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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Texas Equity Plan and why does Texas need one??
- Every state education agency is required to submit a state plan to ensure equitable access to excellent educators consistent with the No Child Left Behind Act, Title I, Part A, Sections 1111 (a)(1), 1111 (b)(8)(c), and 9304 (a)(3)(b). The Texas Equity Plan will address issues to help local education agencies (LEAs) ensure that "poor and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field teachers."
- Is this something the state has done before?
- The Texas Education Agency (TEA) submitted its first State Equity Plan in 2005 and amended the plan in subsequent years to reflect changes in relevant programs and policies. The most recent amendment to the plan was in 2012.
- What were the results of previous equity plans?
- Previous equity plans were designed to describe a broad array of policies and programs that have had an impact on access to highly qualified teachers and did not require evaluation or monitoring.
- How does this plan differ from the previous one?
- Previous plans required state education agencies (SEAs) to describe policies and programs that addressed equitable access to “highly qualified” teachers. For the 2015 plan, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued new guidance requiring SEAs to focus on access to “high-quality” teachers and to meet six specific requirements:
- Describe and provide documentation of the steps the SEA took to consult with stakeholders.
- Identify equity gaps.
- Explain the likely cause(s) of the identified equity gaps.
- Set forth the SEA’s steps to eliminate identified equity gaps.
- Describe the measures that the SEA will use to evaluate progress toward eliminating the identified equity gaps.
- Describe how the SEA will publicly report on its progress in eliminating the identified gaps, including timelines for this reporting.
- Does ED require SEAs to use specific terms when describing and/or addressing educator equity?
- SEAs must define key terms used in the plan, including “inexperienced teacher,” “unqualified teacher,” “out-of-field teacher,” “poor student,” “minority student,” and any other key terms like “effective” or “highly effective.”
- Does ED require SEAs to use specific approaches when describing and/or addressing educator equity?
- SEAs have considerable discretion in determining how to include the six required elements in their state plans and are not required to employ any specific strategies to eliminate gaps in access to excellent educators. All strategies should be evidence-based, responsive to root causes, and targeted to the students with the least access to excellent educators.
- Can the plan be targeted to specific districts and campuses?
- Yes. The plan may prioritize specific districts and campuses that need the greatest support in attracting, developing, and retaining excellent educators.
- How will TEA consult with stakeholders in developing the plan?
- TEA is convening two groups to assist the Agency in developing the plan: (1) an Educator Equity Stakeholder Organizations Policy Group (Policy Stakeholders Group) and (2) the Educator Equity Practitioners Stakeholder Group (Practitioners Stakeholder Group), which will provide input and guidance in developing the Texas Equity Plan. TEA will ask both stakeholder groups for their assistance in (1) explaining the likely root causes of equity gaps in access to high-quality educators by poor and minority children; and (2) providing input on meaningful strategies that address these gaps.
- How were members of the stakeholder groups selected?
- In response to ED’s guidance that SEAs request broad-based input from various stakeholder groups, TEA invited policy organizations to serve on the Policy Stakeholders Group representing the following perspectives:
- Teachers
- Campus and district administrators
- School board members
- School personnel administrators
- Small and rural community schools Counselors
- Parents
- Civil rights advocacy groups
- What is the composition of the Practitioners Stakeholder Group?
- Teachers (elementary and secondary)
- Principals (elementary and secondary)
- Administrators
- District Human Resources representation
- Parents
- Educator Preparation Providers
- Pupil services personnel (e.g., counselor)
- School board member
- ESC representation
- Will stakeholders outside the direct development process have a chance for feedback or contribution to the plan?
- TEA welcomes feedback on the plan from any interested stakeholders and will post the draft on the Texas Equity Plan webpage prior to submission to ED to allow for review and comment.
- What is the timeline for development of the plan?
- The Policy Stakeholders Group convened in Austin on March 9 to review the project, conduct a root cause analysis, and suggest strategies for consideration by the Practitioners Stakeholder Group, which met in Austin on March 26-27. TEA and the Texas Comprehensive Center invited members of both stakeholder groups to complete a survey on the proposed strategies and actions in the plan and to participate in a virtual town hall meeting to discuss related questions and address any concerns. The Agency will submit portions of the draft plan for a pre-submission review by the Equitable Access Support Network. The plan will be will be submitted to ED by June 1, 2015.
- How will TEA monitor implementation of the plan?
- TEA will develop specific strategies for monitoring implementation of the plan, which will be available for review by stakeholders as a part of the draft plan.
- Will the plan result in new requirements or mandates for school districts?
- Requirements or mandates for local school districts must be consistent with state and federal law and cannot be established through the plan itself.
- Could the plan result in Texas teachers losing their jobs or being relocated to another school or district?
- Local school districts in Texas are the sole arbiters of human resources decisions affecting Texas teachers. Any such decisions are the right and responsibility of school districts and should be made independent of the Texas Equity Plan.
- Will there be an evaluation process for the effectiveness of the plan?
- Yes. State plans must describe the method and the timeline for measuring progress in eliminating equity gaps for students from low-income families and minority students. TEA will determine the most effective method(s) for measuring progress based on input from stakeholders and from staff and will devise a description and timeline for incorporation into the plan.
- Will TEA have to update the plan on a regular basis?
- TEA will update the plan as needed based on reviews of progress and in response to specific requests for updates from ED.
- Will this plan be incorporated into the state’s ESEA waiver request?
- No. This plan is not a part of the waiver process.
- Are there federal dollars or resources associated with this plan or process?
- ED is not providing any additional funding for SEAs in conjunction with this initiative and is encouraging SEAs to leverage applicable federal funding to support development and implementation of the plan. However, ED is providing a variety of resources to assist states in completing their plans through the Center for Great Teachers & Leaders, the Equitable Access Support Network, the Comprehensive Centers, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Equity Assistance Centers, and ED’s Office of State Support.
- What resources and/or supports are available to states as they develop their 2015 educator equity plans?
- States have access to experts, tools, toolkits, sample plans, and other resources through a partnership with ED’s Office of State Support (OSS) and the Equitable Access Support Network (EASN). This relationship offers states access to webinars on related topics (e.g., data analysis, stakeholder engagement, plan quality, etc.), preliminary plan reviews, conversations with experts designed to support quality plan development, and resources that include tools and protocols for convening stakeholders and discussing data, root causes, and strategies for addressing educator equity issues.
The Texas Education Agency routinely accessed resources and support from EASN as it developed its 2015 plan. - How does the Texas Equity Plan relate to the Highly Qualified requirements in Title I, Part A of NCLB?
- The Texas Equity Plan does not alter the existing federal requirements or the existing reporting system regarding Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT). Instead, ED encourages states as they develop their state plans to expand the definition of excellent teachers to include teacher experience, out-of-field teaching, and teacher appraisal data.