Appendix B.
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
1994-95 Analyze Category Descriptions
ENROLLMENT GROUPINGS
A nine-category grouping based on the total number of students enrolled
by district as of the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS)
fall collection date (late October of each year). Enrollment excludes students
who are served but not enrolled by districts.
DISTRICT TYPE
Classification of school districts based on factors such as size, growth
rates, and proximity to urban areas as follows:
Major Urban. The state's eight largest metropolitan districts serving
the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin, Corpus Christi, and
El Paso areas.
Major Suburban. Other districts in and around the major urban areas.
Other Central City. Major districts in other large Texas cities.
Other Central City Suburban. Other districts in and around the other
large, but not major, Texas cities.
Independent Town. Largest districts in counties with populations
of 25,000 to 100,000.
Non-Metro: Fast Growing. Districts not fitting in any of above categories
but exhibiting a five year growth rate of at least 20 percent with at least
300 students enrolled.
Non-Metro: Stable. Districts not fitting any of above categories
but with an enrollment exceeding the state median.
Rural. Districts not fitting any of above categories; districts either
with an enrollment between 300 and the state median and a growth rate less
than 20 percent, or with an enrollment less than 300.
PROPERTY WEALTH
Total taxable property value divided by enrollment, which indicates district
ability to raise local funds on a per pupil basis. The property value used
is total taxable value for the last completed calendar year-i.e., 1994,
as determined by the Comptroller's Property Tax Division (CPTD), whereas
enrollment is for the 1994-95 school year. The first wealth grouping shows
ten categories; the second simply shows districts above and below state
average wealth; the third is a 20-category grouping with each category representing
about five percent of the state's students. The six special statutory districts
without taxable property wealth form a separate group in all three wealth
groupings.
TOTAL TAX EFFORT
A four-category tax effort grouping of districts defined by the total effective
tax rate, which was determined by dividing the last completed calendar year's
total levy amount by that year's CPTD total taxable property value. The
total effective rate is the sum of the school district maintenance and operations
(M&O) rate, and the interest and sinking fund standardized rate. Rates
are expressed per $100 of taxable value. The six special statutory districts
without property tax levies appear separately.
MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS EFFECTIVE TAX RATES
A four-category tax effort grouping of districts showing the maintenance
and operation (M&O) effective tax rate, which was determined by dividing
the last completed calendar year's M&O levy amount by that year's CPTD total
taxable property value. The M&O rate shown include the local standardized
rate. The six special statutory districts without property tax levies appear
separately.
HIGHEST PROPERTY VALUE CATEGORY
A 13-category CPTD classification based on property use. These 13 are aggregated
into four categories as follows:
Residential. Single-family, multi-family, and residential inventory.
Land. Vacant lots and rural real (taxable).
Oil and Gas. Oil, gas, and minerals.
Business. Commercial and industrial real, commercial and industrial
personal, and utilities.
A district is placed into one of the four categories above that represents
its greatest total property value. The six special statutory districts without
taxable property wealth form a separate group.
SMALL/SPARSE ADJUSTMENT
A four-category grouping of districts based on the small/sparse adjustment
amount as a percent of the total adjusted basic allotment amount. A fifth
category contains all districts receiving no small/sparse adjustment. This
percentage represents the extent to which state funding is adjusted to compensate
for small and/or sparsely populated districts.
COST OF EDUCATION INDEX LEVEL
A five-category grouping of districts based on the Cost of Education Index
(CEI) level. It reflects geographic variations in costs and prices outside
district control.
OPERATING COST PER STUDENT
A five-category grouping of districts based on operating cost per student.
Operating costs are the sum of all expenditures budgeted for the operation
of the district for all funds. The operating expenditures are a subset of
the total expenditures; they do not include debt service, capital outlay,
or ancillary services expenditures. Per student amounts are the school year
expenditures divided by enrollment. The source for budgeted expenditures
is the fall PEIMS submission.
EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER REGION
The state is divided into 20 geographic regions; districts within each region
are served by an Education Service Center.
TAAS: PERCENT PASSING ALL TESTS TAKEN
A five-category grouping of districts based on the percent passing the Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). For Grades 3-8 and 11, the total number
of students passing all sections taken of the TAAS is expressed as a percentage
of the total number of students taking one or more tests. This percentage
excludes special education students and third graders taking the test in
Spanish.
SAT/ACT: PERCENT TAKING
A three-category grouping based on the percent of graduates taking the 1993/94
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and/or American College Testing Program's
ACT Assessment. A fourth category is reserved for districts in which no
SAT or ACT was administered.
SAT/ACT: PERCENT SCORING ABOVE CRITERION
A five-category grouping based on the percent of students who scored at
or above the criterion (1000 on the SAT total, 24 on the ACT composite)
for the 1993/94 SAT and/or ACT. A sixth category is reserved for districts
in which no SAT or ACT was administered.
STUDENT DENSITY
A four-category grouping based on density, or the number of students enrolled
per square mile. District square miles were determined through a joint effort
by the State Property Tax Board (SPTB), the Texas Education Agency, and
the Texas Water Commission. Maps provided by districts to the SPTB were
digitized by the Water Commission to determine acreage. The six special
statutory districts without available mileage information form a separate
group.
ENROLLMENT CHANGE FROM PRIOR YEAR
A five-category grouping based on the growth or decline in district student
population over a one year period. Districts with declining enrollment represent
one category, while remaining categories show one-year growth rates ranging
from "0%-3%" to "10% and over."
PERCENT AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, AND
MINORITY STUDENTS
Three six-category sets of groupings according to the ethnic composition
of district student populations, as reported on PEIMS. Minority percent
is calculated as the sum of all non-white populations expressed as a percentage
of the total. Non-white populations include Native American or Alaskan Native;
Asian or Pacific Islander; African American, not of Hispanic origin; and
Hispanic.
PERCENT LOW INCOME STUDENTS
A six-category grouping according to the district percentage of enrolled
students classified as economically disadvantaged on PEIMS as follows:
a) Eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch
and Child
Nutrition Program;
b) From a family with annual income at/below the federal poverty line;
c) Eligible for AFDC or other public assistance;
d) Recipient of Pell Grant or comparable state need-based financial assistance
program; or
e) Eligible for programs assisted under Title II of the Job Training Partnership
Act.
AVERAGE TEACHER EXPERIENCE
A four-category grouping of average teacher experience years computed as
total professional experience years for all district teachers divided by
total teacher full-time-equivalent (FTE) count.
AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY
A four-category grouping by average district teacher salary computed as
the total salary of teachers divided by the total teacher FTE count. Total
salary amount does not include career ladder or any other supplement.
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WITH ADVANCED DEGREES
A four-category grouping by district percentage of teachers with advanced
degrees computed as the FTE count of teachers with a master's or doctoral
degree divided by the total teacher FTE count.
PERCENT MINORITY TEACHERS
A six-category grouping according to the minority composition of district
teaching populations. Minority percent is calculated by summing all non-white
teacher FTEs and dividing by the total teacher FTEs.
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