(a) An assessment instrument to which this section is applicable under the Texas Education Code (TEC), §39.032, is defined as any district-commissioned achievement test, either nationally normed or criterion-referenced, that is group administered and reported publicly (e.g., to the local board of trustees) in the aggregate. A test given for a special purpose such as program placement or individual evaluation (e.g., a spelling test, a diagnostic test such as a reading inventory or interim benchmark assessment, or a released statewide assessment instrument) is not included in this definition. The commissioner of education shall provide annually to school districts and charter schools a list of state-approved, norm-referenced group-administered achievement tests that test publishers certify meet the requirements of the TEC, §39.032.

(b) A company or organization scoring a test defined in subsection (a) of this section shall send test results to the school district for verification. The school district shall have 90 days to verify the accuracy of the data and report the results to the school district board of trustees.

(c) State and national averages for an assessment instrument under this section must be computed using data that are not more than eight years old at the time the assessment instrument is administered and that are representative of the group of students to whom the assessment instrument is administered. This eight-year limitation does not apply if only data older than eight years are available for an assessment instrument.

(d) To maintain the security and confidentiality of group-administered achievement tests, school districts and charter schools shall follow the applicable procedures for test security and confidentiality delineated in §101.3031 of this title (relating to Required Test Administration Procedures and Training Activities to Ensure Validity, Reliability, and Security of Assessments).

Source Note: The provisions of this §101.101 adopted to be effective November 15, 2001, 26 TexReg 9088; amended to be effective December 7, 2003, 28 TexReg 10940; amended to be effective April 21, 2010, 35 TexReg 3030; amended to be effective March 14, 2013, 38 TexReg 1676