This Week in Performance Reporting: October 25, 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

Today, October 25^th, is the last Friday of October, which is known as the TSDS PEIMS October snapshot date. The data reported for the October snapshot is used in accountability in two ways. The first relates to our most frequently asked question, which is whether a student will be included in accountability calculations for a district or campus. Each student who tests or retests during the 2020 accountability cycle (summer 2019, fall 2019, or spring 2020) contributes one assessment result per subject tested if they meet the accountability subset. To meet the subset, a student must be reported as enrolled in the same district/campus on the TSDS PEIMS October snapshot as the district/campus where they tested.

               

The second use relates to the economically disadvantaged percentage used in the School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance domain. The economically disadvantaged percentage for each district and campus is calculated based on the TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data. The total number of students in membership who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance is divided by the total number of students in membership.

Whether a student is considered economically disadvantaged is also reported on STAAR answer documents. This information, however, is not used to calculate the economically disadvantaged percentage for a district or campus. It is used only to identify which students are included in the economically disadvantaged student group in the Closing the Gaps domain.

As a reminder, accurate and timely data are the cornerstone of a fair and reliable accountability system. As such, Performance Reporting staff has made targeted efforts throughout the year to stress the importance of quality TSDS PEIMS data submissions by districts. TSDS PEIMS data is used throughout the A–F accountability system and in all the reports produced by Performance Reporting. Additional information is available in our FAQs.

Local Accountability System

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.

How does a district participate in the local accountability system?

As the first step, district staff should familiarize themselves with local accountability system guidelines and complete a notice of interest. District participation in the local accountability system requires attending TEA-sponsored training and submitting a local accountability plan that must be approved by TEA and may include review by an external panel. The 2020–21 Notice of Interest deadline and training schedule will be available in spring 2020.

Can a district participate in the local accountability system and other initiatives at the same time?

Yes. The local accountability system is flexible enough to allow districts to incorporate goals, or activities arising from related initiatives, into the district local accountability plan.

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

Where can I find the current Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) raw score conversion tables?

Resources related to the scoring and reporting of assessment results for the STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate assessments are available on the Assessment Scoring and Reporting page of Performance Reporting’s site. Please update your bookmarks as all future documents for these assessment programs will be posted here.

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:

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

The Texas State Demographer characterizes the Texas triangle (the area encompassing the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio metro areas) as the population engine of the state. Looking at the heatmap below, we see that this is also true for Texas public school districts. Each year, districts are grouped into eight subcategories ranging from major urban to rural based on factors such as enrollment, growth in enrollment, economic status, and proximity to urban areas. Using the community type designations from the Snapshot 2018: School District Profiles and geographic information system data on school district boundaries, we see the highest concentration of student enrollment in and around the Texas triangle. To interact with this map and view school district designations, or to download the data in an Excel format, click on the graphic below.

Valencia, Lila. Population Projections to Inform Redistricting in Texas. Oct. 2019, https://demographics.texas.gov/Resources/Presentations/OSD/2019/2019_10_23_TexasHouseRedistrictingCommittee.pptx. PowerPoint Presentation.

Performance Reporting Calendar

Late October—TAPR System updated with 2019 data

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