This Week in Performance Reporting: March 27, 2020

Good afternoon, Performance Reporting bulletin members.

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What’s New in Performance Reporting

A–F Accountability

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) continues to work with the Office of the Governor, Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to coordinate and plan the state’s response to COVID-19. Through statutory authority, Governor Greg Abbott has suspended the administration of STAAR testing scheduled for April, May, and June 2020.  Executive Order no. GA-08 has ordered public schools to remain closed to students through April 3, 2020, unless that period is extended by the governor.

Statewide school closure and waiving STAAR testing requirements is unprecedented in recent history, and Performance Reporting has received several questions specific to disruptions caused by COVID-19. In order to address questions raised during this rapidly changing situation, the agency has created the Coronavirus (COVID-19) support and guidance website as the primary source of up-to-date information and answers to frequently asked questions about disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The agency has also created a dedicated email address for all COVID-19 questions—disasterinfo@tea.texas.gov. Using this email, rather than emailing individual departments is be the best way to ensure the agency tracks questions and responds in a timely manner.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Waiver Request

TEA has asked the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to waive the assessment and accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), for the 2019–2020 school year. Texas is requesting that for the 2019–2020 school year, federal assessment, accountability, and federal identification of schools for improvement requirements be waived in recognition of the unprecedented impact of COVID-19.

The approval of this waiver would not break the chain of consecutive years of low performance under section ESSA, 1111(b)(4)(D). To view the complete amendment request, visit https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-andrules/essa/every-student-succeeds-act.

All comments on this proposed amendment are due by Tuesday, March 31, 2020, by electronic mail addressed to performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov.

Alternative Education Accountability (AEA) Registration

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on districts across the state, the 2020 AEA campus registration process for the state academic accountability system has been rescheduled for April 27 to May 8, 2020. Campuses rated by 2019 AEA provisions are reregistered automatically in 2020, provided that the campus continues to meet enrollment and at-risk criteria as determined by TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data. New this year, campuses that were not registered in 2019 but meet eligibility in 2020 will be automatically registered for AEA by the agency. Districts may choose to remove a campus from evaluation under AEA procedures by submitting an AEA rescission form through the TEA Login (TEAL) Accountability application. Additional instructions for the rescission request will be provided before the AEA window opens.

Assessment Scoring and Reporting

Raw score to scale score conversion tables for all state assessments are posted here. 

Parents can access their child’s assessment results in the Student Portal. Teachers and other authorized personnel can access student-level assessment results in the Teacher Portal. Assessment results at the campus/district/region/state level can be viewed in the Analytic Portal.

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

Accountability Winter/Spring Learning Webinars

The upcoming webinar on Understanding the College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) Outcomes Bonus scheduled for May 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm has been postponed due to protentional district closures. A new date will be announced later this spring.

If you were unable to participate in a webinar, you can view archived recordings at this link.

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:

Education Specialist III

The Education Specialist III for Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) will conduct complex consultative and technical assistance work with moderate latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment in the annual design, development, implementation, and maintenance of systems within Performance-Based Monitoring (which include monitoring reports and data analyses).

Performance Reporting Calendar

April 27 through May 8—2020 alternative education accountability registration submitted in TEAL

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