementation concern, address that concern; or (c) if the district’s identification occurred because of incorrect data, improve local data collection and submission procedures.  A Local Education Agency (LEA) is expected to document efforts to address identified indicators.  For 2018 Student Assessment Data Validation, unless specifically contacted by the agency, this documentation should remain on file within the LEA for potential audit purposes. 

Technical Assistance:

Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) contacts are available at each education service center (ESC) to provide technical assistance to school districts. ESC PBM contacts can be found at http://tea4avholly.tea.state.tx.us/tea.askted.web/Forms/Home.aspx using the Search RESCs function.

For questions regarding data validation manuals or the indicators described in the manual, please contact: Performance-Based Monitoring (512) 936-6426 or pbm@tea.texas.gov

For questions regarding compliance Leaver or Discipline reviews, please contact:
Data Reporting Compliance Unit (DRCU) (512)463-5738 or DRCU@tea.texas.gov

Assessment Scoring and Reporting

The Student Portal has been updated with the latest assessment information. Parents can access their child’s results using a unique access code, which can be found on their child’s Report Card. Additionally, parents can view their child’s performance relative to the campus, district, and state.

Raw score to scale score conversion tables are posted here. 

For questions or help with accessing and interpreting STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate results, districts and parents can email assessment.reporting@tea.texas.gov or call (512) 463-9704.

This Week’s FAQs

On our 2019 Closing the Gaps data table, the Pacific Islander group achieved a 94.0 percent four-year federal graduation rate in 2017 and a 93.0 percent four-year federal graduation rate in 2018, which does not meet the requirement for improving at least a tenth of a percent. For 2020 accountability, will the target for the Pacific Islander group revert to 90.0 percent, or will the target be 93.1 percent?

As approved by the U.S. Department of Education, the ESSA state plan requires student groups who meet or exceed the four-year federal graduation target (90.0 percent) to improve that rate in the following year. As graduation rates are rounded to one decimal place, a student group must exceed their prior year rate by one-tenth of a percentage point. In the example above, because the Pacific Islander group achieved a 93.0 percent four-year federal graduation rate in 2018, they are required to exceed that rate by at least a tenth of a percent in the following year. As such, the target for the Pacific Islander group would be 93.1 percent to meet the four-year federal graduation rate for 2020 accountability.

What was the 2019 Closing the Gaps scaled score cut point for comprehensive support and improvement identification?

 The 2019 lowest five percent Closing the Gaps scaled score cut point for Title I campuses was 42. Title I campuses with a Closing the Gaps scaled score at or below 42 were identified, or reidentified, for comprehensive support and improvement.

Employment Opportunities in Performance Reporting

The Performance Reporting Division is looking for someone to join our team. Interested and qualified candidates can apply for the following position at https://capps.taleo.net/careersection/701/jobdetail.ftl?job=00006496&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicao

Programmer IV

The person chosen to fill this position will conduct data analysis, ad-hoc queries, generate data tables and reports regarding academic performance and accountability. This role is critical to helping TEA increase transparency, fairness, and rigor in district and campus academic and financial performance.

Performance Reporting Calendar

September 13—2019 accountability appeals window closes

November—Preliminary longitudinal graduation cohort lists are updated (TEAL)

December—2018–19 Preliminary PDF Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) are released (TEAL and public website)

December—TEA notifies districts of accountability appeal decisions (mail and TEAL)

December—Final list of campuses identified under PEG criteria for 2020–21 school year are released (TEAL)

December—2018–19 Final TAPR, School Report Card, and Federal Report Card are released (public website)

 

Contact Information
Texas Education Agency
Performance Reporting Division
(512) 463-9704
performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov