Updated Preliminary 2023 A–F Academic Accountability System Framework

The Texas A–F accountability system, passed via House Bill (HB) 22 (85th Regular Session) in 2017, is a tool to help continuously improve student performance to achieve the goals of eliminating achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and ensuring Texas is a national leader in preparing students for postsecondary success. Valid, reliable, comparable, and objective measures of student outcomes are key to ensuring A–F ratings are fair, rigorous, and transparent to properly empower parents and educators to celebrate successes while improving student supports. The three-domain design of A–F reflects a commitment to recognize the better of student achievement or school progress, while maintaining focus on the students most in need. 

Before A–F, Texas accountability rules were changed every year, with goals for students constantly increasing. With A–F, a commitment was made to maintain the same calculations and cut scores for up to five consecutive years without annual changes, to allow for better year-over-year performance comparisons. As schools emerge from the impact of COVID-19 both with new challenges and having achieved tremendous successes, we must set new goals for our students to ensure our state is a national leader in preparing students for postsecondary success. Cut scores will continue to be set using specific criteria so that ratings are never a fixed distribution, and it is mathematically possible for all schools in Texas to earn an A rating. 

For answers to general questions about the A–F system, please visit Answers in About a Minute: A–F Accountability. 

A–F represents our collective goals for children. As a result, TEA extensively engages educators, superintendents, school board members, community and business leaders, and other groups from across the state for feedback, offering a variety of specific refresh proposals for consideration, and gathering feedback on those proposals throughout. Specifically, we shared 10 considerations in the previous preliminary framework published in June, and have engaged in multiple rounds of feedback and proposal refinements since then. Based on that feedback, today we are releasing an updated preliminary framework, which is intended to guide discussions and encourage additional stakeholder feedback, which will be gathered through winter 2022–2023. 

Resources with information about the updated framework are now available on the 2023 Accountability Development webpage: 

• Updated Preliminary 2023 A–F Refresh Overview and Summary provides a broad overview of the A–F refresh, including design commitments, timeline, and a summary of the proposed A-F refresh changes   
• Updated Preliminary 2023 A–F Refresh Framework provides detailed technical descriptions of the proposed A-F refresh changes  
• 2023 A–F Refresh Summary of Stakeholder Feedback and Adjustments to Framework provides a summary of how stakeholder feedback has informed updates to the framework since the June release.   

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback through February 2023, to help inform the proposed rule. The 2023 Accountability Manual will be published in proposed form in spring 2023 for additional feedback prior to becoming rule in summer 2023.  

Commissioner Morath will host a webinar on the updated preliminary framework for superintendents and district accountability staff on Thursday, December 1 from 3:00-4:00pm CST. Please register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zrQ-w6-EQESAag9YaxXBaQ.  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 

For answers to general questions about the A–F system, please visit Answers in About a Minute: A–F Accountability. 

Specific questions and/or feedback on the A–F System Refresh can be submitted here. For additional information, please visit the 2023 Accountability Development page.