No A–F ratings, domain scaled scores, or overall scaled scores will be assigned.
All districts and campuses will be labeled Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster. An option for alternative evaluation will be available for certain campuses. For additional information, please see the 2021 Alternative Evaluation FAQs.
School Progress, Part A & Closing the Gaps: Academic Growth will not be calculated.
CTE coherent sequence of courses and military enlistment data will be excluded from CCMR calculations.
Federal graduation indicator methodology in Closing the Gaps will be updated.
Accelerated testers will be included in STAAR components. Please refer to the Inclusion of SAT/ACT for Accelerated Testers Methodology for additional information.

More information can be found on the 2021 Academic Accountability System Overview.

2. What changes did TEA request from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) for 2021? What was approved?

TEA requested to waive the following accountability and school identification requirements:

To measure progress toward long-term and interim goals
To meaningfully differentiate all public schools
To adjust the Academic Achievement indicator based on a participation rate below 95 percent
To identify schools for comprehensive (CSI), targeted (TSI), and additional targeted support (ATS) and improvement based on data from the 2020–21 school year
To include accelerated testers in performance calculations

The USDE approved all the requests except for delaying the inclusion of accelerated testers in performance calculations.

3. Which components of the accountability system will not be calculated in 2021?

School Progress Part A and Closing the Gaps: Academic Growth will not be calculated due to the lack of 2020 STAAR results necessary to calculate the STAAR Progress Measure.

4. What accountability data and reports will be available in 2021?

Campuses and districts will have access to all available data, including student assessment results, participation rates, and graduation rates. For additional information, see this document.

5. Why will military enlistment be excluded for 2021?

Due to discrepancies between annual enlistment counts for Texas military enlistees aged 17-19 released by the Department of Defense and those reported in TSDS PEIMS, TEA is excluding military enlistment data from both CCMR accountability and outcomes bonus calculations until data can be obtained directly from the U.S. Armed Forces

6. Will campuses be identified for school improvement in 2021?

Yes. Campuses will retain their existing CSI, TSI, and ATS labels for 2021. The identification of the next cohort of CSI, TSI, and ATS campuses will be delayed until August 2022. Additionally, the escalation of three-year ATS campuses to comprehensive status will be postponed until August 2023.

7. Will campuses be able to exit their school improvement status for 2021?

Campuses identified solely by their graduation rate will have an opportunity to exit CSI status if the campus meets the graduation rate exit criteria.

General Information

8. When will districts and campuses receive accountability ratings

On August 13, all campuses and districts will receive a Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster rating for 2021 due to COVID-19. Districts and campuses will receive report-only accountability results, student listings, and data tables in late August. Scaled scores and letter grades will not be published.

9. Are some districts and/or campuses, excluded from the 2021 accountability system?

Yes, some campuses are excluded from state accountability because they did not have membership, as defined by Average Daily Attendance eligibility. Thus, a campus must have valid membership combined with enrollment to be included in the set of campuses for use in the accountability system.

10. Is membership the same as enrollment?

The accountability subset is the collection of assessment results used to determine district and campus accountability ratings and distinction designations.

Membership is slightly different from enrollment. Membership does not include those students who are served in the district for fewer than two hours per day. Membership and Eligibility for Attendance and Foundation School Program (FSP) Funding defines membership as follows:
Both membership and eligibility to generate average daily attendance (ADA) are related to the amount of time that a student receives instruction each day. However, they are not the same. A student is in membership in your district if the student is enrolled in the district and is either

scheduled to attend at least two hours of instruction each school day or
participates in an alternative attendance accounting program.

11. Are state-administered districts and/or campuses, excluded from the 2021 accountability system?

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 state accountability label.

12. How will multiple-year Unacceptable status for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions be determined this year?

In determining consecutive years of unacceptable ratings for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions, only years that a district, charter school, or campus is assigned an accountability rating shown below will be considered.

2020 & 2021: No state accountability ratings issued
2019: A, B, C, D, F for districts and campuses
2018: A, B, C, D, F for districts and Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard, Improvement Required for campuses
2013-2017: Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard, Improvement Required
2012: (No state accountability ratings issued)
2004-2011: Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable, Academically Unacceptable, AEA: Academically Acceptable, AEA: Academically Unacceptable

The rating labels utilized in determining multiple-year unacceptable status include F, Improvement Required, Academically Unacceptable, or AEA: Academically Unacceptable. Although the consecutive years of F/Improvement Required ratings may be separated by one or more years of temporary closure or Not Rated ratings, such separations, whether for single or multiple years, do not break the chain of consecutive years of unacceptable ratings for purposes of accountability interventions and sanctions. This policy applies to districts and charter schools as well as campuses when Not Rated and Not Rated: Data Integrity Issues labels are assigned.

Accountability Subset

13. What is the accountability subset?

The accountability subset is the collection of assessment results used to determine district and campus accountability ratings and distinction designations.

A subset of assessment results is used to calculate each domain. The calculation includes only assessment results for students enrolled in the district or campus in the previous fall, as reported on the TSDS PEIMS October snapshot. Three assessment administration periods are considered for accountability purposes:

STAAR results are included in the subset of district/campus accountability	if the student was enrolled in the district/campus on this date:
EOC fall 2020 administration	October 2020 enrollment snapshot
EOC spring 2021 administration
Grades 3-8 spring 2021 administration

The 2019 accountability subset rules apply to the STAAR performance results evaluated across all domains.

Grades 3-8 Scenarios

Districts and campuses are responsible for students reported as enrolled in the fall (referred to as October snapshot) in the spring assessment results.

A student was reported as enrolled on October 2018 snapshot at	The student took the spring 2019 STAAR at	The campus that receives the result is	Does the result meet the accountability subset?
Campus A	Campus A	Campus A	Yes
Campus A	Campus B	Campus B	No

End-of-Course (EOC) Scenarios

Districts and campuses are responsible for

fall 2020 results for students reported as enrolled on the October 2020 snapshot; and
spring 2021 results for students reported as enrolled on the October 2020 snapshot.

If a student was enrolled on October enrollment snapshot at	The student took	The campus that receives the result is	Does the result meet the accountability subset?
Campus A (October 2020)	summer 2020 EOC at Campus A	Campus A	Yes
Campus A (October 2020)	spring 2021 EOC at Campus B	Campus B	No

STAAR EOC Retests and Mobility

14. Is there a limit to the number of years an EOC retester is included in accountability?

No. Districts and campuses are accountable for assessment results during each accountability cycle. The accountability cycle is summer, fall, and spring. TEA does not remove assessment results for students who retest across multiple accountability cycles.

15. How are STAAR EOC retest results included in accountability calculations?

Each district and campus is typically accountable for three EOC assessment administrations: 1) summer results for students enrolled on the prior-year October enrollment snapshot date, 2) fall results for students enrolled on the October enrollment snapshot date, and 3) spring results for students enrolled on the October enrollment snapshot date. However, because summer 2020 EOC administrations were cancelled, only fall and spring administrations are included in 2021 calculations.

16. How are students included in the accountability subset who move between the April English I/English II EOC and May EOC administrations?

English I and English II EOC assessment results are assigned to the same campus as a May EOC assessment result. The campus at which the student tested in May receives the April English I and English II EOC results. To meet the accountability subset, the student must have been administered the May assessment at the same campus they were enrolled on October snapshot.

If the student took an English I or English II EOC in April but did not take an EOC in May, the April result is reported to the campus at which the April assessment was administered, even if the student moved between April and May.

A student was enrolled on October 2020 enrollment snapshot at	The student took April 2021 EOC at	The student took May 2021 EOC at	The campus that receives the result is	Do the results meet the accountability subset?
Campus A	Campus A	Campus A	Campus A	Yes
Campus A	Campus B	Campus B	Campus B	No
Campus A	Campus A	Campus B	Campus B	No
Campus A	Campus B	Campus A	Campus A	Yes
Campus A	Campus A	Did not test	Campus A	Yes

Student Achievement Domain

17. What is the minimum size criteria to be evaluated on the Student Achievement domain?

A district or campus must have 10 or more STAAR assessments, combined across all subjects, in the all students group to be evaluated on Student Achievement. Small numbers analysis is not used.

18. What if my district or campus doesn't meet minimum size for Student Achievement?

A district or campus that does not have 10 or more STAAR assessments, combined across all subjects, in the all students group does not receive a rating label (Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster) or data tables/student listings.

19. Is the accountability subset rule applied to College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR)?

No. Districts and campuses are held accountable for all graduates (and non-graduating 12th graders in Closing the Gaps).

20. How is small numbers analysis used in the CCMR component of Student Achievement?

Small numbers analysis is applied to all students if the number of annual graduates is fewer than 10.

A three-year average CCMR rate is calculated for all students. The calculation is based on an aggregated three-year uniform average using the district’s or campus’s 2021, 2020, and 2019 CCMR data.

Number of 2020, 2019, and 2018 Graduates Who Accomplished at Least One of the CCMR Indicators

Number of 2020, 2019, and 2018 Annual Graduates

The all students group is evaluated if the three-year sum has at least 10 annual graduates.
An example of small numbers analysis follows:
District A had 6 2020 graduates with 4 meeting CCMR, 5 2019 graduates with 3 meeting CCMR, and 6 2018 graduates with 6 meeting CCMR.

4 + 3 + 6 = 13 Met CCMR	76.4% CCMR
6 + 5 + 6 = 17 Graduates

21. How does the agency determine whether a graduate met the criteria for dual-credit course completion for CCMR?

The dual credit course completion data comes from two elements in TSDS PEIMS. Specifically, Element ID E1011 and Element ID E1081 are used to determine whether the graduate met the requirements. These elements provide information on whether the course is dual credit and the number of college credit hours earned.

See Appendix H of the 2021 Accountability Manual or the TSDS PEIMS Data Standards at https://www.texasstudentdatasystem.org/TSDS/TEDS/Texas_Education_Data_Standards for more details.

22. Why don't students who meet the TSI exemption requirements on English III and Algebra II EOCs credit the CCMR components in accountability?

Statute (TEC §39.0238 [f][1]) prohibits the use of Algebra II and English III results in accountability calculations; therefore, they may not be used to credit the CCMR component.

School Progress, Part A: Academic Growth Domain

23. What is the STAAR progress measure?

The STAAR progress measure categorizes a student's year-to-year improvement by comparing current and prior-year scores on STAAR. By comparing the change in his or her score to progress expectations, each student is assigned to one of three categories: Limited, Expected, or Accelerated.

More information about the STAAR progress measure is available on the TEA website at https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness_(STAAR)/Progress_Measures/.

24. My students received two-year STAAR progress measures in 2021. Will these be included in School Progress calculations?

No. While eligible students received two-year progress measures (from 2019 to 2021), they are for informational purposes only and will not be used in accountability calculations.

25. Why didn't a student get a STAAR progress measure?

Students did not receive a progress measure if they did not have a valid score in 2019 and 2021 in the same content area. In 2021, STAAR progress measures were calculated for STAAR and STAAR Alternate 2 for the following grade levels and subject areas:

• Grade 5 Reading English, Reading Spanish (STAAR only), Mathematics English, and Mathematics Spanish (STAAR only)
• Grade 6 Reading and Mathematics
• Grade 7 Reading and Mathematics
• Grade 8 Reading and Mathematics
• Algebra I
• English I (STAAR Alternate 2 only)
• English II

More information about the STAAR progress measure is available on the TEA website at https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness_(STAAR)/Progress_Measures/.

School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance Domain

26. How is the percentage of economically disadvantaged students calculated?

The district or campus overall percentage of economically disadvantaged students is calculated based on TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data. The number of students in membership who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance is divided by the total number of students in membership. This percentage is used in School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance.

Whether a student is considered economically disadvantaged is also reported on STAAR answer documents. This information, however, is not used to calculate the percentage of economically disadvantaged students at a district or campus. It is used only to identify which students are included in the economically disadvantaged student group in the Closing the Gaps domain.

27. How are economically disadvantaged students counted at campuses that opt into the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under the National School Lunch Program?

Although CEP relaxes some campus data collection requirements for the purposes of providing free and reduced lunches, the accountability system relies on an accurate count of economically disadvantaged students. For accountability, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students at a campus or district is based on TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data.

Closing the Gaps Domain

28. How does the accountability system ensure that individual student groups are not ignored?

The Closing the Gaps domain is specifically designed to address this concern. Closing the Gaps is critical in the overall district or campus evaluation. It ensures the lowest-performing student groups receive focused interventions. The system evaluates the performance of fourteen student groups: all students, African American, Hispanic, white, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, two or more races, economically disadvantaged, current special education, former special education, current and monitored English learners, continuously enrolled, and non-continuously enrolled.

29. What is the minimum size for the Closing the Gaps domain to evaluated?

A district or campus must have 10 assessments in ELA/reading and 10 assessments in mathematics in the Academic Achievement component to be evaluated in the Closing the Gaps domain.

Additionally, the Academic Achievement component must have five indicators that meet minimum size for Closing the Gaps to be evaluated.

If a district or campus does not meet both minimum size requirements, the Closing the Gaps domain is not evaluated.

30. How many assessment results are required for a student group to be evaluated?

A student group needs at least 25 assessment results in reading or mathematics to be evaluated. If a student group has at least 25 assessment results in reading but not mathematics, or vice versa, that student group is evaluated only for the subject that meets the minimum size.

31. How many indicators must meet minimum size for a component to be evaluated?

The following components must have a minimum of five indicators that meet minimum size to be included in the Closing the Gaps calculation:

Academic Achievement
Student Achievement Domain Score: STAAR Component Only

The remaining components only require one evaluated indicator:

Federal Graduation Status
English Language Proficiency Status
CCMR Status

See Chapter 4 of the 2021 Accountability Manual for details on the minimum size requirements for each component.

32. What does "five evaluated indicators" mean with respect to whether a component is evaluated?

There must be at least five indicators that meet the minimum size requirements. Five evaluated indicators could come from as few as three student groups. For example, consider a campus that meets minimum size in all students (reading and mathematics), Hispanic (reading and mathematics), and continuously enrolled (mathematics). This is five evaluated indicators.

School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance Domain

33. How are 12th grade students identified for inclusion in the CCMR component of Closing the Gaps?

The Closing the Gaps CCMR denominator is annual graduates plus students in grade 12 who did not graduate. This includes grade 12 students who were in attendance during the fourth six weeks of the 2019-20 school year but did not graduate, as reported in TSDS PEIMS attendance records. The fourth six weeks is used for this year due to the interruptions caused by COVID.

34. Are individualized education program (IEP) continuers excluded from CCMR in Closing the Gaps?

Yes, grade 12 students reported in the TSDS PEIMS 2019-20 fall collection as IEP continuers are excluded from the Closing the Gaps CCMR denominator for 2021. Keep in mind that the student should only be coded as a continuer any time after their initial year in grade 12.

Closing the Gaps Domain

35. What if a 12th grade student was reported in attendance at multiple campuses during the fourth six weeks?

If a student was reported in attendance at more than one campus during the last six weeks, the student is removed from all campuses at which he/she was reported. A 12th grade student who was reported in attendance at more than one campus during the fourth six weeks will not appear on a CCMR list for any district.

36. How does TEA conduct small numbers analysis on the CCMR component of Closing the Gaps?

If the all students group has fewer than 10 students, TEA conducts small numbers analysis, as described below.

A three-year-average CCMR rate is calculated for all students. The calculation is based on an aggregated three-year uniform average using the district's or campus's 2020, 2019, and 2018 CCMR data.
The all students group is evaluated if the three-year sum has at least 10 annual graduates plus students in grade 12 who did not graduate.

37. What is meant by "Ever EL" in the Closing the Gaps domain?

Ever ELs are students reported in TSDS PEIMS as English learners at any time while attending grades 9-12 in a Texas public school. This student group is used in the Federal Graduation Status component of the Closing the Gaps domain.

38. Does the English Language Proficiency (ELP) use grades 3-12 TELPAS results for current year EL students or does it consider all K–12 results?

The English Language Proficiency component measures the percentage of current ELs in grades K–12 who have made progress in developing their English language proficiency since it was last assessed. To be considered as having made progress, a student must increase at least one proficiency level on the TELPAS composite rating from the prior year to the current year or have a composite rating of Advanced High. Students who had a TELPAS composite rating of Advanced High in the prior year must maintain the composite rating of Advanced High in the current year to be considered as having made progress.

Please see Chapter 4 of the 2021 Accountability Manual for additional details on how TELPAS results will be evaluated in 2021.

39. What is the updated graduation rate methodology?

When determining whether a student group met the target, the graduation rate is evaluated using the following three steps.

1. Did the student group meet the four-year long-term graduation rate target of 94.0% and demonstrate improvement of at least 0.1% over the Class of 2015 statewide baseline rate for this group?

2. If #1 is no, did the student group meet the four-year interim graduation rate target of 90.0% and demonstrate improvement of at least 0.1% over its prior year rate?

3. If #1 and #2 are no, did the student group meet its four-year graduation rate growth target? The growth target is calculated as follows. Did the student group demonstrate sufficient growth from the prior year in order to meet the long-term graduation rate target of 94.0% (i.e., a 10% decrease in difference between the prior year rate and the long-term target)?

If any of the above criteria are met, the graduation rate target is met.

Participation

40. Is the accountability subset applied to participation calculations?

No.

41. What are the consequences of having a participation rate less than 95 percent?

In a typical year, the Academic Achievement component performance calculations for the Closing the Gaps domain would be adjusted; however, for 2021 participation rate requirements were waived.

42. We have an English I EOC retester who was absent for the December administration but tested in May. How does this impact our participation rate?

One result per student, per subject, per cycle is used in participation calculations. The scored May assessment would be used in the participation calculation.

43. Will campuses be identified for comprehensive support and improvement, targeted support and improvement, and additional targeted support in 2021?

School improvement labels will carry over from 2019. The only exception to this is if the campus exits comprehensive status by having either a four-year or six-year federal graduation rate of 67 or higher.

44. Is a campus that is paired with another campus that has been identified for comprehensive, targeted, or additional targeted support and improvement also identified as such?

No. Federal intervention labels are not assigned based on state rating pairings. Each campus is evaluated based on its own Closing the Gaps data.

45. Do non-Title I campuses that are identified for comprehensive support and improvement based on their federal graduation rate being less than 67 percent receive additional funding?

No. Non-Title I campuses are not eligible for comprehensive support grant funding.

46. When will campuses identified for additional targeted support and improvement for three consecutive years for the same student group then be identified as comprehensive support and improvement?

Only Title I campuses will be escalated to comprehensive support beginning in August 2023. The years used will be 2019, 2022, and 2023.

47. What is required of campuses identified as comprehensive, targeted, and additional targeted support?

The School Improvement Division oversees interventions and supports. For additional information, visit https://tea.texas.gov/si/accountabilityinterventions/.

Alternative Education Accountability (AEA)

48. What are alternative education campuses (AECs)?

AECs are those that serve students at risk of dropping out of school as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.081(d). In a typical year, accountability ratings for AECs and charter schools are assigned similarly to non-AEA districts and campuses, but the cut points are modified and alternative procedures applicable to the graduation rate and annual dropout rate calculations are provided. AEA charter schools and AECs are not evaluated on School Progress, Part B due to the small number of districts and campuses used for comparison. Furthermore, they may earn bonus points for their overall score.

Please note, all campuses and districts will receive Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for 2021.

49. How do campuses qualify to be registered as an AEC, and when does registration occur?

To be eligible to be registered, an alternative education campus (AEC) must meet the criteria outlined in Chapter 7 of the 2021 Accountability Manual.

The AEA campus registration process is conducted online using the TEAL Accountability application. AECs designated for 2020 AEA provisions are re-registered automatically in 2021, provided the campus continues to meet enrollment and at-risk criteria as determined by TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data. If a campus was registered in 2020 using the at-risk safeguard and does not meet the at-risk enrollment criterion in 2021, the campus is not eligible for AEA and is not re-registered for AEA in 2021. Campuses that were not registered in 2020 but meet eligibility in 2021 are automatically registered for AEA by the agency. Districts may choose to remove a campus from evaluation under AEA procedures by submitting an AEA rescission form. The 2021 registration process occurred March 29–April 9, 2021.

See Chapter 7 in the 2021 Accountability Manual for additional details on 2021 AEA criteria and registration.

English Learners (ELs)

50. How are STAAR results for ELs included in each of the domains?

English learners (ELs) who are year one in U.S. schools are excluded from all accountability performance calculations. ELs who are year two in U.S. schools are included in STAAR performance indicators using the EL performance measure.

STAAR Alternate 2 assessment results are included regardless of an EL's years in U.S. schools.

Unschooled asylees, unschooled refugees, and students with interrupted formal education (SIFEs) are included in accountability calculations beginning with their second year of enrollment in U.S. schools.

51. How is the EL performance measure calculated?

The EL performance measure is only calculated for ELs in their second year in U.S. schools. For more information about how it is calculated, please see Setting Performance Measure Progress Expectations on STAAR for English Learners on the Assessment Scoring and Reporting webpage.

52. Where does TEA get the information for years in U.S. schools and asylee, refugee, and SIFE status?

To apply exclusions for years in U.S. schools or for unschooled asylee, unschooled refugee, or students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) status, TEA must receive a current year, scored TELPAS document. Additionally, the TELPAS years in U.S. schools and asylee, refugee, or SIFE information must not be blank or missing. If a student does not have a current year TELPAS, the EL rules are not applied.

Special Issues

53. Are STAAR results for foreign exchange students used in accountability?

Yes, if a foreign exchange student takes the STAAR and is in the accountability subset, his or her assessment results are included in accountability calculations.

54. How are students with No Authentic Academic Response (NAAR), medical exception, or medically exempt designation included in accountability?

STAAR results with NAAR, medical exception, or medically excluded designations are not included in domain calculations. In the Closing the Gaps domain, STAAR Alternate 2 students with NAAR designation are included as participants. Students with the medical exception or medically exempt designations are not included in the participation rate calculation. For more information on how participation is calculated, please see Appendix H of the 2021 Accountability Manual.

Algebra I EOC in Middle School

55. I have calculated my raw domain score. Now what?

The assessment results are reported as Algebra I on accountability reports to the campus identified in the answer document header. Generally, this is the campus at which the student was currently enrolled.

56. Which assessment is included in accountability if a grade 8 student takes the grade 8 mathematics STAAR and the Algebra I EOC? Which campus is held accountable?

If a student takes both the Algebra I EOC and grade 8 STAAR mathematics assessments, only the Algebra I EOC result is used in accountability calculations. The results are reported as Algebra I on accountability reports to the campus identified in the answer document header. Generally, this is the campus at which the student was enrolled at the time of testing.

Participation

57. If a middle school student does not pass the Algebra I EOC and retests during the summer, which campus is credited for the retest?

If the student meets the standard on the retest, the result is included in the accountability calculations for the middle school in the next accountability cycle. If the student fails and retests again during the fall, the result is included in the accountability calculations for the campus at which he or she is enrolled in the fall.

58. What is a campus comparison group?

Campus comparison groups are used to determine which campuses earn distinction designations. Distinction designations are awarded to campuses for outstanding performance in relation to 40 other similar campuses. Each campus is assigned to a unique comparison group comprised of Texas schools that are most like it. To determine the campus comparison group, each campus is identified by school type (See the School Types chart in Chapter 1 of the 2021 Accountability Manual.) then grouped with 40 other campuses from anywhere in Texas that are most similar in grade levels served, size, percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged, mobility rate, percentage of English learners, percentage of students served by special education, and percentage of students enrolled in an Early College High School program. See Appendix E of the 2021 Accountability Manual for more details.

2021 Accountability Development

59. Who helped TEA develop the state accountability rating system?

The 2021 accountability system was informed by extensive feedback from the Accountability Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and Accountability Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC), which include educators and representatives from legislative offices, school districts, charter schools, and the business community. The accountability development materials that were reviewed by the advisory groups at each meeting are available online at https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/accountability/academic-accountability/performance-reporting/2021-accountability-development-materials.

60. Who are the members of the advisory groups?

The 2021 Accountability Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) includes representatives from legislative offices, school districts, the business community, and parents of children attending Texas public schools.

Members of the 2021 Accountability Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) are Texas public school educators from districts and education service centers who have detailed knowledge of the state assessment and accountability systems.

Technical Information

61. If a student's reported racial/ethnic value is different in each of the individual assessment files (STAAR 3–8, STAAR EOC, or TELPAS), which race/ethnicity is used?

The accountability results are based on the demographic information from the Consolidated Accountability File (CAF) which includes only one racial/ethnic value. The CAF provides the most recent demographic information based on the last test administration available for each student.

62. If a student is coded as a special education student or Limited English Proficiency (LEP) on any one test document, is the student considered special education/LEP for all documents?

Yes, the accountability results are based on the demographic information from the Consolidated Accountability File (CAF) which includes only one special education/LEP value. The CAF provides the most recent program information based on the last test administration available for each student. For the LEP field, if the student tested in TELPAS or is identified as a current LEP student (value of "C") in any current-year test administration, the value on the CAF file is "C."

63. Which TELPAS file is used to determine the number of years an EL student is enrolled in U.S. schools?

Years in U.S. schools is based on 2021 TELPAS data. If information on years in U.S. schools does not exist, results are included with a value of 5 years.

TEAL Accountability Application

64. How do I gain access to the TEAL Accountability Application?

To apply for access to a TEAL account:

Go to the TEA Login page.
Click Request New User Account.
Fill in the form and submit it. You will receive an email with your account information.
Apply for access to the Accountability application by selecting My Application Accounts > Request New Account.

65. What information can be found in the TEAL Accountability Application?

Unmasked data related to accountability ratings, the public education grant list, alternative education accountability registration, pairing, and appeals are in the TEAL Accountability application. Additionally, confidential student lists for STAAR performance, CCMR, and ELP are available through the application.

District Posting Requirements

66. What does the district need to provide to the public regarding the ratings?

Each district must post the 2021 Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster label on its website. They must also provide information directly to parents regarding school performance. For detailed information on what is required, see the Posting FAQ.

Consolidated Accountability File (CAF)

67. What is the Consolidated Accountability File?

The testing contractor provides TEA, ESCs, and school districts with a Consolidated Accountability File (CAF), which contains all performance results as well as all demographic and program information for every student. Accountability calculations are based on the CAF.

68. How am I supposed to read the CAF?

The CAF is a large, complex data file. Specialized software is required to view it. Annually, the agency produces a data file format, which describes each field found in the CAF. You may download the relevant data file format at https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Accountability/State_Accountability/Performance_Reporting/Data_File_Formats.

69. Why do results for students that moved out of our district appear in our CAF? Why does our CAF include county district campus numbers other than our own?

For 2021, the CAF contains all data related to students who were administered an assessment in the district at any point during the 2019-20 or 2020-21 school year. A student who tested in two or more districts is reported to each district. The student's record contains the same data for each district. It is not filtered for the accountability subset. When Performance Reporting processes the CAF for accountability calculations, the data is filtered according to accountability methodology.

70. How do we know which results in the CAF are included in our accountability calculations?

Confidential student lists for STAAR performance, CCMR, and ELP will be made available through TEAL Accountability.

71. Who do I contact to correct the CAF?

Requests for corrections to the CAF need to be made directly to the testing contractor during the corrections window. For accountability purposes, data are considered final at the close of the corrections window.

Contact Information

Performance Reporting
Phone: (512) 463-9704
Fax: (512) 936-6431
performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov