This study examines how College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators were integrated into the Texas A–F Accountability System, evaluating the framework's development over time, its equity considerations and its impact across different student groups.
Key findings
Development of accountability system and CCMR framework
- Legislative mandates and advisory board input shaped the system's design.
- Periodic disconnect between the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and its advisory committees undermined trust and weakened public stakeholders' role in shaping policy discussions.
- Complexities in developing a system that worked across different school types hindered clarity, particularly for CCMR.
- Adjustments had to be made in response to continuous disruptions like evolving CCMR indicators and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Equity considerations
- The new system aimed to identify metrics that recognized the variety of postsecondary pathways available, creating a broader definition of postsecondary readiness.
- Despite equity discussions throughout the development process, achieving targeted equity goals was not a primary concern in the finalized policy.
Impact on school districts and students
- There were significant declines in CCMR rates upon implementation, followed by a slow and uneven recovery as districts adjusted to new standards.
- Rates are still not at pre-2017 levels, and some demographic groups have seen slower recovery, illustrating the fragility of the accountability system.
Insights on how the accountability system development process could have been better defined and formalized are provided along with recommendations on how to close persistent equity gaps.
