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The assignment of district and charter school accreditation statuses is authorized by ɬÀï·¬ Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Public School System Accountability, and 19 ɬÀï·¬ Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter EE, Accreditation Status, Standards, and Sanctions. The rules define the accreditation statuses of Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked and describe how accreditation statuses are determined and assigned. These rules may be viewed at the link available at , and additional information regarding the assignment of accreditation statuses to districts and charter schools can be found on the Accreditation Status homepage of the ɬÀï·¬ Education Agency (ɬÀï·¬or agency) website at http://tea.texas.gov/accredstatus/.Ìý

On , Governor Abbott issued a proclamation certifying that COVID-19 posed an imminent threat of disaster in the state and declaring a state of disaster for all counties in ɬÀï·¬. Subsequently, on March 16, 2020, the Governor waived the State of ɬÀï·¬ Assessment of Academic Readiness (ɬÀï·¬) testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year and ordered all schools temporarily closed on March 19, 2020. As a result, ɬÀï·¬labeled all districts and campuses Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for the 2019-2020 school year. Because student performance is a key indicator in the state accreditation system, the ɬÀï·¬will suspend the assignment of accreditation statuses until the 2021-2022 school year under the authority of amended 19 TAC §97.1055. The amended rule, which became effective on February 24, 2020, may be viewed at . For purposes of determining multiple years of academically unacceptable or insufficient performance, the academic accountability ratings issued for the 2018-2019 school year and the 2020-2021 school year are consecutive. 19 TAC §97.1055(a)(9) (effective February 24, 2021). In addition, the accreditation statuses issued for the 2019-2020 school year and for the 2021-2022 school year are consecutive. 19 TAC §97.1055(a)(11) (effective February 24, 2021).Ìý

Districts, including charter schools, that would have been assigned a status of Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, or Not Accredited-Revoked for the 2020-2021 school year due to the ratings assigned to the district in the state’s financial accountability system will receive separate correspondence from the ɬÀï·¬detailing required next steps.Ìý

We appreciate the ongoing support of districts during the COVID-19 public health crisis. If you have questions, please contact the Division of Accreditation and Enforcement at (512) 463-5899 or via e-mail at accred@tea.texas.gov.Ìý

Sincerely,Ìý

Jeff CottrillÌý

Deputy Commissioner of Governance & AccountabilityÌý