A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

March 2, 2009

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

Subject:     Assignment of District Accreditation Statuses

During the 79th Texas Legislature, Third Called Session, 2006, House Bill (HB) 1 was passed, which amended the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Public School System Accountability.  The HB 1 changes addressed, in part, the accreditation of school districts; sanctions and interventions for school districts, charter schools, and campuses; and the review by the State Office of Administrative Hearings of certain sanctions.  As a result, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was required to adopt rules to implement the changes addressed. 
One rule subchapter adopted as a result was the new 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter EE, Accreditation Status, Standards, and Sanctions, which became effective in January 2008.  In addition to other actions, this subchapter defined the accreditation statuses of Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked and stated how accreditation statuses would be determined and assigned to school districts.  The adoption also established accreditation standards and sanctions, including definitions, purpose, and oversight appointments.  The commissioner's rules related to accreditation may be viewed at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/index.html under the Texas Administrative Code—Currently in Effect link.

Under the authority of TEC and the newly-adopted rules, accreditation statuses were assigned to districts for the first time in 2007-2008.  Because they were not included in the School FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) financial accountability rating system, charter districts were not assigned 2007-2008 accreditation statuses under the TEC, Chapter 39.  In November 2008, the commissioner adopted amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, to include charter districts in the accreditation process.  Therefore, charter districts will be assigned an accreditation status for the first time in 2008-2009.  Additional information regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to charter districts was disseminated in a February 13, 2009, TEA letter to charter school administrators.

The purpose of this letter is to notify districts that, under the authority of Texas Education Code (TEC) §39.071 and 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §97.1055, the TEA will assign accreditation statuses to districts for the 2008-2009 year.  Accreditation status results will be posted publicly to the TEA website by 1:00 p.m. on March 10, 2009, on the Accreditation Status homepage at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus/ .  When accessing the website, districts will be able to access links that display accreditation status results by county-district number, district name, education service center (ESC) region, and assigned accreditation status.  A charter district report also will be produced.  Background information regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to school districts also will continue to be posted to this site.  Prior to the 2008-2009 public posting of statuses, districts will be able to view their individual accreditation status results by accessing the Intervention Stage and Activity Manager (ISAM) application through the Texas Education Agency Secure Environment (TEASE) application at https://seguin.tea.state.tx.us/apps/app_list.asp.  Accreditation status results for individual districts will be posted to ISAM by 1:00 p.m. on March 6, 2009, and the assigned status will be displayed next to the district’s name on the initial District Selection screen.

Districts that are assigned a status of Accredited are not required to take any specific action as a result of the designation.  However, districts that are assigned a status of Accredited-Warned or Accredited-Probation must take specific actions to notify the parents of students enrolled in the district and property owners in the district.  The requirements for public notification are specified in 19 TAC §97.1055(f), and a template that reflects the TEA-required format and language for the public notice is posted to the TEA website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus/.  Districts with an accreditation status below Accredited may be subject to additional accreditation sanctions as referenced in 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter EE.

We appreciate the ongoing support of districts as the Agency continues to implement these
HB 1 accreditation requirements.  If, after reviewing the TEA website, you have questions regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to school districts, please contact your regional education service center or the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions at (512) 463-5226.

Sincerely,

 

Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education

RS/aw