Dozens of Texas school districts press state to suspend new student data reporting system

A coalition of more than 70 Texas school districts has called on the Texas Education Agency to delay full implementation of a new data reporting system they say has led to thousands of unresolved errors that could pose grave consequences to their funding and accountability.

School district leaders sent the letter to the agency’s commissioner, Mike Morath, on Friday after dozens of them began sharing their concerns with one another about the transition to the new system used to collect student, staff and financial data, which more than 300 districts piloted last school year. State officials use the information to determine whether schools are meeting performance standards and how much funding they receive each year. The Texas Tribune first reported districts’ concerns about the change last week.