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Local Accountability System

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Overview

House Bill (HB) 22 (85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2017) established the Local Accountability System (LAS) to allow districts and open-enrollment charter schools to develop local accountability system plans for their campuses. 

Creating a local accountability plan is an optional, first-of-its-kind initiative. Texas is the first state in the nation to encourage districts to choose locally determined measures to be included in a campus’ official state accountability rating. 

A district’s local accountability plan provides stakeholders with detailed information about school performance and progress over time. Local accountability plans may vary by school type (elementary school, middle school, high school, and K–12) and by school group (magnet schools, early college high schools, etc.), but must apply equally to all campuses as applicable by school type and group.

Once approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), it is expected that a plan is operational and relatively unchanged for three to five years.  

Participation in local accountability is at the district level and is voluntary.

District Benefits

  • Provide stakeholders with detailed information about school performance and progress over time.
  • Communicate priorities and demonstrate a commitment to achieving the components in the plan.
  • Signify the importance of local goals by publicly releasing local accountability system ratings.

District Resources

The resources below provide additional information about the local accountability plan requirements along with a sample plan and components.

Getting Started

Attend a Webinar

This webinar provides an overview of the structure of local accountability plans, introduces plan requirements, illustrates how districts may create plans based on existing priorities, and shows how state and local accountability ratings are combined and displayed on TEA websites.

Participants have the opportunity to learn how measures are used to set campus rating scales using current baseline data and develop an understanding of the purpose of local accountability plans. Time will also be allotted for participant questions.

Districts interested in learning more about the local accountability system are invited to participate in a 45-minute webinar via Zoom (all times are Central). The webinar will provide an overview and allow time for questions and answers. Districts wishing to participate in further training and plan development must submit a Notice of Interest. The content is identical across webinars. Interested participants need only attend a single webinar.

Upcoming Webinar Dates

  • No dates available at this time. 

Discuss as a District

Most districts use existing priorities and needs that have been identified through formal and informal planning. These priorities could be based on student academic outcomes, school climate surveys, instructional walk-throughs, and many other possible options. The goal is to create a robust and well-balanced plan that allows for growth over a three to five-year period.

    Complete a Notice of Interest (NOI)

    The NOI serves as an introduction and will result in an initial meeting with TEA staff. The NOI collects information about district thoughts and goals related to creating a local accountability plan. It is non-binding and districts may choose which accountability year to apply the approved plan. District staff will work collaboratively with TEA to create a district local accountability plan. The timeline is customized for each district.

    The plan development process may encompass several months to a year (monthly or bi-monthly calls) based on the availability of baseline data and district decisions for selecting an implementation year.

    Complete a Notice of Interest

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Below you will find common questions and answers about the local accountability system in the state.

    House Bill (HB) 22 (85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2017) established the Local Accountability System (LAS) to allow districts and open-enrollment charter schools to develop local accountability system plans for their campuses. A district’s local accountability plan provides stakeholders with detailed information about school performance and progress over time. Once approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), it is expected that a plan be operational and relatively unchanged for three to five years.

    A local accountability plan is created at the district-level to measure campus outcomes that are not included in the state accountability system. A local accountability plan is a coherent set of outcomes based on district needs and goals for student achievement. Outcomes are measured through defined components based on valid and reliable data sources.

    As the first step, district staff should familiarize themselves with local accountability system guidelines and complete a notice of interest. District participation in the local accountability system requires attending TEA-sponsored virtual training sessions and creating a plan in collaboration with TEA. All local accountability plans must be approved by TEA.

    Yes. The local accountability system is flexible enough to allow districts to incorporate goals, or activities arising from related initiatives, into the district local accountability plan. Many districts use, or adapt, plans developed from System of Great Schools, Lone Star Governance, Teacher Incentive Allotment, School Action Fund as well as other non-TEA initiatives.

    Interested districts are required to attend a TEA-sponsored training and may spend several months developing a local accountability system plan, including collecting baseline data and communicating with stakeholders. The local accountability plan represents district priorities based on needs and goals for campus outcomes. Districts are required to use baseline data to set campus goals in the local accountability plan.

    District commitment varies according to the individual characteristics and needs of districts. Interested districts are encouraged to attend a introductory webinar to learn more the local accountability system.

    There is no fee to participate in the local accountability system, however, district expenses vary according to the individual characteristics and needs of districts. Participation requires attending virtual sessions sponsored by TEA, developing a district-wide local accountability plan for different school types/groups, collecting data from participating campuses, calculating outcomes, and providing TEA with campus-level data during the summer following the school year for which the plan is applicable.

    At the end of each applicable school year, districts and open-enrollment charter schools assign overall and domain-specific letter grade ratings of A–F for each campus, according to performance outcomes, as outlined in the approved local accountability plan. Campuses with an overall rating of A, B, or C under the state accountability system for the applicable year of the plan may combine state and local accountability ratings with the state rating contributing at least 50% of the combined rating. 

    A combined campus rating could change as a result of the local accountability system by going up or going down. 

    Campuses that are not rated under the state accountability system are not eligible to combine state and local ratings. However, the local accountability data for paired campuses, and other campuses not rated under the state accountability system, may be displayed on TEA, district, and campus websites.

    The local accountability system plan campus ratings do not affect the state accountability system district rating. District ratings are determined by campus state accountability system ratings only; these ratings do not include local accountability system ratings.

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    Contact Information

    Local Accountability System
    LAS@tea.texas.gov