This Week in Performance Reporting: April 17, 2020

Good afternoon, Performance Reporting bulletin members.

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What’s New in Performance Reporting

A–F Accountability

As a reminder, the agency has created the Coronavirus (COVID-19) support and guidance website as the primary source of up-to-date information and answers to frequently asked questions about disruptions caused by COVID-19. Recently, answers to the following questions were made available. 

• Will state accountability provisions be carried out this year? In recognition of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 emergency, TEA is proposing to label all districts and campuses Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for the 2019-2020 school year. It is important to note that this rating does not break the chain of consecutive years of unacceptable ratings for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions. The proposed accountability manual, including this proposal, will be available for public comment beginning May 1 as part of the established accountability manual adoption process.
• Will any sanctions be carried out in 2020-2021 for districts or campuses who were designated in need of improvement 2019-2020? What about comprehensive campuses? Under the Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster rating, districts and campuses shall continue to implement any previously ordered sanctions and interventions. This rating does not break the chain of consecutive years of unacceptable ratings for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions. As a result, ordered sanctions and interventions carried out by districts and/or campuses in school year 2019-2020 will carry over and continue for school year 2020-2021.
• If a campus believes they would have gotten out of F status, can they use other data, such as a benchmark STAAR test, to provide evidence to change their rating? All campuses will receive a Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster rating, and districts and campuses shall continue to implement any previously ordered sanctions and interventions. This rating does not break the chain of consecutive years of unacceptable ratings for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions. As a result, ordered sanctions and interventions carried out by districts and/or campuses in school year 2019-2020 will carry over and continue for school year 2020-2021.
• Will College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) data be used? CCMR data will be reported only on TEA reports such as Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR). It will not be used in ratings calculations for the 2019-2020 school year.
• Will provisions be made to prevent loss of points in next year's ratings if CCMR points are affected by test cancellations? This has yet to be determined. We have also asked the US Department of Education for guidance on how lagging indicators affected by COVID-19 will impact next year’s accountability.
• How will the statewide application of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster to all schools and districts in SY 2019-2020 affect the data used in the calculation of 2020-2021 accountability? Decisions regarding accountability for the 2020-2021 school year have not yet been made. Two advisory groups will have an opportunity to provide input into these decisions: the Accountability Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC), comprised of representatives from school districts and regional education service centers; and the Accountability Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) comprised of representatives from legislative offices, school districts, and the business community. TEA will work with these stakeholders to determine how the accountability system will be affected in 2020-2021.
• Will 2019-2020 PEIMS Summer Submission records have any effect on 2020-2021 accountability? How any lagging data indicators reported in 2019–2020 will be used in 2020–2021 accountability is to be determined, based on decisions made in consultation with ATAC and APAC, as described above.
• How will schools that were rated unacceptable or triggered HB1842 during the previous year will be treated in 2020-2021 after the 2019-2020 application of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster? Any ordered sanctions and interventions carried out by districts and/or campuses in school year 2019-2020 will carry over and continue for school year 2020-2021.

This Week’s FAQs

Are June 2020 end-of-course (EOC) assessments also cancelled?

Yes, all June 2020 EOC assessments have been cancelled. EOC assessments will be administered again in December 2020.

What effect will the cancellation of the June 2020 EOC administrations have on accountability for 2021?

2021 accountability ratings will only include STAAR results from December 2020 and spring 2021 administrations. While we cannot predict the impact this will have on 2021 accountability ratings at this time, we will continue to share guidance with stakeholders as it becomes available. 

Accountability Spring Learning Webinars

The upcoming webinar on Understanding the College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) Outcomes Bonus scheduled for May 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm has been postponed due to potential district closures. A new date will be announced later this spring.

If you were unable to participate in a webinar, you can view archived recordings at this link.

Contact Information
Texas Education Agency
Performance Reporting Division
(512) 463-9704
performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov