This Week in Performance Reporting: October 18, 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

One of the few updates that will be made to the 2020 accountability rating system methodology is the English Language Proficiency (ELP) component evaluated in the Closing the Gaps domain.

2020 TELPAS results will be compared to 2019 TELPAS results. A student will be credited for progress if the student advances by at least one level on the composite rating from the prior year to the current year or if the student’s 2020 composite rating is Advanced High. If a 2019 composite rating is not available, the composite rating from 2018 will be compared to the 2020 composite rating.

A subset rule will continue to be applied to the ELP component; if the student was enrolled in the same campus or district on the October 2019 TSDS PEIMS snapshot as the campus or district that they were administered the TELPAS in spring 2020, the result will be included in calculations.

Reporting of Industry-Based Certifications

The Texas Student Data System (TSDS) PEIMS Fall 2019–20 collection is an opportunity to “catch up” on reporting IBCs earned by students in prior school years that have not yet been reported to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). In previous years, the TSDS PEIMS collection of IBCs was limited to graduates. For the 2019–20 Fall Submission, in addition to collecting IBCs for 2019 graduates, IBC reporting will include:

• IBCs earned by 2019 graduates using the 2019–20 IBC list for public school accountability (list of 244)
• IBCs earned prior to the 2019–20 academic year for currently enrolled students while in grades 9–12 using the 2019–20 IBC list for public school accountability (list of 244)
• More than three IBCs may be reported for each graduate or student.

This reporting provides additional information to Performance Reporting for use in the College, Career, and Military Readiness components of the academic accountability system. 2019 graduates reported as having earned an IBC from the expanded list of 244 will receive credit in 2020 CCMR calculations. For additional information, please see the October 17, 2019 To the Administrator Addressed.

Local Accountability System

Districts that submitted a Notice of Interest (NOI) and attended required training should have received a district local accountability system plan submission form via email with associated due dates. Please contact us if you submitted an NOI and attended training but did not receive an email with the plan submission form.

The Local Accountability System Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document provides additional information about the process of developing a plan and submitting it to TEA for approval. This week, we highlight two below.

What is the local accountability system?

House Bill (HB) 22 (85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2017) established the Local Accountability System (LAS) to allow districts and open-enrollment charter schools to develop local accountability system plans for their campuses. A district’s local accountability plan provides stakeholders with detailed information about school performance and progress over time. Local accountability plans may vary by school type (elementary school, middle school, high school, and K–12) and by school group (magnet schools, early college high schools, etc.), but must apply equally to all campuses as applicable by school type and group. Once approved by TEA, it is expected that a plan be operational and relatively unchanged for three to five years.

What is a local accountability plan?

A local accountability plan is created at the district-level to measure campus outcomes that are not included in the state accountability system. A local accountability plan is a coherent set of outcomes based on district needs and goals for student achievement. Outcomes are measured through defined components based on valid and reliable data sources.

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

Assessment Scoring and Reporting

The 2019–2020 Data File Format for Student Registration lists six possible values for the LEP-INDICATOR-CODE (1, F, S, 3, 4, and 0).  This year TSDS PEIMS Data Standards include a new value of 5. This LEP-INDICATOR-CODE value 5 will NOT be collected on students’ answer documents or in the STAAR Assessment Management System. If districts enter a value of 5 in their student registration upload file, the STAAR Assessment Management System will return an error as that value is not currently recognized. Districts should submit a value of 0 for all students who are coded as 5 on the TSDS PEIMS file.

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 FAQ

Are all districts and campuses, including new campuses, rated in 2020?

Beginning the first year they report fall enrollment, school districts and charter schools are rated based on the aggregate results of students in their campuses. Districts without any students enrolled in the grades for which STAAR assessments are administered (3-12) are assigned the rating label of Not Rated.

Beginning the first year they report fall enrollment, campuses, including alternative education campuses, and open-enrollment charter schools are rated based on the performance of their students. For the purposes of assigning accountability ratings, campuses that do not serve any grade level for which the STAAR assessments are administered are paired with campuses in their district that serve students who take STAAR. Please see Chapter 7 of the 2019 Accountability Manual for information on pairing.

Accountability Fall Learning Webinars

Performance Reporting is happy to announce the continuation of our learning webinar series this fall. These presentations will review components of the 2019 accountability reports, the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), and distinction designations. The series is designed for audiences who are not familiar with the topics or need training on the most crucial components.

All webinars are offered through Zoom, a free video conference service. You can sign up using a Zoom, Google, or Facebook login. If you don't have an account, you can sign up for free.

Accountability Fall Learning Webinar Dates

Understanding Distinction Designations—October 30, 2019 at 1:00 pm 

Understanding the 2019 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR)—December 11, 2019 at 1:00 pm 

Walkthrough of the 2019 Accountability Data Reports recording — from September 26, 2019 

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 positions:

Manager of Policy and Communications (Manager IV)

The Manager of Policy and Communications is responsible for facilitating state and federal academic accountability rating and reporting system releases, as well as providing guidance and resources to help schools meet the educational needs of all students. This position will provide statewide clear and effective communication regarding academic accountability and will lead the team that provides state-level support, information, and non-regulatory guidance related to state and federal accountability ratings and data reporting system releases. This position reports to the Director of Policy, Communications, and Support.

SAS Programmer/Data Analyst (Programmer III)

Additionally, Performance Reporting is hiring three SAS Programmer/Data Analysts. These roles will perform complex computer programming tasks pertaining to the creation and quality check of datasets, create and maintain reports of extensive school and district information, including state and federal accountability rating and other scholastic outcomes. The SAS Programmer/Data Analyst positions work under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Factoid Friday

This week, we’re focusing on the demographics of students in Texas. In the 2017–18 year, Texas had 5,385,012 students reported in membership at any grade from early childhood education through grade 12. Using data from the Texas Academic Performance Report, we see the largest student group in Texas is Hispanic, followed by white and African American student groups. To interact with this chart, or to download these percentages in an Excel format, click on the graphic below.

 

Performance Reporting Calendar

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

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—2019 PDF 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