Inclusion of SAT/ACT Results for Accelerated Testers in 2021
Accountability
Background
In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) notified the Texas Education Agency (TEA) of the
approval of its waiver request to broaden the advanced mathematics exception in the Every Student
Succeeds Act to include all middle school students administered the State of Texas Assessments of
Academic Readiness (STAAR®) end-of-course (EOC) assessments in mathematics, reading/language arts,
and science.
This waiver allows TEA to expand the advanced mathematics exception beyond grade 8 students
enrolled in advanced mathematics courses to include all middle school students who are administered a
STAAR EOC assessment for mathematics, reading/language arts, or science. As required now in Title 19
of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §101.3011
, students who have completed STAAR EOC
assessments while in middle school must take either the corresponding ACT or the SAT while in high
school to fulfill federal testing requirements.
As part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan 2021 Addendum, TEA requested to delay the
implementation of this requirement until August 2022; however, this request has not been approved.
TEA will begin the inclusion of grade 12 accelerated testers’ SAT/ACT results with the 2021
accountability cycle. Participation rates will not affect the Academic Achievement indicator.
Students Evaluated
While 2021 accountability data is report only, the 2021 STAAR components will include SAT and/or ACT
results for accelerated testers. Accelerated testers are defined as students who complete a STAAR EOC
at the Approaches Grade Level or above standard in Algebra I, English II, and/or Biology prior to grade 9.
Accelerated testers are included in accountability calculations for the accountability cycle once they are
reported as enrolled in grade 12 on the PEIMS October snapshot.
Performance Level Cut Points
SAT and/or ACT results for accelerated testers are included in STAAR components in the subject areas of
English language arts (ELA)/reading, mathematics, and science at the standards provided below.
Standard
SAT Evidence-
Based Reading
and Writing
(EBRW)
SAT Math
ACT English
and
Reading
ACT Math ACT Science
Does Not
Meet Grade
Level
200 – 400 200 – 430 2– 26 1 – 15 1 – 15
Approaches
Grade Level
or above
410 – 470 440 – 520 27 – 33 16 – 20 16 – 22
Meets Grade
Level or
above
480 – 660 530 – 680 34 – 59 21 – 29 23 – 27
Masters
Grade Level
670 – 800 690 – 800
60 – 72 30 – 36 28 – 36
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Inclusion of SAT/ACT Results for Accelerated Testers in 2021
Accountability
SAT/ACT Inclusion—Methodology
SAT/ACT assessment results provided in the chart above are included in the STAAR components at the
following levels:
• Approaches Grade Level or above
• Meets Grade Level or above
• Masters Grade Level
The agency evaluates SAT/ACT results from grades 9–12 for the accelerated subject area once the
accelerated tester is reported as enrolled in grade 12. If an accelerated tester has more than one
corresponding subject-area SAT and/or ACT result across evaluated years, the best result from either
SAT or ACT is found for each accelerated subject tested. ACT results considered include assessments
from enrolled grade 9 through the April 2021 administration, and SAT results considered include
assessments from enrolled grade 9 through the May 2021 administration.
SAT/ACT Accountability Subset
The SAT/ACT accountability subset rules determine the district and campus to which the accelerated
tester’s SAT/ACT result is attributed for accountability. The SAT/ACT result for an accelerated tester is
attributed to the district and campus at which the student is reported as enrolled in grade 12 on the
TSDS PEIMS October snapshot for that accountability cycle. SAT/ACT results are attributed to that
campus without regard to the campus at which the student took the corresponding STAAR EOC before
grade 9 or the enrolled campus at the time of SAT/ACT administration. Examples follow.
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Inclusion of SAT/ACT Results for Accelerated Testers in 2021
Accountability
Inclusion of Accelerated Testers Examples
Example 1
In spring 2016, student A is enrolled at Elm Middle School in Elm ISD, takes the Algebra I EOC in grade 7,
and achieves the Meets Grade Level standard. The student takes no other EOC assessments prior to
grade 9. Student A is reported as enrolled in grade 12 at Elm High School on the October 2020 TSDS
PEIMS snapshot. Student A has two SAT Math results and one ACT Math result. All results are between
fall 2017 and May 2021. The best mathematics result is an August 2019 SAT administration; that result is
selected and included in the 2021 accountability calculations for Elm High School and Elm ISD.
Example 2
In spring 2018, student B is enrolled at Oak Middle School in Oak ISD, takes the English II and Biology
EOCs in grade 8, and achieves the Masters Grade Level standard on both assessments. Student B takes
accelerated coursework and is reported as enrolled in grade 12 at Elm High School on the October 2020
TSDS PEIMS snapshot. Student B has one SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) result and
one ACT Science result. Both results are between fall 2018 and May 2021. Both the SAT EBRW and ACT
science results are included in the 2021 accountability calculations for Elm High School and Elm ISD.
Example 3
In spring 2017, student C is enrolled at Elm Middle School in Elm ISD, takes the Algebra I EOC in grade 8,
and achieves the Approaches Grade Level standard. The student takes no other EOC assessments prior
to grade 9. Student C is reported as enrolled in grade 12 at Elm High School on the October 2020 TSDS
PEIMS snapshot. Student C has no SAT or ACT mathematics result between fall 2017 and May 2021.
There are no results to include in STAAR performance calculations. Student C is included as a non-
participant in the 2021 Closing the Gaps domain mathematics participation calculations for Elm High
School and Elm ISD. When released later this spring, Chapter 4 of the 2021 Accountability Manual will
provide additional information on participation calculations.
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FAQs
1. If TEA is not issuing A–F ratings in 2021, why is Performance Reporting releasing accelerated
testers information now?
Performance Reporting will process and report all available data from the 2020–21 school year to
districts, stakeholders, and the USDE without calculating scaled scores or assigning A–F ratings.
While 2021 accountability data is report only, the 2021 STAAR components will include SAT and/or
ACT results for accelerated testers.
2. How were students identified as accelerated testers and attributed to my district’s final listing?
Final 2021 Accelerated Testers Student Listings use the 2020–21 PEIMS October Snapshot
enrollment data for final 2021 accelerated testers assignments. The student is attributed to the
district/campus at which the student was reported as enrolled.
3. Can you provide an example of how accelerated testers are included in participation calculations?
Smith High School has 376 students enrolled in an Algebra I course in spring 2021. The campus also
has 100 accelerated seniors who took the Algebra I EOC prior to grade 9.
The mathematics participation denominator for Smith High School is 476 (376 Algebra I EOC plus
100 accelerated mathematics seniors).
Smith High School had 373 scored Algebra I EOC results and three students coded absent. 90
accelerated seniors had an SAT or ACT mathematics result before graduating. Ten accelerated
seniors had no SAT or ACT mathematics result on file.
The mathematics participation numerator for Smith High School is 463 (373 scored Algebra I EOC
plus 90 SAT/ACT mathematics results).
The 2021 mathematics participation rate for Smith High School is 97.3% (463/476).
4. I have an accelerated tester on my listing with a fall 2020 SAT/ACT record. Why is that result not
included in the final listing?
The final listing reflects SAT/ACT results as of May 2020 (2019–20, 2018–19, and 2017–18 school
years for students enrolled in grades 9–12). The 2021 accountability calculations will include results
through May 2021. The August STAAR student listings released in TEAL Accountability will include
these additional results.
5. Can an accelerated tester still graduate if he/she does not take the SAT/ACT before graduation?
Yes, if the student has met all other criteria for graduation. The accelerated testers requirement is a
state-level testing requirement. It is not a student-level graduation requirement.
6. In which domains are accelerated students included?
Performance results for accelerated testers will be included in the STAAR components of the
Student Achievement; School Progress, Part B: Relative Performance; and Closing the Gaps domains.
Academic Growth is not calculated for SAT/ACT results for accelerated students. Participations rates
will be calculated but performance calculations will not be impacted by participations rates less than
95 percent.
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7. How were the cut points for Approaches, Meets, and Masters determined?
The Meets cut points align with existing College Board standards that demonstrate that students
who meet or exceed the benchmark have a substantial chance of earning at least a C in first-
semester college classes. Approaches standards were set to align with the Meets standard, and the
Masters standards were set to align with Meets and the 90
th
percentile average for 2017, 2018, and
2019 nationwide SAT results.
After SAT cut points were set, corresponding subject-area ACT cut points were set using SAT/ACT
concordance tables.
8. How are accelerated students who transfer in from private schools or out of state evaluated?
Districts should make a good faith effort to test all accelerated testers; however, please note that
accelerated students who transferred to a Texas public school from out of state or from a private
school are not included on the accelerated testers list provided by Performance Reporting or
included in accountability calculations.
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