Information for Districts and Charter Schools Identified as Having a High Dropout Rate

Date:  November 7, 2019
Subject: Information for Districts and Charter Schools Identified as Having a High Dropout Rate
Category: Division of School Improvement Communication
Next Steps:  Share with appropriate staff

 

The purpose of this letter is to provide districts, including charter schools, with 2019-2020 intervention information for dropout recovery plan (DRP) monitoring.
 
The Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.918 states that a district with a high dropout rate, as determined by the commissioner, must submit a plan each year describing how the district or charter school will use the compensatory education allotment and the high school allotment for developing and implementing strategies for dropout prevention. 

Identification for Interventions

Districts with a four-year longitudinal dropout rate above 5.7% or Grade 7-12 annual dropout rate above 1.4% were referred to the Division of School Improvement. For the 2019-2020 year, districts with a longitudinal or annual dropout rate greater than or equal to 10% will be required to submit a dropout prevention plan via the Intervention, Stage, and Activity Manager (ISAM) application in TEAL. A district can determine if it has been identified for DRP monitoring in ISAM the week of November 11, 2019. 

Districts identified for DRP interventions will submit one of the three documents to comply with the requirements of TEC §29.918. 

  1. Dropout Prevention Plan from the District’s Chapter 11 improvement plan,
  2. District created Dropout Prevention Plan with the required elements, or
  3. Memorandum of Understanding with a public junior college to provide a dropout recovery program for the district’s students.

Districts that were identified for DRP interventions in 2018-2019 will submit a needs assessment in addition to their dropout prevention plan.

The due date for completion and submission of the district’s dropout prevention plan documents is November 22, 2019.

Additional Resources and Technical Assistance
Intervention tools, including the DRP Guidance for conducting intervention activities, are posted to the Division of School Improvement web page and will be available in ISAM the week of November 11, 2019. 

We encourage districts to work closely with their regional ESC as they complete their intervention requirements. 

Contact Information:
Texas Education Agency
Division of School Improvement 
(512) 463-5226
SIDivision@tea.texas.gov