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Important Information:
1999 AEIS Report

November 3, 1999

TO THE PRINCIPAL ADDRESSED:

Enclosed is the 1998-99 Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report for your school.  This package contains the following:

  • State AEIS Report — This report shows state performance, for all students and disaggregated by student group, for the current AEIS indicators, as well as descriptive information for the state on students, staff, finances and programs.

  • Campus AEIS Report — This report has several sections:  (1) the Performance Section shows how your students, overall and disaggregated by student group, performed on the current AEIS indicators and how your district, your campus comparison group, and the state performed; it also includes a TAAS Participation summary showing the percentages of students who participated in TAAS testing and those who did not, by various categories; (2) the Profile Section provides descriptive information for your school on students, staff, finances, and programs as well as information on your district, your campus comparison group, and the state; and (3) the Campus Comparison Group and Comparable Improvement page lists the 40 schools demographically most similar to your school in 1998-99.  It shows the improvement in TAAS reading and mathematics from last year to this year for your school and the 40 schools in your group.  Note that if your school is Not Rated, was evaluated under the alternative education procedures, or moved from Not Rated to a rating based on an appeal, you will not receive a Comparable Improvement report.  Your district is required to publish all sections of the campus report as part of the comprehensive AEIS report for the district.

  • Glossary — The Glossary contains definitions and explanations for all items found in the AEIS reports.  A Spanish translation of the Glossary is also provided.  The Glossary includes information on who to call about issues related to the AEIS reports and how to access accountability and AEIS information on the Texas Education Agency’s world wide web site.

  • Understanding the Academic Excellence Indicator System Reports  — A guide to the AEIS reports, produced by the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC), is provided to aid educators, parents and community leaders in interpreting the information provided in the reports.  Additional copies are available from TBEC at the address given in the guide.

 

What’s New.

  • TAAS Results — 1999 is the first year that results for students served in special education who tested on TAAS are included in the percent passing results for each subject and each grade.  The 1998 results have been recalculated to include the results for special education students and are provided on the AEIS reports for the purpose of making valid comparisons.  Thus, 1998 data provided in these reports will not match the 1998 data shown in last year’s reports.  As in years past, results for students served in special education who tested on TAAS are provided separately in the rightmost column on the reports.

  • TAAS Preview Indicator  — The section labeled “2000 Preview Indicator” reports the results for students taking the TAAS who will be included for accountability purposes in 2000.  That is, results reflect the combined passing rate for test takers in this year’s accountability subset, plus those who took the Spanish reading and mathematics version of the TAAS at grades 5 and 6, and the Spanish version of writing at grade 4.  As always, results include only those students who were enrolled in the same district in the fall where they tested in the spring.

  • Percent Passing End-of-Course Examinations  — In addition to the percent taking end-of course-examinations, the percent passing the examinations is provided for the first time this year.  Results for English II and U. S. History are now included along with those for Algebra I and Biology.  Two years of data are reported for Algebra I and Biology; one year is reported for English II and U. S. History.

  • TAAS Participation — TAAS participation data for 1999 is configured differently from prior year reporting.  Students served in special education who tested on TAAS are now included in the Accountability Subset rather than being reported separately. Students who took the reading and mathematics Spanish version of the TAAS in grades 3 and 4 are also included in the Accountability Subset.  Students who took only the Science and Social Studies subject tests in 8th grade are shown separately and are not included in the Accountability Subset.  Participation for 1998 has not been recalculated; it shows the percent of students included for accountability purposes under the 1998 Accountability System.

  • Percent Completing Advanced Academic Courses — This indicator now includes counts of students served in special education in the calculation.  For meaningful comparison to prior year results, 1998 data have been recalculated to include special education students.

  • Graduates  — On the profile section of the reports, the number of graduates receiving various types of diplomas has been expanded to show the number of graduates completing the Distinguished Achievement Program and the State Board of Education’s Recommended High School Program.

One purpose of the AEIS report is to assist you in reviewing your Campus Improvement Plan and modifying it as needed based on the information provided.  Attention should be paid to performance areas that are low in relation to accountability standards, with particular focus on discrepancies in performance among student populations.  Of particular note for planning purposes is the “2000 Preview Indicator” section.  The 1999 Accountability Manual, sent to all superintendents and principals in April 1999, describes how AEIS indicators are used to rate campuses and districts.

Your district office has also received a copy of your AEIS report.  AEIS reports will be publicly released within one week of this mailing.  The reports will be available on the agency’s website by mid-November at the following address:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/

In late November, districts will receive a School Report Card for each campus in the district, copies of which are to be distributed to parents and guardians of students at your campus.  Guidelines for distribution of the School Report Card will be included in that mailing.

I hope that you find this material informative and helpful.  If, after careful reading of the Glossary and other materials you have questions about your AEIS report, please contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.

Sincerely,
Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner for Policy Planning and Research

Enclosures

 

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

 

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