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2001 - 2005 ACCOUNTABILITY |
July 31, 2000
TO THE PERSON ADDRESSED:
Enclosed is a document detailing my final decisions for accountability rating standards for 2001 and 2002, and providing a blueprint for 2003 through 2005. Requirements for 2001 and 2002 have been defined as specifically as possible in order to give schools and districts advance notice for planning. There will be increased expectations for both TAAS performance and the dropout rate in the next two years.
Please pay particular attention to the description of the upcoming changes in the assessment system required by Senate Bill 103 passed last year. These new examinations at all grades (3 through 11) are expected to be more rigorous than the TAAS tests, due to both the increased requirements for exit-level and the assessment of the TEKS curriculum. Given the significant redesign of the assessment system scheduled for 2003, the blueprint for 2003 through 2005 is subject to change; without the tests it is too early to predict performance trends. In addition, legislative action next spring could impact the ultimate design of the system for those years. These decisions were developed with the input of school district, legislative, business, and community representatives. Responses from an opinion survey provided with my preliminary recommendations in June were also seriously considered.
This document is being provided to superintendents, principals, professional organizations, legislative staff, education service center staff, and others interested in Texas public education. Questions concerning these materials or the accountability rating process should be directed to Dr. Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner for Policy Planning and Research at (512) 463-9701, or the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.
Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education
Enclosure
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MS Word and HTML versions of the enclosure are also available.
For further information on this topic, contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.