Education
An Audit Report on the Quality of the State's Public Education Accountability Information
May 2002
Report Number 02-044
Overall Conclusion
Because of the vision and efforts of public education leaders and stakeholders since 1984, Texas has one of the most comprehensive and effective public education accountability information systems in the country. The system accommodates local district control and provides comprehensive, multi-year data for decision-making. This information system enables the Texas Education Agency (Agency) to prepare annual school accountability ratings and measure improvements over time. The Agency derives school accountability ratings from student assessment test results and attendance and dropout data reported by campuses and districts. The Agency also uses these indicators to report to the U.S. Department of Education on Title I, Part A program performance each year.
Agency information systems are currently protecting the integrity of accountability data as it is received from the districts, processed at the Agency, and ultimately reported to state and federal authorities and the public. However, data quality weaknesses remain at some campuses. This results in the Agency receiving data that is, to a measurable extent, unreliable. In addition, as both the State Auditor's Office and the Agency's Internal Audit Division have recommended in prior audit reports, the Agency needs to take specific steps to ensure the future quality of the data it reports. We found improvements that can be made at each data collection and reporting location: the campus, the school district, the student assessment test vendor, and the Agency.
Key Facts and Findings
- Texas is one of only nine states that have developed the assessment and
information systems necessary to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act
the U.S. Congress signed into law in January 2002.�
- In general, we found that the Agency's management of accountability information
is highly reliable, but the Agency needs to take steps to ensure the reliability
of future information management. Under the Agency's Enterprise Data Management
Program, data stewards and managers involved in collecting and reporting accountability
information and in reporting Title I, Part A information to the Department
of Education should develop and enforce formal standards for the data security
and quality, documentation, and business continuity of their systems.
- Districts are steadily improving the quality of the accountability data
they submit to the Agency. However, weaknesses in data collection, processing,
and reporting at some campuses still result in the Agency receiving unreliable
data from school districts. Accountability data stewards at the Agency and
the districts should help focus training and supervision on identified weaknesses
in attendance data, student assessment data, and school leaver data (which
is used to calculate dropout rates).
- The Agency should maximize the value of its Special Data Inquiry Unit's
data quality audits of districts and campuses.
- There are additional, specific steps Agency divisions can take to enhance
the quality and public understanding of accountability data.
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