2024 Results Driven Accountability (RDA): Masked Public Reports, LEA Determinations, and Monitoring Activities and Interventions

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Date:	November 14, 2024
Subject:	2024 Results Driven Accountability (RDA): Masked Public Reports, LEA Determinations, and Monitoring Activities and Interventions
Category:	Special Populations and Monitoring
Next Steps:	Share with appropriate local educational agency (LEA) and education service center (ESC) staff

Local educational agencies (LEAs) have now been assigned Results Driven Accountability (RDA) masked reports and program area determinations for monitoring activities and support interventions during the 2024–25 school year. This notice provides information about the adoption of the RDA system into rule, masked public RDA reports and LEA determinations and monitoring activities for LEAs.

Reminder: What is RDA?

RDA is a data-driven monitoring framework consisting of indicators in three program areas: bilingual education/English as a second language/emergent bilingual (BE/ESL/EB), special education (SPED) and other special populations (OSP). It results in a summative performance level determination issued annually to each LEA, in a range from 1 to 4. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) uses the determination levels to engage with LEAs in intervention and continuous improvement activities. Many LEAs also adopt an RDA target as a strategic goal and/or use RDA indicators to evaluate their own performance with students in special populations.

2024 Accountability Manual: Chapter 12—Results Driven Accountability

Chapter 12—Results Driven Accountability (RDA) and Appendix K in the 2024 Accountability Manual (2024 Accountability Manual webpage) were adopted into rule at 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §97.1001, effective May 14, 2024. The public can still access RDA information from prior years from the RDA Documentation webpage.

The RDA chapter in the 2024 Accountability Manual describes the RDA guiding principles, data sources, data processing requirements, and other information utilized for assigning performance levels (PLs) to the indicators for the three RDA program areas. The chapter also includes user-friendly information about the calculations for significant disproportionality (SD). Specific information about the data sources is included for each indicator in Appendix K.

LEA Program Area Determination Levels

The RDA webpage contains intervention and submission calendars, as well as Determination Level (DL) frameworks that describe the underlying principles and method for assigning DLs to LEA program areas. This method utilizes one of the following four determinations for each program area: Meets Requirements (DL 1), Needs Assistance (DL 2), Needs Intervention (DL 3) and Needs Substantial Intervention (DL 4). Determinations for OSP and BE/ESL/EB solely utilize program-specific PLs related to the RDA indicators. However, SPED program area determinations also use four additional PLs assigned to each of the federally required elements (FREs), which are described in the DL framework for SPED.

The RDA masked district report and data download, including FRE PLs and program area determinations, are now published on the RDA Data and Reports website.

Monitoring Activities, Interventions, and Sanctions

For the 2024–25 school year, LEAs are selected for monitoring activities, intervention supports, and sanctions, in accordance with 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.604 and 303.704, based on their 2023 determinations for cyclical monitoring and their 2024 determinations and SD year 3 designations for targeted monitoring and intensive supports. Although many requirements remain unchanged, updated monitoring, intervention and sanctions requirements are in the following documents:

Data Issues and Unanticipated Circumstances

If an unanticipated circumstance impacts an LEA’s ability to meet the required intervention timelines, information detailing the individual circumstances, along with a projected date for completing the interventions, should be submitted to TEA. Such a request does not defer other requirements contained in this correspondence or other monitoring documents, but it will be considered.

If TEA identifies data accuracy or integrity issues, either during a data review or during the implementation of the required intervention activities, the LEA will be required to address procedural concerns and institute systematic improvements for collecting and submitting data. Data accuracy or data integrity issues may also result in the LEA being subjected to escalated oversight, interventions, and/or sanctions. Should data accuracy or data integrity issues be identified from other monitoring activities the TEA is required to conduct, including monitoring activities related to accreditation determinations or compliance with federal formula or discretionary grant requirements, the LEA will receive notification in a timely manner from appropriate TEA staff.

RDA Overview Training and Resources

In addition to the resources described above, an RDA overview recording will be posted to the RDA webpage by November 22, 2024. TEA will also host a self-assessment overview training for BE/ESL/EB and OSP program areas on December 11, 2024.

Contact

To request assistance in accessing the Ascend Texas application, submit information related to an unanticipated circumstance, or address general questions, please contact the Department of Special Populations General Supervision and Monitoring in the Office of Special Populations and Student Supports by phone at (512) 463-9414 or by email at reviewandsupport@tea.texas.gov.