ESSA Equity Toolkit FAQ

Equity Plan Template and Submission

Template and Submission: Where can I locate the submission template?

• The template that districts will submit is the Equity Plan Template This can be found in the Step 1-3 sections on the website.

Template and Submission: Do districts need to update the equity plan throughout the year?

• No, but they should be monitoring throughout the year.

Submission: When and where should the plan be submitted?

• Districts identified with equity gaps greater than 10% based on the prior 2 of 3 years of data are notified annually through the TAA that they are required to complete and submit and Equity Plan. The Equity Plan must be submitted in ISAM.

  Step-by-step instructions on how to submit the Equity Plans can be found on Equity Plan Submission Guidelines on the homepage of the Equity Toolkit.

  If your district is identified, look for a TAA regarding the identification process for LEAs in late January of 2024.

Which sections of the template are required for submission?

• Identified LEAs will received notification late November to early December, 2023 from TEA through the TAA system. 

  Steps 1-3 are required components of the Equity Plan for submission. There are two extra tabs included to support you planning for implementation and monitoring of fidelity. These sections are provided to track your progress during plan implementation and can be used to guide your improvement planning over time.

General Questions

Does the equity plan need to be reported publicly or approved by the school board?

• There is no public reporting requirement, and there is no requirement for board approval. 

  However, districts must follow their local policies and procedures. And, best practice suggests that the work of the Equity Plan be aligned to the other required district and/or campus improvement planning processes.

How many strategies should a district select?

• Districts should use their best judgement in selecting appropriate strategies that can be realistically implemented. In some cases, a district might select only one strategy to implement.

Are districts required to complete each section (attracting, supporting, and retaining) of the Step 1: Conducting a Root Cause Analysis table?

• Districts are not required to complete every section of the root cause analysis table. For example, if a district completes the root cause analysis and reaches the conclusion that their special education teachers are not receiving enough support, that district can complete the “supporting” section of the table.

Permission to Print/Download Documents From TexasEquityToolkit.org

• The documents on the TexasEquityToolkit.org website are available for use by the public in practices for improvement in education. It is the property of the Texas Education Agency and may not be used for purposes to generate revenue for individuals or entities other than TEA. 

  The above statement is also true for those using the public facing documents for research purposes.

Data Collection and Analysis

Gathering Data: When will the state equity gap data be updated?

• State equity gap data is updated annually in the fall after accountability data is released. You can view the most updated data on the "State Equity Reports" page of this website.

How is the district equity gap calculated?

• Step 1: Pull Data. Pull the STAAR progress Measure % at Expected or Accelerated Growth by Grade & Subject and fall enrollment data for AA, W, H, E, & N subgroups for prior 3 school years’ growth data (n-size = >20)

  Step 2: Calculate the percentage gaps for the “% meets or exceeds student progress for all tests” for the following comparisons: African American & White; Hispanic & White; EcoDis & NonEcoDis

What types of data should districts examine when determining root causes for equity gaps?

• Districts may look at all data collected including discipline data, student work, perception data (survey), academic assessment data (interim, formative, summative), teacher level data (T-TESS or other appraisal system), early childhood data, etc.

What campuses should be included when examining equity gaps?

• All districts must examine data across all campuses in identifying the root causes for the equity gaps, regardless of individual campuses’ Title I status.

How should districts with a single outlier campus (i.e. a campus with few students, a campus with no teachers) move forward with their equity plan?

• We encourage districts to use their best judgement in equity gap analysis with the understanding and focus on continuous improvement across the district. Wherever the root cause is identified is where the strategies for addressing the need should be focused.

How do I calculate for my Non-Economically Disadvantaged Students?

• The percentages for Non- Economically Disadvantaged Students progress measure was calculated using this equation:
  (Number expected or Accelerated Growth for All Grades, All Students) - (Number Expected or Accelerated Growth for All Subjects All Grades, Economically Disadvantaged Students) / (Total Number of Tests with Growth Measure) = % Expected or Accelerated Growth for All Subjets, All Grades, non-Economically Disadvantaged Students.