State Compensatory Education funds are supplemental to the regular education program for students identified as being at risk of dropping out of school to increase academic achievement on state assessments and reduce the dropout rate.

State Special Allotment Funds Summary

Guidance Concerning 2020-21 At-Risk

Since the students (current 4th graders) did not take the state assessment last year, a readiness test will have to be given to determine which students need (or would benefit from) additional services to get them at grade level and academically successful. Since the law does not prescribe a test, the district can decide which test to implement or develop its own test. It is recommended that whatever test you chose to give, that the same test is given to all the students, around the same time, to the entire grade level to get a reliable account of your student body. Keep in mind, the readiness test is used to identify at-risk students on a yearly basis, it does not carry forward to the next year.

In reference to at-risk criteria 3 (did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered to the student): If a student was identified under this criteria in 2019–2020 for failing or not passing at 110 percent, will this status carry over to the 2020–2021 school year since a state assessment was not administered to students in 2020?

In the absence of 2020 STAAR results, any student who was identified in the PEIMS Fall 2019 submission as “at-risk” based on the TEC, §29.081(d)(3), will continue to be identified as “at-risk” in the Fall 2020 PEIMS submission. The situation is much like when a student is identified as “at-risk” due to failing Grade 4 Writing. Such a student generally remains “at-risk” at least until Grade 7 Writing. Students who remain on the at-risk list are eligible for SCE funded services. If a student is performing well academically and does not need any type of assistance, monitoring the student’s progress is all that is required.

• https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/covid/covid19-assessment-guidance.pdf

Refer to links below:
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/covid/covid19_qa_tsds_peims_guidance_may_7.pdf
https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/testing/student-assessment-overview/optional-end-of-year-assessments

If the student has not taken a test to be removed from the at-risk list, keep the student identified as at-risk for next year.

Guidance from ACET Spring 2020

• TEA SCE PPT-ACET Spring 2020
• Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG) Module 6, Section 6.2.2   
• The 14 At-Risk Criteria per TEC, §29.081
• TEA SCE Webpage
• SCE Resource Links by Topic

 A student at risk of dropping out of school includes each student who is under 21 years of age and who:

1.  is in prekindergarten, kindergarten or grade 1, 2, or 3 and did not perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year
2.  is in grade 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and did not maintain an average equivalent to 70 on a scale of 100 in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum during a semester in the preceding or current school year or is not maintaining such an average in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum in the current semester;
3. was not advanced from one grade level to the next for one or more school years;
4. did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered to the student under Subchapter B, Chapter 39, and who has not in the previous or current school year subsequently performed on that instrument or another appropriate instrument at a level equal to at least 110 percent of the level of satisfactory performance on that instrument;
5. is pregnant or is a parent;
6. has been placed in an alternative education program in accordance with Section 37.006 during the preceding or current school year;
7. has been expelled in accordance with Section 37.007 during the preceding or current school year;
8. is currently on parole, probation, deferred prosecution, or other conditional releases;
9. was previously reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to have dropped out of school;
10. is a student of limited English proficiency, as defined by Section 29.052;
11. is in custody or care of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services or has, during the current school year, been referred to the department by a school official, officer of the juvenile court, or law enforcement official;
12. is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11302, and its subsequent amendments; or
13. resides in the preceding school year or resided in the current school year in a residential placement facility in the district, including a detention facility, substance abuse treatment facility, emergency shelter, psychiatric hospital, halfway house, or foster group home.