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The Visualizing Student Achievement in Texas Project (ViStA Texas) is an initiative of the Center for Education Research and Policy Studies (CERPS) at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ. This initiative has been launched to help Texan policymakers, education professionals, students, and other interested parties understand the real differences in educational achievement for children in different demographic groups. The goal of ViStA Texas is to spawn and inform discussions about where differences in outcomes exist in Texas, and where progress is being made to address historic inequities in educational opportunities.

ViStA Texas uses data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) aggregated by . We include information about achievement on standardized tests along with attendance data, to provide different ways to consider student outcomes. Across the presented visualizations, we consider four comparisons of demographic dimensions:

1. Differences in outcomes between students who are eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch and students who are not eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch
2. Differences in outcomes between students who have been classified as English language learners and students who have been classified as English language proficient
3. Differences in outcomes between students who identify as Black or African American and students who identify as White
4. Differences in outcomes between students who identify as Latinx and students who identify as White and not Latinx

It is important to note that differences in educational outcomes across demographic groups are the result of the differential educational opportunities provided to students. Such “opportunity gaps” are the result of pervasive inequities that manifest within educational systems and across society at large. By presenting “achievement gaps” we do not mean to infer that such differences in outcomes are due to the intrinsic characteristics of any individual or group. Rather, we mean to provide a tangible demonstration of the accumulation of gaps in opportunity, using measures and language that is interpretable to many audiences.

We encourage you to explore the interactive visualizations that make up the project. We hope that these maps and charts can help spark conversations and provide evidence as to what regional practices and contexts are most effective at improving the educative outcomes for all Texan children.