The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released preliminary state accountability ratings this week. Per TEA, the ratings reveal that approximately 94 percent of school districts and charters across Texas have achieved the rating of Met Standard. Districts, charter organizations, and the individual campuses associated with either receive one of three ratings under the state's accountability system: Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard, or Improvement Required. The 2016 ratings are based on a system that uses a range of indicators to provide greater detail about the performance of a district or charter organization and individual campuses throughout the state. The performance index framework includes four areas:

• Student Achievement – Provides a snapshot of performance across all subjects
• Student Progress – Measures year-to-year student progress by subject and student group
• Closing Performance Gaps – Emphasizes the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students and the lowest performing racial/ethnic student groups
• Postsecondary Readiness – Emphasizes the importance of earning a high school diploma that provides students with the foundation necessary for success in college, the workforce, job training programs, or the military

In order to earn a rating of Met Standard or Met Alternative Standard, a campus or district must meet the target on either Index 1: student achievement, or Index 2: student progress, plus meet the targets on Index 3 and Index 4. School district ratings (including charter operators) by category in 2016 are as follows:

2016 RATING	DISTRICT	CHARTER	TOTAL	PERCENT
Met Standard/Alternative	978	153	1,131	93.7%
Met Standard	978	123	1,101	91.2%
Met Alternative Standard	N/A	30	30	2.5%
Improvement Required	44	22	66	5.5%
Not Rated	2	8	10	0.8%
TOTAL	1,024	183	1,207	100.0%

While there was a very slight uptick in the number of districts needing improvement driven in part by a 68.7% increase in the percentage of charters failing to meet standards, the number of campuses rated Improvement Required, the more important indicator, continued to decrease. From 2013 to 2016, the number of campuses rated Improvement Required has steadily dropped from 768, or 9% of all campuses, to 467, which is only 5.4% of campuses. Campus ratings (including both ISD and charter campuses) by category and school type are as follows:

2016 RATING	ELEM	MIDDLE	HS	K-12	TOTAL	PERCENT
Met Standard/Alternative	4,400	1,533	1,431	303	7,667	88.4%
Met Standard	4,399	1,523	1,211	288	7,421	85.6%
Met Alternative Standard	1	10	220	15	246	2.8%
Improvement Required	234	118	67	48	467	5.4%
Not Rated	66	43	286	144	539	6.2%
TOTAL	4,700	1,694	1,784	495	8,673	100.0%

For the 2015-2016 school year, the number of campuses achieving a rating of Met Standard or Met Alternative Standard increased compared to the previous years, while the number of campuses receiving a rating of Improvement Required decreased.

	2013		2014		2015		2016
RATING	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Met Standard/Alternative	7,207	84.2%	7,285	85.0%	7,476	86.5%	7,667	88.4%
Improvement Required	768	9.0%	733	8.5%	603	7.0%	467	5.4%

Districts, charters, and campuses can appeal the rating assigned on Aug. 15. TEA will release the final 2016 ratings based on the outcomes of the appeals in December. Barring legislation during the upcoming legislative session that changes the accountability system, this will be the final year that schools will be rated either Met Standards or Improvement Required. Next year, districts, charter organizations, and campuses will all receive an A-F letter grade. To view the 2016 state accountability ratings for districts, charters, and campuses, visit the TEA website.