What is Assessment and Accountability?
The Assessment & Accountability Division serves the District by ensuring timely and accurate assessment training, administration, analysis and reporting.
The Assessment & Accountability Division oversees all training, administration, and reporting for required State Assessments such as STAAR and TELPAS. Our team also supports the administration and reporting of other many other assessments such as SAT, ACT, and CogAT, and ensures the timely upload of local, state, and national assessment data into District data systems.
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Current Accountability Ratings
As a result of House Bill 22 (HB22), which was passed into law during the 85th Texas legislative session, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was required to develop and implement an A-F State Accountability system for public schools. In this system, campuses and districts are evaluated in three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, , Closing the Gaps, and overall. Districts were evaluated with A-F ratings for the first time in 2018, and campuses were evaluated with A-F ratings for the first time in 2019.
In 2019, Round Rock ISD received ‘B’ in Student Achievement, ‘B’ in School Progress, ‘B’ in Closing the Gaps, and “B” Overall. You can find 2019 Accountability ratings for Round Rock ISD and all campuses, as well as districts and campuses across the state on the Texas Education Agency website.
In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TEA waived all assessment and accountability requirements and labeled every campus and district in the state, Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster.
In 2021, the TEA will resume student STAAR testing and provide accountability reports that reflect all available data; however, districts and campuses will not receive A-F Ratings.
District Annual Report
Each year, the District compiles a wide range of performance information into an Annual Report in the format specified by the Texas Education Agency. The Annual Report’s primary component is the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) for the district and each campus. In addition to the TAPR, the district also includes the PEIMS Financial Standard Reports, campus performance objectives, a report of violent or criminal incidents, and information received from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for each high school campus. Each year the Annual Report is presented to the community in a public hearing at the January regular meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Federal Accountability
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015. It was a bipartisan measure to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which addressed many of the long-standing concerns with the No Child Left Behind legislation that had been in place since January 2002.
States implement the requirements of Federal education policy via an ESSA Plan. Many aspects of the State Accountability system are designed to meet the requirements of federal regulations. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) submitted its final Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) consolidated plan to the U.S. Department of Education on March 6, 2018.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEA requested various waivers from federal accountability requirements for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years.
For more information about the Texas ESSA Plan and recent waiver requests, please visit the Every Student Succeeds Act page on the TEA website.
State Accountability
As a result of HB 22, which was passed into law during the 85th Texas legislative session, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was required to develop and implement an A-F State Accountability system for public schools. In this system, campuses and districts are evaluated in three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, Closing the Gaps, and overall. Districts were evaluated with A-F ratings for the first time in 2018 and campuses were evaluated with A-F ratings for the first time in 2019.
The Texas Education Agency has a various resources posted on their website, including informational videos about the A-F system.
You can find State Accountability information about Round Rock ISD and each campus by exploring the District Performance Indicators page and the TEA website.
State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, STAAR was not administered in the spring or summer of 2020. Students are not required to make up those exams and STAAR end-of-course (EOC) graduation requirements were waived for those who successfully completed a course with a corresponding EOC assessment in spring or summer of 2020.
However, in the 2020-2021 school year, TEA requires districts across the state to administer STAAR to students in grades 3 through 8 and the high school level STAAR EOC exams. Students who are attending school on campus will be provided grade level and subject area assessments as they typically would with additional COVID-19 safety measures in place.
The STAAR test results provide essential information about student progress and mastery of grade level and subject area curriculum. Additionally, results help teachers and principals identify students for advanced coursework or benefit from additional or alternative learning opportunities. To accommodate students who are learning remotely, each campus will develop plans for students to safely come to campus for testing. Although remote learners are not required to come to campus, we strongly encourage families to consider participation.
Taking and passing the 2021 STAAR is not required for promotion in grades 3-8. passing the high school courses’ STAAR EOC exams are a graduation requirement. If students do not take and pass 2021 Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, or U.S. History exams, they will be required to take those exams at a future administration. The next two testing opportunities will be June and December 2021.
In 2009, the 81st Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3, which required the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to increase the rigor of state assessments so that performance standards would indicate students’ college readiness. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests the content standards of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) at a greater level of depth and complexity than previously and emphasizes the skills that are needed to be successful in the next grade level or course.
As of 2017, the TEA will only provide one Student Report Card each year that summarizes the results of all STAAR tests taken that year. The Student Report Cards are not available until school is closed for summer break, so we encourage families to access the results online through the Texas Assessment Data Portal.
Parents need their students’ unique access code to login to the portal. This code is printed on previous STAAR results, and the District posts these codes in Home Access Center (HAC) each Spring.
How to access your student’s STAAR results online
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has posted some helpful resources for understanding STAAR and student results.
Student Success Initiative (SSI)
The Student Success Initiative (SSI), enacted in 1999, established grade advancement requirements for students in grades 5 and 8 who take the STAAR reading and math tests. Students are given up to three attempts to pass each test, typically in April, May, and June. The goal of the SSI is to support on-grade-level academic achievement for every student.
The SSI requires students in grades 5 and 8 to pass both reading and math STAAR tests to be promoted to the next grade level. A student may also be promoted to the next grade level by the unanimous decision of his or her grade placement committee; that the student is likely to perform at grade level after additional instruction.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, STAAR was not administered in the Spring or summer of 2020. Students who were in grades 5 and 8 at that time are not required to make up those exams, and the STAAR grade promotion requirements were waived by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
In response to the ongoing pandemic, SSI promotion, retention, and retesting requirements also were waived for the 2020–2021 school year. Students in grades 5 and 8 will be offered the reading and math STAAR exams once during the May 2021 testing window.
Substitute Assessments
Since the beginning of the STAAR assessment program in 2011-2012, students have been eligible to substitute assessments in place of a corresponding end-of-course (EOC) assessment to meet the student’s assessment graduation requirements. (Texas Administrative Code RULE §101.4002).
In July 2017, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) amended this rule to reflect recent revisions to the ACT and SAT assessments. A wide range of tests from ACT and SAT as well as certain Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) tests that meet college readiness benchmarks or that indicate students are on track to be college ready can be used as substitute assessments. Full list of possible substitution options.
The TEA has clearly defined the rules for substitute assessment. Specifically, students must attempt the appropriate EOC assessment at least once before using a substitute assessment. The Substitute Assessment Flowchart may be helpful in determining whether a student may use a substitute assessment to meet a graduation requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
If a student is currently enrolled in a course that has a required STAAR EOC exam, can they substitute an assessment?
Yes, if the student has already taken a substitute assessment and achieved a high enough score (check the Substitute Assessments Standards Chart to be sure) to indicate that they are college-ready or on track to be college-ready in that subject. In that case, they can substitute that test for the STAAR EOC. However, they must take the STAAR EOC associated with that course at least once for federal accountability purposes.
Can students use substitute assessments for all of their required STAAR EOC exams?
If a student has previously failed a required STAAR EOC exam, can they substitute an assessment?
Yes, if the student has already taken the substitute assessment and achieved a high enough score (check the Substitute Assessment Standards to be sure) to indicate that they are college-ready or on track to be college-ready in that subject. In that case, they can substitute that test at the next administration of STAAR EOC to meet assessment graduation requirements.
What is the process for using a substitute assessment to meet graduation requirements?
It is the student and parent/guardian’s responsibility to provide a copy of the official score report to their school’s campus testing coordinator (CTC) along with the Substitute Assessment Request Form.
Requests must be received at least one week in advance of the STAAR EOC administration window so that the testing coordinator can arrange for an alternative activity on test day and submit the appropriate materials to the Round Rock ISD Assessment Department. The substitution becomes official when the Assessment Department sends the appropriately marked STAAR EOC answer document to the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
STAAR EOC 2023 Assessment Calendar
TEA Testing Calendars
The Texas Education Agency prepares testing calendars a year in advance, but the dates are subject to change. It is advisable to check them periodically for important updates.
The Texas English Language Proficiency System (TELPAS)
For students whose first language is not English, the Texas English Language Proficiency System (TELPAS) measures English Learners (ELs) proficiency and growth in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. Students receive a rating of beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high in each area. All ELs in kindergarten through grade 12 are tested each Spring until their language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) determines that they are proficient in English.
Due to COVID-19 school closures, the Texas Education Agency made the completion of TELPAS assessments optional for the 2019-2020 school year. However, in the 2020-2021 school year, districts across the state must administer TELPAS. Students attending school on campus will take TELPAS subtests as they typically would with additional COVID-19 safety measures in place.
See the following links for more information about TELPAS.
TELPAS FAQs for Parents– English
TELPAS FAQs for Parents– Spanish
TELPAS Parent Tips- English
TELPAS Parent Tips- Spanish
Other Assessment & Accountability Links
The Texas Education Agency’s Division of Performance Reporting
ACT
College Board
National Assessment of Educational Progress/NAEP
CogAT