TITLE 19.EDUCATION

Part 2. TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY

Chapter 61. SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Subchapter BB. COMMISSIONER'S RULES ON REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

19 TAC §61.1025

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) adopts new §61.1025, concerning Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data standards without changes to the proposed text as published in the March 23, 2001, issue of the Texas Register (26 TexReg 2272) and will not be republished. Texas Education Code (TEC), §42.006, authorizes the commissioner of education, in reviewing and revising the PEIMS, to develop rules to ensure that the PEIMS meets the requirements specified in TEC, §42.006(c)(1)-(3).

The adopted new section references the standards by which school districts and charter schools are to submit required information. The adopted new section specifies that the standards are published annually in an official TEA publication. The official publication is the PEIMS Data Standards . The adopted new section also delineates the procedures for adding, deleting, or modifying data elements.

No comments were received regarding adoption of the new section.

The new section is adopted under the Texas Education Code (TEC), §42.006, which authorizes the commissioner of education, in reviewing and revising the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), to develop rules to ensure that the PEIMS meets the requirements specified in TEC, §42.006(c)(1)-(3).

This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on May 10, 2001.

Associate Commissioner, Accountability Reporting and Research

Texas Education Agency

Effective date: May 30, 2001

Proposal publication date: March 23, 2001

For further information, please call: (512) 463-9701

Chapter 97. PLANNING AND ACCREDITATION

Subchapter AA. ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

19 TAC §97.1002

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) adopts an amendment to §97.1002, concerning school district accountability ratings and acknowledgments without changes to the proposed text as published in the April 6, 2001, issue of the Texas Register (26 TexReg 2615) and will not be republished. The section adopts by reference the most current version of Part 1 of the annual accountability manual, which specifies the indicators, standards, and procedures used by the commissioner of education to determine standard accountability ratings and to determine acknowledgment on additional indicators for Texas public school districts and campuses, as authorized by Texas Education Code (TEC), §§39.051(c)-(e), 39.073, 39.074(a)-(b), and 39.075. Part 1 of the annual accountability manual also specifies procedures for submitting an appeal and system safeguard analyses used to assess the integrity of the accountability system. The intention is to annually update the section to refer to the most recently published accountability manual.

The adopted amendment updates the section to adopt by reference Part 1 of the 2001 Accountability Manual , dated April 2001, for school year 2000-2001. The accountability system evolves from year to year so the criteria and standards for rating and acknowledging schools in 2001 differ to some degree over those applied in 2000. The biggest differences related to ratings is making the dropout rate standard for the Recognized and Acceptable / Academically Acceptable ratings more rigorous and changing minimum size criteria to include more students in the ratings evaluations. For acknowledgments, the attendance rate is now an Additional Indicator and the standard to be acknowledged for participation in the State Board of Education's Recommended High School Program has been raised to 35 percent of reported graduates. This year, ratings and acknowledgments are scheduled to be released on August 16, 2001.

Given the statewide application of the accountability rating process and the existence of sufficient statutory authority for the commissioner of education to adopt by reference Part 1 of the 2001 Accountability Manual , legal counsel with the TEA recommended that the procedures for issuing regular accountability ratings for public school districts and campuses be adopted as part of the Texas Administrative Code .

No comments were received regarding adoption of the amendment.

The amendment is adopted under the Texas Education Code, §§39.051(c)-(e), 39.073, 39.074(a)-(b), and 39.075, which authorizes the commissioner of education to specify the indicators, standards, and procedures used to determine standard accountability ratings and to determine acknowledgment on additional indicators.

This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on May 10, 2001.

Associate Commissioner, Accountability Reporting and Research

Texas Education Agency

Effective date: May 30, 2001

Proposal publication date: April 6, 2001

For further information, please call: (512) 463-9701