A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

July 11, 2008

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

In April 2008, districts were notified of the final decisions regarding the 2008 state accountability system. These decisions were then incorporated in the 2008 Accountability Manual that was posted online in May 2008. A portion of the Accountability Manual is adopted each year as a Commissioner of Education rule which gives legal standing to the rating process and procedures. The rule adoption process allows for a 30-day public comment period prior to final adoption of the proposed amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter AA, Accountability and Performance Monitoring, §97.1001, Accountability Rating System.   During the public comment period which concluded on June 30, 2008, the agency received numerous comments regarding the use of the completion and dropout indicators in the 2008 state accountability system.

Concerns were raised about the continuing impact of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) dropout definition that was first used in the calculation of the completion and annual dropout rates beginning with the 2005-06 school year. While a School Leaver Provision (SLP) was implemented in 2007, educators stated that the increased rigor of the new definition warrants an extension of the SLP, since the completion rate indicator will continue to be adversely affected each year until the NCES definition of a dropout is fully phased-in in 2010 with the graduating class of 2009.

In response to these concerns, the SLP will be extended in 2008 and applied to the 2008 accountability ratings that will be issued on August 1, 2008. This provision will be applied automatically by the agency prior to the release of the 2008 ratings so that the leaver indicators (either alone or in combination) cannot be the sole cause for a lowered campus or district rating. The leaver indicators included in the SLP for 2008 under standard accountability procedures are: the Completion Rate I (graduates and continuers); the Annual Dropout Rate for grades 7-8; and, the Underreported Students indicator. For 2008, the SLP is also applied to the Completion Rate II (graduates, continuers, and GED recipients) used in the Alternative Education Accountability (AEA) procedures. The Annual Dropout Rate for grades 7-12 that is used under AEA procedures has already been determined to be under the SLP for the 2008 and 2009 accountability cycles.

The 2008 Accountability Manual has been updated to include the expanded application of the SLP.  The Manual is available online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2008/manual/index.html.

Use of the SLP is accompanied by safeguards. As in 2007, campuses that avoid being rated Academically Unacceptable in 2008 due to the application of the SLP will be subject to technical assistance team (TAT) intervention requirements in the 2008-09 school year. This is because campuses rated Academically Acceptable in 2008 are identified for TATs if their 2008 accountability results do not meet the 2009 accountability standards. Since the 2009 dropout/completion standards are identical to those waived in 2008 through the application of the SLP, these campuses are automatically subject to the requirements for TAT campuses and are not eligible to receive a waiver from the commissioner. 

Districts that avoid being rated Academically Unacceptable in 2008 due to the application of the SLP will be subject to identification and intervention under Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) for dropout rates and leaver reporting. Districts that exceed the underreported students accountability standards are also evaluated in the PBM system.

In preparation for the 2009 accountability results, school districts must be aware that the NCES dropout definition requires schools to meet a more rigorous standard for accounting for how many students stay in school. School districts must continue to improve the accuracy and completeness of the leaver records submitted for each student enrolled in the district. 

The completion rate calculations used in the state accountability system give districts credit for students who enroll in the fall semester following their senior year in order to have another testing opportunity toward earning a high school diploma. For students in the class of 2008, for example, districts must continue to track students who have not met all of their graduation requirements and identify strategies to enroll these students before the close of the fall 2008 school-start window.

As part of the 2008-09 TAT intervention requirements, the agency will expect districts to create a comprehensive plan that ensures students stay in school and complete their high school education. It is important that districts and campuses with ratings affected by the application of the 2008 SLP recognize that not all declines in completion rates nor all increases in dropout rates can be solely attributed to the application of the NCES dropout definition.  The rigor of passing the exit level TAKS tests increased to the panel recommended standard beginning with the class of 2007.  Also, the changes to graduation requirements to comply with attainment of the “4 x 4” curriculum that began with 2007-08 ninth graders will impact the class of 2011, the first to graduate having completed four years of study in each of four core academic areas.  Students entering ninth grade in 2011-12 will be expected to demonstrate proficiency on twelve end-of-course assessments that include Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics.  These are changes that significantly increase the level of academic achievement needed to earn a Texas high school diploma.  Therefore, school districts must identify more effective strategies to increase the number of students who complete their high school coursework, meet their exit level testing requirements, and graduate.

During the development of the 2009 accountability system procedures, the agency will undertake a comprehensive review of the use of the leaver indicators in the state accountability system to determine whether the SLP should be continued, removed, or modified for the 2009 and 2010 accountability ratings and subsequent TAT identifications.

Please note that the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results released in early October 2008 will be based on the class of 2007 longitudinal graduation rates. The 2008 Texas AYP Workbook, approved by the USDE, does not permit Texas to waive the use of the NCES dropout definition, implemented in the 2005-06 school year. Therefore, a “hold harmless” provision such as the School Leaver Provision used for state accountability in 2008 cannot be applied to the graduation rates used in the 2008 AYP calculations. In addition, appeals requesting the application of the SLP to the 2008 AYP results will not be considered.

For questions or additional information about the state accountability or federal accountability systems, please contact the Division of Performance Reporting at 512-463-9704 or email performance.reporting@tea.state.tx.us.

Sincerely,

Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education