August 17, 2000
TO THE SUPERINTENDENT ADDRESSED:

This letter transmits official notification of the 2000 accountability ratings for your district and campuses. Enclosed are:

• A district summary containing:
   
• the district rating;
   
• campus ratings;
   
• additional indicator results for your district and campuses; and
   
• an indication of where special analysis was applied to small districts and campuses.
   
• 2000 accountability data tables for the district (one copy) and all campuses (two sets), containing the TAAS, dropout, attendance, college admissions testing, TAAS/TASP equivalency, Recommended High School Program and Comparable Improvement (campus only) results used to determine ratings and acknowledgments. One campus set is for district use; the second set is to be distributed to each campus. Data tables were not produced for campuses shown as NOT RATED on your district summary.
   
• 2000 Explanation of Ratings and Comments.
   
• A table providing the standards used to determine each rating for 2000.
   
• A copy of the state-level data table.

These ratings should verify district- and campus-level rating determinations you made during July using instructions in the 2000 Accountability Manual and accountability data tables supplied by both the Texas Education Agency (Part I) and the TAAS contractor, National Computer Systems (Part II).

Note that the spring 1999 results will not match the 1999 results shown in last year’s data tables or AEIS reports. The 1999 results were recomputed to include the performance of students who took the 4^th grade Spanish TAAS writing, as well as the 5^th and 6^th grade Spanish TAAS reading and mathematics assessments. This allows for valid comparisons of performance between 1999 and 2000. The recomputed results were provided as the “2000 Preview” TAAS results in the 1998-99 district and campus AEIS reports published last fall, and the 2000 Accountability Data Tables – Part II which you received from the test contractor in mid-June.

Note that these data tables may be confidential because no small numbers have been masked to permit districts and campuses to calculate accurate rates. Typically, counts less than five are not printed on summary reports to protect student identities. For this reason, the agency does not release unmasked individual accountability data tables to the public. If a district or campus chooses to publicize their data tables, they should consider student confidentiality implications. Data tables that have been masked for small numbers will be posted on the agency’s website at the web address provided on page 2 of this letter. As always, Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports produced this fall will mask small numbers.

If you believe that a rating was based on a data error solely attributable to the Texas Education Agency or National Computer Systems, you may submit a written appeal to my office, Policy Planning and Research, by September 15, 2000, with supporting evidence. Data problems due to district errors in submitting either PEIMS data or TAAS answer documents do not constitute a valid basis for appeal. (Refer to the 2000 Accountability Manual, Section VII – Appealing the 2000 Accountability Ratings for instructions on how to submit an appeal.)

Future Accountability System Actions

• Public Release The commissioner of education will hold a press conference at 10:00 a.m. on August 17 and the agency will post the 2000 accountability information to the Texas Education Agency website, on the Division of Performance Reporting’s home page, at that same time. The website address for the Division of Performance Reporting is:
  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/

  Campus-level planning and decision-making committees may now schedule a public meeting to comply with Texas Education Code §11.253(g). That section requires each committee to hold at least one public meeting per year after the receipt of the annual accountability ratings to discuss school performance and performance objectives.

• Rating Consequences The Office of Accountability and Accreditation at TEA will communicate with districts in the near future to outline future state, district, and campus actions, if any, resulting from these accountability ratings. Districts with a rating of Academically Unacceptable; Suspended: Data Inquiry; Academically Unacceptable: SAI; or with any Low-performing schools will receive further information on public notice requirements. Questions may be directed to the Division of Accountability Evaluations at (512) 475-3112.
• Annual Performance Reports Mid-October is the scheduled release date for district and campus AEIS reports. Mid-November is the scheduled release date for the School Report Card.
• Texas Successful Schools Award System (TSSAS) The Office of Accountability and Accreditation will officially notify districts and campuses of the calendar and procedures related to the TSSAS awards in the near future. Questions may be directed to the Division of Accountability Development and Support at (512) 463-9637.

If you have any questions regarding the rating decisions, please contact your regional education service center. If you still have questions, you may contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.

Sincerely,

Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner
Policy Planning and Research

Enclosures:

Glossary
Table 1 - Accountability Rating Standards
Table 3 - Standards for Additional Acknowledgment

 

For further information on this topic, contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.

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