2015 Accountability FAQ Part 1

 

Section 1: General Information

1.  What is STAAR®?

2.  Which STAAR assessments will be used for accountability in 2015?

3.  Which STAAR assessments are excluded from accountability in 2015?

4.  What is the accountability subset?

5.  How is an accountability rating label determined for 2015?

6.  What is a performance index?

7.  What are the performance index targets for 2015?

8.  Must districts and campuses meet the target score on each of the four indices in order to receive a Met Standard rating in 2015?

9.  Are all districts and campuses, including new campuses, rated in 2015?

10.  What if a campus does not have data to calculate a performance index?

11.  When do schools receive their accountability ratings?

12.  All the campuses in our district are rated Met Standard, but the district is rated Improvement Required. How is this possible?

13.  What are the Community and Student Engagement ratings?

 

Section 1: General Information

1.  What is STAAR®?

STAAR® (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) is the state’s current testing program. Implemented in the 2011–12 school year, it is designed to measure the extent to which students have learned and are able to apply the knowledge and skills defined in the state curriculum standards. The STAAR program includes STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR L (a linguistically accommodated version), STAAR A (an accommodated version) and STAAR Alternate 2 (for students who have significant cognitive disabilities). In 2015, STAAR assessments were given for the following subjects and courses:

• Reading, grades 3–8
• Mathematics, grades 3–8
• Writing,  grades 4 and 7
• Science,  grades 5 and 8
• Social studies,  grade 8
• English I
• English II
• Algebra I
• Biology
• U.S history

For more information about the STAAR program, please visit http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar

2.  Which STAAR assessments will be used for accountability in 2015?

For 2015 accountability, results from STAAR, STAAR Spanish, and STAAR L exams for the following subjects and courses will be used:

• Reading, grades 3–8
• Writing, grades 4 and 7
• Science, grades 5 and 8
• Social studies, grade 8
• English I
• English II
• Algebra I
• Biology
• U.S history

3.  Which STAAR assessments are excluded from accountability in 2015?

For 2015 accountability, results from STAAR, STAAR Spanish, and STAAR L exams for mathematics, grades 3–8 are excluded, as are results from STAAR A and STAAR Alternate 2 for every subject, grade level, and course.

4.  What is the accountability subset?

The accountability subset is the collection of assessment results that are used to determine district and campus accountability ratings and assign distinction designations. Only assessment results for those students enrolled in the same campus/district on both the snapshot date (the last Friday in October) and the testing date are used to determine campus/district performance.

5.  How is an accountability rating label determined for 2015?

Rating labels are determined by scores on the four performance indices that comprise the accountability system. Five different labels are used in 2015 to indicate acceptable performance, unacceptable performance, or that a district or campus has not received a rating:

• Met Standard indicates acceptable performance; it is assigned to each district and campus that meets the target scores on all required indices for which it has performance data.
• Met Alternative Standard indicates acceptable performance; it is assigned to eligible charter districts and alternative education campuses (AECs) that meet modified target scores on all required indices for which it has performance data.
• Improvement Required indicates unacceptable performance; it is assigned to a district, campus, charter district, or AEC that does not meet the target scores on all required indices for which it has performance data.
• Not Rated indicates that a district or campus did not receive a rating for one or more of the following reasons:
• The district or campus serves only students enrolled in early education (EE).
• The district or campus does not have data in the accountability subset.
  • The small district or campus has insufficient data to assign a rating after small numbers analysis has been conducted.
  • The district operates only residential facilities.
  • The campus is a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP).
  • The campus is a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP).
  • The campus is a residential facility.
  •  The test documents for either the district or campus were lost in transit between the district and the test contractor.   
   

• Not Rated: Data Integrity Issues indicates that data accuracy and/or integrity have compromised performance results, making it impossible to assign a rating. The assignment of a Not Rated: Data Integrity Issues label can be either permanent or temporary, depending on the outcome of a subsequent investigation.

6.  What is a performance index?

A performance index is a measure of district or campus achievement in a specific area. Index scores are based on ratios and range from 0–100. A district or campus must meet or exceed the target score on an index in order to demonstrate acceptable performance in that area.  In 2015, there are four performance indices, each aligned to a stated goal of the accountability system:

• Index 1: Student Achievement provides a snapshot of student performance across all subjects.
• Index 2: Student Progress measures year-to-year student progress.
• Index 3: Closing Performance Gaps emphasizes the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students and the two lowest-performing racial/ethnic groups.
• Index 4: Postsecondary Readiness emphasizes the importance of a high school diploma as the foundation of success in college, the workforce, job training programs, or the military.

 

7.  What are the performance index targets for 2015?

The targets vary for each index and depend on the school type—elementary, middle, high school/K-12—and whether the campus is an AEC. Chapter 2 of the 2015 Accountability Manual explains the index targets. The manual is available on the TEA website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2015/manual/index.html

8.  Must districts and campuses meet the target score on each of the four indices in order to receive a Met Standard rating in 2015?

No, unlike in previous years, districts and campuses are not required to meet the target on all four performance indices in 2015. To receive a Met Standard or Met Alternative Standard rating, districts and campuses must meet the performance index target on

• Index 1 or Index 2, and
• Index 3, and
• Index 4

A district or campus is not required to meet a target for an index for which it does not have performance data. A district or campus with performance data for all four indices must meet the target for either Index 1 or Index 2 and the targets for both Index 3 and Index 4. A district or campus with performance data for Index 1, Index 3, and Index 4 must meet the targets for all three. A district or campus with performance data for only Index 1 and Index 2 needs only to meet the target for either.

9.  Are all districts and campuses, including new campuses, rated in 2015?

A district or campus receives an accountability rating the first year that it reports fall enrollment. Not every district and campus in Texas, however, receives a label. State-administered school districts, including Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Texas School for the Deaf, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and Windham School District, are not assigned a label.

The following districts and campuses are assigned a Not Rated label because of special circumstances:

• Districts without any students enrolled in the grades for which STAAR assessments are administered (3–12)
• Districts or campuses that serve only students enrolled in early education (EE)
• Districts or campuses that do not have data in the accountability subset.
• Districts or campuses with low enrollment that do not meet minimum-size criteria and for whom small-numbers analysis does not result in sufficient data to assign a rating
• Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs).
• Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEPs).
• Residential facilities.

10.  What if a campus does not have data to calculate a performance index?

If a district or campus does not have data to calculate its score for a performance index, that district or campus is not required to meet that index in order to receive a Met Standard rating. Such a district or campus would receive an accountability rating based on all required indices for which it has performance data. There are several reasons that a district or campus might not have data related to an index: too few assessment results or its specific grade-level configurations are two examples.

11.  When do schools receive their accountability ratings?

Each district will receive its accountability ratings on August 6, 2015. A week earlier, on July 30, 2015, each district will receive data tables for each index. By analyzing that information, districts and campuses may anticipate their ratings. Accountability ratings are released to the public on August 7, 2015.

12.  All the campuses in our district are rated Met Standard, but the district is rated Improvement Required. How is this possible?

It’s not uncommon for a campus to have a higher rating that its district. This could be caused by any of several scenarios:

• One or more student groups are excluded from a campus’s accountability rating because the groups do not meet minimum-size criteria. At the district level, however, these student groups meet minimum-size criteria and are included in the district’s accountability rating.
• Students move between campuses in a district during the school year. The STAAR results of these students are not included in the accountability ratings of either campus. The results are, however, included in the district's accountability ratings.
• A district’s high school has a low graduation rate. Because elementary and middle schools are not accountable for the graduation rate component of Index 4, they would be unaffected, but the district’s rating would reflect the low graduation rate.

13.  What are the Community and Student Engagement ratings?

Community and Student Engagement ratings are locally assigned ratings that are posted on each district’s website and reported to TEA. Each year, using locally determined criteria, each district and charter school evaluates its performance and the performance of each of its campuses on specific measures. Each district and charter school assigns a rating of exemplary, recognized, acceptable, or unacceptable to itself and each of its campuses for overall performance in community and student engagement and for each of the following categories:

• Fine arts
• Wellness and physical education
• Community and parental involvement
• The 21st century workforce development program
• The second-language acquisition program
• The digital learning environment
• Dropout prevention
• Educational programs for gifted and talented students
• Compliance with reporting and policy requirements