Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Just like a report card for students, an LAS rating shows the district and the public useful information about individual school quality. The LAS will supplement the state’s accountability rating and serve as another tool to inform the district, parents and the public about how well our schools are doing and help identify schools that need additional support from district level leadership.

Dallas ISD created the Local Accountability System to go beyond the standardized test scores students earn on a certain day to a more robust evaluation of school performance. The LAS is based on a “whole child” philosophy that measures not only academics and test scores but also measures how schools are growing their students, perceptions of staff and faculty, school climate, and student attendance. Additionally, the district cannot implement the Managed Instruction with Earned Empowerment theory of action without knowing how well schools are performing.

LAS will officially launch in fall 2019 and will be a part of the district's theory of action - Managed Instruction with Earned Empowerment. This will start schools on the course of having a strong managed foundation and receiving autonomies based on performance.

The LAS will assess multiple factors that contribute to school and student success, including how well a school is growing students; the systems that reflect school priorities, practices and the quality of instruction; state accountability ratings; perceptions of school staff and parents; and chronic student absenteeism.

The LAS will ultimately help communicate how well our schools are doing and identify campuses that need additional support from district level leadership. The LAS will significantly improve how the district identifies and provides the needed resources to improve a school’s performance, becoming an integral piece of implementing Managed Instruction with Earned Empowerment.