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Q: What does
TEC §39.251 and §39.252 require?
A: This law requires
districts to do the following:
- Requires districts by the 10th day of the new school year to
have posted on the district website the most current accountability
ratings, Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports,
and School Report Cards (SRC).
- Requires districts to include the most current campus performance
rating with the first student report card each year, along with
an explanation of the rating.
Note that this statute was redesignated as §39.361
and §39.362 during the 81st session of the Texas Legislature
(2009).
Q: What does this
law actually state?
A: This law is part
of Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code. For the actual language,
please see Text
of TEC Subchapter J.
Q: Are there any
plans for the commissioner or the State Board of Education to adopt
rules implementing this statute?
A: No additional
requirements regarding how to implement this statute will be adopted
by the commissioner or board.
Notice in Student Grade Report
Q: Does the school
accountability rating need to be printed on the student’s
report card?
A: It can be, but
the law states that it “… must include
the … information.” This could mean including a paper
insert that shows the rating.
Q: The state accountability
system is pretty complicated. Where do I find “a definition
and explanation of each performance rating described by Section
39.072” that does not require attaching the entire accountability
manual?
A: Districts may
create their own explanatory materials or may reprint Table
8: Requirements for Each Rating Category of the 2011
Accountability Manual. It provides a brief definition
and explanation of each rating category.
Q: Table
8 is way too complicated for our parents to understand.
Does the agency have a sample letter with a brief and clear explanation
that we can use?
A: The complete explanation
of all aspects of the system is contained in the 2011
Accountability Manual. Districts are free to prepare
their own, more simplified explanatory materials, but at this time
the most concise explanation is Table
8 of the manual.
Q: The first report
the campus sends home is not a report card but a status report.
Does the accountability information need to be provided at that
time?
A: The language of
the bill is: “The first written notice of a student’s
performance ...” The district will have to make the decision
in relation to the content of the status report. The first report
sent that applies to all students and contains an evaluation of
their academic performance in all subjects should be used.
Q: My district has
submitted an appeal for the state accountability rating for my campus.
Do I have to include the 2011 accountability rating in the notification
if there is a chance that it will be updated following the appeals
process?
A: The statute requires
that districts provide the most recent performance rating in the
notification. For the 2011-12 school year, the 2011 state accountability
rating released publicly on July 29, 2011, is the most recent performance
rating. The district can include the information that the rating
has been appealed in the notification. If the appeal is granted,
the district may wish to provide a follow-up notification.
Notice on District Website
Q: What specifically
is “… the 10th day after the first day of instruction
of each school year…?”
A: This is the 10th
school day, or actual instructional day. It does not include weekends,
holidays, or other non-instructional days.
Q: I have the accountability
ratings for this year which I can post, but the school report cards
aren’t available yet. How can I post them?
A: Statute specifically
requires that the district post “… the most recent campus
report card…” on the website. That means that you must
post last year’s SRC, AEIS, etc. if more current reports are
not yet available. The posting should be revised later in the year
as more current information becomes available. Districts are free
to note the date of a posted report and the approximate date of
future revisions.
Q: What reports
need to be posted on our website as of the beginning of the 2011-12
school year?
A: For 2011-12, districts
must post:
The district should update its site with the 2010-11 AEIS Reports
and SRCs as soon as they are available, later in the fall.
Q: My district has
submitted an appeal for the state accountability rating for my campus.
Do I have to post the 2011 accountability rating on the district’s
website if there is a chance that it will be updated following the
appeals process?
A: The statute requires
that districts provide the most recent performance rating on the
district’s website no later than the tenth day after the first
day of instruction. Similar to the student grade report requirement,
the 2011 state accountability rating that was released publicly
on July 29, 2011, is the most recent performance rating. The district
can post the rating with a notation that the rating has been appealed,
such as the following: 2011 State Accountability Rating: Academically
Acceptable (Appeal Pending).
If the appeal is granted, the district should update the website
with the final rating.
Q: Will we need to
update our website when the latest SRC and AEIS reports are finally
posted and/or when our rating changes due to a granted appeal?
A: HB 3297 does not
require that the district website be updated with the latest SRC
or AEIS reports following the 10th instructional day of the year,
but districts are encouraged to do so especially if a rating has
changed due to a granted appeal. In addition, there are other statutory
requirements that require each school to disseminate the School
Report Card to the “parent, guardian, conservator, or other
person having lawful control of each student at the campus.”
Districts will receive detailed instructions regarding the distribution
requirements for the School Report Cards when these reports are
released in early December. Also, districts must follow TEA Guidelines
for publishing the AEIS reports when these reports are released
in late November or early December.
Q: How exactly are
we expected to post these reports?
A: The simplest way
would be to save the PDF version of each report to the district
server, and make those available through a link on your district
website.
Q: We have limited
space on our servers and even more limited resources for maintaining
our website. Would it be possible to simply link to the TEA website
to comply with all of these requirements? This would also ensure
that we have the latest information and reports available for our
public.
A: Yes, but you will
need to provide very specific instructions on how to find each report.
Please refer to the sample
web page for an example of text that explains how to
access the reports from the TEA website.
Q: What is the length
of time that these items remain on our website?
A: Since the legislation
does not have an expiration date, these items will be a permanent
addition to your website, updated as necessary. Please note that
you are not required to keep old reports on your site once new ones
are available for posting.
Q: Our district
does not currently have a website. Does this legislation require
that we create a district website?
A: No, the Notice
on District Website is required for districts that maintain an internet
website.
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