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Accountability Research Reports and Abstracts

The Accountability Research Unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes annual reports on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, college entrance examinations (SAT and ACT), enrollment trends, grade-level retention, and completion, graduation, and dropout rates. The unit also coordinates and publishes the Comprehensive Report on Texas Public Schools, which is delivered to the Texas Legislature. In addition, the unit publishes occasional reports covering other education topics of special interest in Texas. This page presents a list of all reports produced by Accountability Research, by topic and by type.

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Accountability and Performance

  • Predictive Power of Grade 3 TAKS and STAAR on Future Academic Success (December 2019), PDF (557 KB)
    • This study examines the external validity of the two most recent Texas statewide standardized tests, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), by analyzing whether passing the Grade 3 Reading tests predicts subsequent academic success.
  • Policy Research Report No. 16. Texas Assessment of Academic Skills and College Entrance Examination Performance Trends in Texas (December 2003), PDF (241 KB)
    • Two key measures of high school performance in Texas public schools are performance on the exit-level Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and performance on the SAT I and ACT. Between 1994 and 2002, TAAS scores increased substantially, whereas SAT I and ACT scores remained essentially stable. This report reviews differences between the TAAS and the SAT I and ACT examinations that contributed to differences in performance trends, namely (1) purpose and type of test; (2) examinee population; and (3) academic proficiency level assessed. Because of these differences, the assessments are valuable, but distance, measures of high school performance.
  • Policy Research Report No. 15. Program Participation and Academic Progress of Second Language Learners: Texas Middle School Update (May 2002), PDF (1.2 MB)
    • This report has been prepared as an update to Policy Research Report No. 10, Academic Achievement of Elementary Students with Limited English Proficiency in Texas Public Schools (1998). The purpose of this study is to examine program participation and academic progress of second language learners over time. The study followed a cohort of Texas public school students from 1992-93 to 1999-00 as they progressed through the elementary and middle grades. An overview of Texas policy related to students with limited English proficiency describes policy changes that took place during this time. Demographic characteristics of middle school students once identified as limited English proficient (LEP) and their classmates who were not LEP were examined. Special language program participation patterns were examined from a longitudinal perspective. Participation in the assessment program and progress of students in the cohort toward passing the exit-level test required for graduation were also examined.
  • Policy Research Report No. 10. Academic Achievement of Elementary Students With Limited English Proficiency in Texas Public Schools (January 1998), PDF (517 KB)
    • This report presents a longitudinal overview of academic performance of limited English proficient (LEP) students entering first grade in Texas public schools in 1992-93. The report provides a demographic profile of Grade 1 students in 1992-93 and follows those students through the 1996-97 school year. Five-year patterns of student enrollment, campus mobility, participation in special programs, and grade-level promotion are examined. Also, Texas policy related to LEP students is reviewed.
  • Policy Research Report No. 9. Expanding the Scope of the Texas Public School Accountability System (June 1997), PDF (250 KB)
    • This report describes the evolution of the statewide assessment program and development of the accountability rating system for Texas public schools and school districts. Since the report was prepared during the state legislative session, it concludes with an update of changes in state statute related to student assessment and school accountability.
  • Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS) Report No. 3A. A Study of Student Mobility in Texas Public Schools: Supplemental Data Report (March 1997)
    • This supplement to STEPS Report No. 3 (March 1997) provides data on student mobility rates at the county, district, and campus levels.
    • This report is not available in PDF. For additional information please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis.
  • Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS) Report No. 3. A Study of Student Mobility in Texas Public Schools (March 1997)
    • The purposes of this study were to examine the magnitude of student mobility in Texas public schools by reporting how many students are moving, when and where they are moving, and who is moving; and to clarify the relationships between mobility and academic performance at the individual student, campus, and district levels.
    • This report is not available in PDF. For additional information please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis.
  • Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS) Report No. 2. Case Studies of Successful Campuses: Responses to a High-Stakes State Accountability System (May 1996)
    • The Texas public school accountability system, established by statute in 1993, focuses attention on performance expectations for campuses and districts measured by standardized test scores, dropout rates, and attendance rates. For the first time, the state accountability system clearly states what schools are expected to achieve in measurable terms, and projects increasingly higher standards through the year 2000. This report presents case studies of three schools and their response to implementation of the accountability system, emphasizing the features associated with effective school-wide improvement in each case.
    • This report is not available in PDF. For additional information please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis.
  • Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS) Report No. 1. The Development of Accountability Systems Nationwide and in Texas (April 1996)
    • This is the first in a series of reports on the educational progress of Texas public schools. It reviews the history of concerns that led to the current emphasis, nationally and in Texas, on campus- and district-level accountability. Research on the use of campus- and district-level accountability systems is presented, and the development of the integrated accountability system now used in Texas is described.
    • This report is not available in PDF. For additional information please e-mail the Division of Research and Analysis.


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AP and IB

The Accountability Research Unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes annual reports and downloadable data on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) testing. Examination results for the 2010-11 school year and later years are presented in two separate annual reports, which are published sequentially as the data become available. The reports cover AP and IB participation and performance in Texas public schools and AP participation and performance in Texas and the United States for public and nonpublic schools combined. Examination results for the 2009-10 school year and earlier years are presented in a single annual report.

2023-24 School Year

2022-23 School Year

2021-22 School Year

2020-21 School Year

2019-20 School Year

2018-19 School Year

2017-18 School Year

2016-17 School Year

2015-16 School Year

2014-15 School Year

2012-13 and 2013-14 School Years

2011-12 School Year

2010-11 School Year

2009-10 School Year and Earlier Years


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Block Scheduling

  • Policy Research Report No. 13. Block Scheduling in Texas Public High Schools (September 1999), PDF (246 KB)
    • The study presented in this report examines the relationships between different types of schedules and overall student performance in Texas public high schools. Overall performance was measured in terms of dropout rates, grade-level retention rates, campus-level results for the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), and participation and performance on college admissions tests (SAT and ACT) and Advanced Placement (AP) examinations.

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College Admissions Testing: SAT and ACT

The Accountability Research Unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes annual reports on college admissions testing. Examination results for the class of 2011 and later classes are presented in three separate annual reports, which are published sequentially as the data become available. The reports cover SAT and ACT participation in Texas Public Schools, SAT and ACT performance in Texas public schools, and SAT and ACT participation and performance in Texas and the United States for public and nonpublic schools combined. Examination results for the class of 2010 and earlier classes are presented in a single annual report.

Class of 2023

Class of 2022

Class of 2021

Class of 2020

Class of 2019

Class of 2018

Class of 2017

Class of 2016

Class of 2015

Classes of 2013 and 2014

Class of 2012

Class of 2011

Class of 2010 and Earlier Classes

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Completion, Graduation, and Dropout Rates

The Accountability Research Unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes an annual report on graduates and dropouts in Texas public secondary schools, as well as special reports on related topics. The annual report includes state summaries of the annual dropout rate, longitudinal graduation, completion, and dropout rates, and state attrition rates. Supplements to the report present secondary school completion, graduation, and dropout data at the county, district, and campus levels.