| 2001 – 2005 ACCOUNTABILITY PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS REVIEW REQUESTED BY JULY 7, 2000 |
June 15, 2000
TO THE PERSON ADDRESSED:
Enclosed is a document outlining my preliminary recommendations for accountability rating standards for 2001 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. 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 recommendations for 2003 through 2005 are tentative; 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 preliminary recommendations were developed with the input of school district, legislative, business, and community representatives.
This document is being provided for review and comment for the next few weeks to superintendents, professional organizations, legislative staff, education service center staff, and others interested in Texas public education. I am particularly interested in comment on the specific options for the 2002 and 2003 rating systems detailed in the text. If you would like to comment on any of the discussion items related to the accountability system for 2001 – 2005, please complete the opinion survey, either via the agency website or by faxing or mailing a completed paper copy back to the agency by July 7, 2000. Instructions for responding via the website are included in the enclosed document. I will review all comments received and make final decisions about 2001 and 2002 in mid-July. Educators will be informed of these decisions prior to the start of school this August.
Thank you for your prompt review of this information. 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
A PDF version of the Preliminary Recommendations is available for download.
Questions concerning this subject should be directed to the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704.