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IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
PLANNING FOR 2003

March 9, 2001

TO THE EDUCATOR ADDRESSED:

In July 2000, each public school superintendent was sent a document detailing my decisions for accountability rating standards for 2001 and 2002. In that July document, I committed to providing a planning report to educators each year through 2003 that would contain a variety of analyses to assist in preparing for scheduled developments in assessment and accountability.

The 2002-03 school year will bring changes that will have a major impact on Texas public school education at every level. Elementary students as well as high school students will be subject to very personal consequences for poor performance on the state assessments. Simultaneously, the rigor of those required assessments will be substantially increased. The three changes that are highlighted below represent significant increases in expectations for Texas public education:

  • NEW STATE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM. Beginning in 2003, a new state assessment system will be administered to students at grades 3 through 11. The new state assessments are expected to be more rigorous than the current Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests. This is because they are based on the more rigorous state-mandated curriculum (the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS) and because they are linked in difficulty to an exit-level testing requirement for graduation that incorporates higher expectations.
  • TESTING REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION. As stated above, the testing requirements for graduation will increase and the exit-level test will be designed for the 11th grade. Unlike the current exit-level tests administered in 10th grade in reading, writing, and mathematics, the new grade 11 tests will assess English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, and require knowledge of Algebra I and Geometry, Biology and integrated Chemistry and Physics, English III, and early American and United States History. The class of 2005 (students who are 8th graders in 2000-01) will be the first class required to pass the new assessments in order to graduate. The first testing opportunity on the new exit-level assessments for these students will be in the spring semester of the 2003-04 school year, when they will be in 11th grade.
  • STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE. 2003 will also be the first year of implementation of the Student Success Initiative (SSI). Students in grade 3 that year must pass the state assessment in reading to be promoted without the consultation of a grade placement committee. Beginning in 2005, students in grade 5 must pass the state assessments in reading and mathematics to be promoted; beginning in 2008, students in grade 8 must pass the state assessments in reading and mathematics to be promoted.

REPORT FOCUS. These planning reports are designed to highlight areas of performance that may need strengthening in order for students to meet these new testing requirements. Yes, future accountability ratings will be based on student performance results on these new assessments. However, the focus here is to provide schools and districts with all of the currently available information to determine whether students are likely to have the skills and knowledge they will need to meet the new testing requirements, especially those for graduation.

TIMING. Districts will receive these planning reports in two parts. Part I is transmitted with this correspondence and the TAAS test contractor will transmit Part II in May 2001.

PART I REPORT CONTENT. The enclosed reports, titled 2003 Early Indicator Report, Part I are generated for each district and each school that serves students in grades 7 and above. Also enclosed is a state-level 2003 Early Indicator Report, Part I. The Part I reports contain the following information:

  • 2000 Grade 8 All TAAS Tests. This section shows the percent of 8th grade students taking and passing all five assessments - reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies - administered at that grade in the spring of 2000.

Rationale: The students currently in 8th grade this school year (2000-01) will be the first class of students required to pass the new exit-level examinations in order to graduate from high school. Although the results presented here are for the 1999-2000 8th graders, the percent passing all five tests at 8th grade provides an indication of how well students at this grade are being prepared for examinations in multiple subjects at higher grades. This should be useful as a baseline for planning.

  • 2000 Grade 8 TAAS By Subject (as shown on 2000 AEIS). This section shows the percent of 8th grade students taking and passing each separate subject area - reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies - administered at that grade in the spring of 2000. This information was provided in the 1999-2000 Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports mailed to each superintendent and principal in October 2000.

Rationale: The students currently in 8th grade this school year (2000-01) will be the first class of students required to pass the new exit-level examinations in order to graduate from high school. Although the results presented here are for the 1999-2000 8th graders, examination of the percent of students passing by subject allows an analysis of strengths and weaknesses by subject.

  • Cumulative End-of-Course Exam. This section shows the percent of last year's 11th and 12th grade students who have taken and passed all four end-of-course examinations by the close of the 1999-2000 school year. End-of-course examinations are administered in Algebra I, Biology, English II, and United States History.

Rationale: Because the knowledge and skills currently assessed on the four existing end-of-course examinations are required components of the new exit-level examination, performance on all four end-of-course examinations is currently our best predictor of performance on the future 11th grade exit-level tests. However, it should be noted that the required content of the new exit-level assessments is broader and more rigorous than the content of the four end-of-course examinations.

  • End-of-Course Exam (as shown on 2000 AEIS). This section shows the percent of students who passed each of the four end-of-course examinations during the 1999-2000 school year. This information was also provided in 1999-2000 AEIS reports mailed to each superintendent and principal in October 2000. In the AEIS reports, this information was labeled "Preview of 2003 Exit Level."

Rationale: This is another measure of end-of-course examination performance that can be an indicator of the percentage of students expected to pass exit-level tests, and thus be able to graduate. Examination of the percent of students passing by specific end-of-course examination allows an analysis of strengths and weaknesses by subject. Although not an exact predictor, this information should be useful as a baseline for planning.

  • Class of 1999 Completion Rates (as shown on 2000 AEIS). This indicator shows the status of students after their expected graduation date. It is a longitudinal measure that tracks a cohort of students to determine their status four years after entering 9th grade. The components of this measure are percent graduating on time; percent continuing after their expected graduation year; percent dropping out; and percent receiving a General Educational Development (GED) certificate by the expected graduation date. All of the components except percent dropping out represent measures of completing, or continuing in, school.

Rationale: In 2003, just as the state assessment system will enter another chapter with these new tests, so the accountability system will enter its second phase with both new and modified performance indicators. Completion rates will become a part of this "Phase II" accountability system. Although the components to be included in the completion rate to be used for accountability purposes have not yet been determined, it is useful to focus on these data now in order to prepare for the future when this indicator will be evaluated for ratings purposes.

PART II REPORT CONTENT. In addition to the enclosed reports, districts will receive 2003 Early Indicator Reports, Part II after the spring administration of the TAAS tests. The Part II reports will have two components, both of which will be provided by the test contractor. These are briefly described below:

  • Confidential Student Report. The first component is a modification to the Confidential Student Report (CSR) provided by the test contractor for every student in grades 3 through 8. A new section on the report will show how each individual student who tested in the spring of 2001 would have performed had the TAAS passing standard been equivalent to a higher student passing standard, as would be expected on the new more rigorous tests to be administered beginning in 2003. This calculated higher standard will be labeled on the confidential student report as the "Higher TEKS-Based Test Standard." The same information will also be included on the optional confidential report to parents. Details on the definition of the higher standard are provided in an attachment to this correspondence.

Rationale: The new assessments are expected to be more rigorous than the TAAS. This new information will alert parents as to whether their child is already meeting a hypothetical higher standard on current tests.

  • Summary Report. The second component is a new report called 2003 Early Indicator Summary Report, Part II. This report will provide district- and campus-level comparisons of aggregate results at the current and higher student passing standards shown on the CSR. This report will be printed on off-white paper to differentiate it from the traditional summary reports.

Rationale: This summary report should assist districts and campuses in planning for the higher expectations in performance to be required at all grade levels in 2003 and beyond.

 

A sample CSR and a sample Part II summary report are provided in this packet. The actual reports for your district and campuses will be transmitted in May 2001. The Part II 2003 early indicator information will also be included on electronic data files that are available upon request from the test contractor at no charge.

USING THE REPORTS. All of this information is for your use in planning for the future. I urge you to examine the data provided and determine strengths and weaknesses of your current instructional program so that you can begin now to adequately prepare students for the new, more rigorous graduation testing requirements. Even course sequencing may need to be evaluated. As you examine the attached information, the magnitude of the task ahead of us becomes glaringly clear. We have the 2002, 2003, and 2004 school years to make the curriculum and staff development adjustments needed before the first group of 11th graders is held to this new standard. Students failing one or more of the exit-level test sections will then have one more year to pass in order to graduate on time with their class. The agency will provide these 2003 early indicator reports for planning purposes after both the 2001 and 2002 TAAS administrations.

In addition to the Part I reports and associated glossary, two supplementary guides are attached. One gives examples of how to evaluate the information in these preview reports and the second lists possible actions that your district or campuses may take to prepare for the new assessments. I encourage you to share successful planning strategies with your fellow educators as circumstances allow.

STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE. As stated previously, 2003 will be the first year of implementation of the Student Success Initiative (SSI). Students in grade 3 that year must pass the state assessment in reading to be promoted without the consultation of a grade placement committee. Districts can use the results from reading inventories given to students in grades 1 and 2 to plan for the implementation of the SSI. Because the results of these assessments are not in a form that can be reported back to districts by the agency, evaluating and targeting reading instruction must be a local effort. However, information provided in the 2003 Early Indicator Report Part II can also be used to prepare for the impact of the SSI.

Although the new assessment system and graduation requirements represent significant increases in expectations for our students, I am confident that educators will rise to these new challenges. The increases in student performance achieved over the last seven years are testimony to the ability of Texas educators to respond to past challenges. In 1994, the state average "all students" passing rates for non-special education students in TAAS mathematics, reading, and writing were 76.5%, 60.5%, and 79.0% respectively. By 2000, results for special education students and students tested in Spanish were also included in the evaluations and passing rates had risen to 87.4%, 87.4%, and 88.2%. Minority and economically disadvantaged students achieved the highest percentage point gains. The 11th graders in 2004 and beyond who meet these higher exit-level expectations will be the best-prepared young adults that Texas public schools have ever produced. Our future, as well as theirs, depends on their success. I have every confidence that we can meet the challenges ahead if we use our preparation time wisely.

Questions on the 2003 Early Indicator Reports, Part I, may be directed to the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704. Questions about the 2003 Early Indicator Reports, Part II, should be directed to the Division of Student Assessment at (512) 463-9536.

Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education

Enclosures/Links
A MS Word Version of this letter is available for download.

 

 

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