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TEA Correspondence

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

 

IMPORTANT ACCREDITATION INFORMATION

March 2, 2010

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

Subject:     Assignment of District Accreditation Statuses

The assignment of district accreditation statuses is required by Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Public School System Accountability and authorized in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter EE, Accreditation Status, Standards, and Sanctions.  Subchapter EE of Chapter 97 defines the accreditation statuses of Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked and states how accreditation statuses are determined and assigned to school districts, 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, and additional information regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to districts can be found on the Accreditation Status homepage of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus/.

Under the authority of TEC and the 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 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 were assigned an accreditation status for the first time in 2008-2009 and will continue to be assigned accreditation statuses in future years.  Additional information regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to charter districts was disseminated in a February 13, 2009, TEA letter to charter school administrators.  In accordance with 19 TAC §97.1055(g), the results of the 2009 Financial Accountability Review, officially reported in October 2009, have been considered in assigning
2009-2010 accreditation statuses to charter districts.

The purpose of this letter is to notify districts that, under the authority of TEC §39.071 and 19 TAC §97.1055, the TEA will assign accreditation statuses to districts for the 2009-2010 year. Accreditation status results will be posted publicly to the TEA website by 1:00 p.m. on
March 10, 2010, 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 2009-2010 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 5, 2010, 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.  Districts that are assigned a status of Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, or Not Accredited-Revoked will receive individual correspondence from the agency detailing required next steps and opportunities for review of the status assignment.

We appreciate the ongoing support of districts as the Agency continues to implement 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 or via e-mail at pmidivision@tea.state.tx.us

Sincerely,

Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education

RS/jt

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