Texas Education Agency
TEKS & TAKS
In 1993, the Texas legislature enacted statutes that mandated the creation of the Texas public school accountability system to accredit school districts and rate schools. The accountability system integrates the statewide curriculum (TEKS); the state criterion-referenced assessment system (previously TAAS, now TAKS); district and campus recognition for high performance and significant increases in performance; sanctions for performance; and school, district, and state-level reports.
The commissioner of education sets the standards for each rating category within parameters specified in law. The standards were designed to phase in increasingly higher expectations for districts and campuses annually.