At-Risk Report: 1990-91: Executive Summary.

In response to state legislation specifying criteria by which schools should identify elementary school and secondary school students at risk of dropping out, schools in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District reported students who were at risk in 1990-91. The operational definitions for the state criteria for grades 7-12 include age, achievement, Fs and scores on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) test. The definition for prekindergarten through grade 6 include age, achievement, scores on the Metropolitan Readiness Reading Tests (MRT), TEAMS scores, and limited English proficiency standings. The following are the report's major findings for grades 7-12 in 1990-91: (1) at-risk students comprise 44 percent of the total enrollment; (2) high school students are more likely to be at risk than students in grades 7 and 8; (3) more Hispanic American and Black students are at risk than other groups; and (4) more males (47 percent) than females (39.6 percent) are at risk. The following are the major findings for prekindergarten through grade 6 in 1990-91: (1) at-risk students comprise 33.2 percent of the total enrollment; (2) most students become at risk while at the elementary school level; (3) more Hispanic American, Black, and Asian American students are at risk; (4) the number of at-risk students in grade 1 greatly increased in 1990-91, probably due to the introduction of the MRT as an identification criterion; and (5) the percentage of at-risk students is declining, possible due to fewer students being retained in grade. This document contains 55 figures, 5 attachments, and 8 references. (JB)