About the Accountability System

The state accountability system assigns ratings to every campus and district in the Texas public education system each year. In most cases, the system assigns one of four rating labels (ranging from lowest to highest):

• Academically Unacceptable
• Academically Acceptable
• Recognized
• Exemplary

To determine a rating label, the system evaluates indicators of performance, including assessment results on the state standardized assessment instruments as well as longitudinal completion rates and annual dropout rates. Generally, campuses and districts earn ratings by having performance that meets absolute standards or by demonstrating sufficient improvement toward the standard. In addition to evaluating performance for all students, the performance of individual groups of students is held to the rating criteria. The student groups are defined to be the major ethnic and racial groups as well as students designated as economically disadvantaged. All of the evaluated groups must meet the criteria for a given rating category in order to earn that label.

AEIS Reports

The Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports provided a great deal of performance information about every public school and district in the state. These reports also provide extensive profile information about staff, finances, and programs.

Adequate Yearly Progress Reports (AYP)

• AYP is how the federal law, No Child Left Behind, measures the achievement of schools, districts and states.
• AYP measures the participation rate in the state assessment system (CSAP), academic performance, and graduation rate.
• AYP requires the disaggregation of data by different subgroups: White, Native American, Asian, Hispanic, Black, English Language Learners, economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.
• All subgroups must make the statewide targets in reading and math.

Highly Qualified Teacher Report

NCLB requires that the LEA publicly report the annual progress of the LEA and each campus served by the LEA in meeting the state's measurable highly qualified teacher objectives.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Reports

No Child Left Behind requires all government-run schools receiving federal funding to administer a state-wide standardized test (all students take the same test under the same conditions) annually to all students. The students' scores are used to determine whether the school has taught the students well. Schools which receive Title I funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in test scores (e.g. each year, its fifth graders must do better on standardized tests than the previous year's fifth graders).

School Report Cards

Question:  What is the difference between the AEIS Report and the TEA School Report Card?

Answer:  The TEA School Report Card contains a small subset of the information provided on the AEIS report. While districts are required to publicize their AEIS reports, schools send home a copy of their TEA School Report Card with students. Also, while AEIS reports are available at the school, district, region and state level, the TEA School Report Cards are only provided at the school level.