Texas Education Agency Gold Performance Acknowledgement Criteria

In addition to the Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system used to rank campuses and districts, TEA also awards schools for performance on additional categories not included in the accountability ratings system. The awards are known as Gold Performance Acknowledgements.

There are three rankings with regards to Gold Performance Acknowledgments:
*Acknowledged – the campus/district has met the criteria for at least one category (acknowledgments are given separately for each category).
*Does Not Qualify – the campus/district either does not meet the criteria, or meets the criteria but is ranked "Academically Unacceptable" under the accountability ratings system.
*Not Applicable – the criteria does not apply to the campus/district.

Gold Performance Acknowledgment categories and standards

The categories for which a campus or district can be rated, and the criteria for award, are listed below. Unless noted below, the standard must be met at the overall level and in each subgroup (African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged) for which minimum size requirements are met (each category has differing minimum size requirements).
*Advanced Course/Dual Enrollment Completion – At least 25 percent of all 9th-12th grade students who complete at least one Advanced or Dual Enrollment course must receive credit for the course.
*Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Results – At least 15 percent of all 11th and 12th graders must take at least one AP or IB examination "and" at least 50 percent of all 11th and 12th graders taking the exam must meet the criterion score (3 or more for the AP examination, 4 or more for the IB examination). The Economically Disadvantaged subgroup is not included for this category.
*Attendance Rate – The campus or district must meet the following percentages for students in grades 1-12:
**District Overall – 96 percent
**High School – 95 percent
**Middle School or Junior High School – 96 percent
**Elementary – 97 percent
**"Multi-Level" (campus with both elementary and secondary students) – 96 percent
*Commended Performance: Reading/English Language Arts (ELA) – At least 25 percent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Commended Performance" standard on the reading or ELA portion (for reading, the standard is a scale score at least 2400; for ELA the standard is a scale score of at least 2400 "and" a score of 2 or higher on the essay portion).
*Commended Performance: Mathematics – At least 25 percent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Commended Performance" standard on the mathematics portion (the standard is a scale score at least 2400).
*Commended Performance: Writing – At least 25 percent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Commended Performance" standard on the writing portion (the standard is a scale score of at least 2400 "and" a score of 3 or higher on the essay portion).
*Commended Performance: Science – At least 25 percent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Commended Performance" standard on the science portion (the standard is a scale score at least 2400).
*Commended Performance: Social Studies – At least 25 percent of all students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Commended Performance" standard on the social studies portion (the standard is a scale score at least 2400).
*Comparable Improvement: Reading/ELA – The campus's Texas Growth Index (the ratio of the sum of matched student values for Reading/ELA to the total number of matched students taking the reading/ELA portion of TAKS) must be within the top 25 percent of its "campus comparison" group (peer group of campuses with similar demographics). Only students in grades 4-11 who have previously taken the TAKS test anywhere in the state are included in the metric, which is calculated only at the All Student level (no subgroups). The award is available for individual campuses only; the metric is not calculated at the district level.
*Comparable Improvement: Mathematics – The campus's Texas Growth Index (the ratio of the sum of matched student values for mathematics to the total number of matched students taking the mathematics portion of TAKS) must be within the top 25 percent of its "campus comparison" group (peer group of campuses with similar demographics). Only students in grades 4-11 who have previously taken the TAKS test anywhere in the state are included in the metric, which is calculated only at the All Student level (no subgroups). The award is available for individual campuses only; the metric is not calculated at the district level.
*Recommended High School Program/Distinguished Achievement Program – At least 80 percent of graduates satisfied the course requirements for the Texas State Board of Education's Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program.
*SAT/ACT Results – At least 70 percent of all non-special education graduates must take either the SAT or ACT examination "and" at least 40 percent of those taking the exam must meet the criterion score (1110 or more for the SAT examination, 24 or more for the ACT examination). The Economically Disadvantaged subgroup is not included for this category.
*Texas Success Initiative-Higher Education Readiness Component:ELA – At least 50 percent of all 11th grade students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Texas Success Initiative" standard on the ELA portion (the standard, determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is a scale score of at least 2200 "and" a score of 3 or higher on the essay portion).
*Texas Success Initiative-Higher Education Readiness Component:Mathematics – At least 50 percent of all 11th grade students taking the TAKS test score at or above the "Texas Success Initiative" standard on the ELA portion (the standard, determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is a scale score of at least 2200).

External links

* [http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2006/manual/index.html 2006 Texas Education Agency Accountability Manual]