Information for Districts, Campuses, and Charter Schools Identified to Engage in School Improvement Interventions

The purpose of this correspondence is to provide information regarding requirements under Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapters §39 and §39A; Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 97, Subchapter EE, Division 1; and agency resources to support the improvement of district and campus performance. 

State Academic Accountability 

For 2021 State Academic Accountability, most local educational agencies (LEAs) and campuses will receive a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster. As with other Not Rated labels, when a district or campus receives a Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster label, the district or campus shall continue to implement the previously ordered sanctions and interventions.  

All districts and campuses who received an overall D or F in 2019 will be required to develop and maintain a Targeted Improvement Plan (TIP) and retain this plan locally. The template for both the district and campus local TIPs can be found on the School Improvement website of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) here: Intervention Guidance and Tools for Locally Maintained TIPs. If campuses have access to the web-based TIP, they can use this template to develop their TIP, rather than the Excel template posted online.

Eligible campuses who request and receive an Acceptable rating under the  2021 optional alternative evaluation are no longer considered unacceptable and will not be required to engage in state school improvement interventions. 

Furthermore, while no D or F ratings will be issued in 2021 or 2022, an overall rating of D or F in 2019 and an overall rating of D or F in 2023 will be considered consecutive for the determination of multiple-year unacceptable status. 

In addition to the TIP, campuses with two consecutive unacceptable ratings have the option to implement the Commissioner-approved turnaround plan from the 2019-2020 school year. Campuses with three or more consecutive unacceptable ratings are required to implement their approved turnaround plan. 
 

Summary of Intervention Requirements -State Accountability

The below chart summarizes intervention requirements for campuses that are not engaging in School Improvement Interventions via the ESF-Focused Support Grant or the Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant.

Federal Accountability 

Campuses identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) who chose not to formally engage in School Improvement support and interventions via the ESF-Focused Support Grant or the Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant, are required to develop and maintain a TIP and retain this plan locally. The template for both the district and campus local TIPs can be found on the TEA School Improvement website here: Intervention Guidance and Tools for Locally Maintained TIPs.

Campuses identified for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and Additional Targeted Support (ATS) who chose not to formally engage in School Improvement support and interventions via the ESF-Focused Support Grant, are strongly encouraged to develop and maintain a TIP and retain this plan locally. These campuses can use a template of their choice to document their improvement efforts, including embedding their school improvement plan in their Campus Improvement Plan.

Summary of Intervention Requirements -Federal Accountability

The below chart summarizes intervention requirements for campuses who are not engaging in School Improvement Interventions via the ESF-Focused Support Grant or the Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant.

In cases where more than one rating applies to a campus, LEAs are required to engage in the more rigorous intervention requirement. 
 

Identification for Interventions 

The overall design of the accountability system evaluates performance according to three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps, which are explained in the 2021 Accountability Manual.

For questions related to the rating of campuses, districts, and charter schools, please contact the Division of Performance Reporting at (512) 463-9704 or performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov.

Intervention Requirements for campuses engaging with School Improvement Supports and Interventions 

All campuses that have chosen to engage with School Improvement supports and interventions via the ESF-Focused Support Grant or the Title 1, 1003 School Improvement Grant must determine who will serve as their District Coordinator of School Improvement (DCSI)/ Grant Contact, as stated in the grant program guidelines. The DCSI/Grant Contact is a member of the CIT and is responsible for overseeing all intervention activities and submission requirements, including conducting a needs assessment and developing and implementing a TIP as outlined in the campus or district/charter school Intervention and Submission Calendar. If the DCSI/Grant Contact is not the principal’s supervisor, then the principal’s supervisor must also be a member of the CIT, per 19 TAC §97.1063(b)(2).

To ensure that the DCSI/Grant Contact selected by the district or charter school can fulfill the responsibilities described in the DCSI job description, Additionally, the superintendent must enter the DCSI/Grant Contact’s contact information in the contacts tab in ISAM by August 31, 2021.

Campuses engaging with School Improvement support and intervention will establish a Campus Leadership Team, to include the principal and other campus leaders responsible for the development, implementation, and monitoring of the targeted improvement plan, that will work with the DCSI and Campus Intervention Team to fulfill campus intervention requirements. 

Additional Resources, Training, and Technical Assistance

We encourage you to work closely with your regional education service center for technical assistance, resources, guidance, and training. Additional information regarding accountability, intervention requirements, and resources are found on the Division of School Improvement webpage.

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