Before Winter Break, I had written 72 discipline referrals. My assistant principal and I stood shoulder to shoulder against a wave of unruly, undisciplined sixth graders. The Bilingual/ESL sixth grade class had been stacked with students that had graduated from elementary school misbehavior to middle school without being disciplined or inspired. While I could sympathize with my assistant principal, I was more than grateful to have her support in the face wannabe gang-members, and students who should have been in high school already. It took time to build relationships, and while I was doing that, the first few weeks of school were tough. Dealing with discipline and attendance can be difficult. This blog entry addresses how to deal with PEIMS expectations.
Consider This Scenario
You, an assistant principal, are ten minutes from dismissal when another discipline referral lands on your desk. A parent is waiting for a phone call, buses are rolling, and the PEIMS entry still needs to be completed. This is usually when a small mistake slips through.
If this is a situation you’ve encountered, then you know that inaccurate entries can affect students, campuses, and funding. Worse, it tells a story about your district that is has far-reaching consequences.
Start with the Texas PEIMS Resource Hub
PEIMS data are used in TEA reports, the Texas Academic Performance Reports, the accountability system, and other state reporting products (source). Attendance data also help TEA allocate Foundation School Program funds correctly (source). Discipline data undergo annual validation intended to identify anomalies, confirm accuracy, and support compliance with reporting requirements (source).
If you need to give principals and assistant principals a quick presentation on discipline and attendance PEIMS expectations, then avoid guessing at the contents. Instead, bookmark these official Texas resources:
- TEA PEIMS Overview and Resource Hub
- Texas Education Data Standards and PEIMS Data Standards
- Student Attendance Accounting Handbook
- TEA Student Discipline Resources
- PEIMS Discipline Data Validation Manuals
- TSDS PEIMS Information and Submission Resources
Your district’s local PEIMS hub should remain the first stop for district procedures, training videos, and quick-reference guides. When a code or requirement remains unclear, compare the local guidance with current TEA resources and contact your district PEIMS staff before submitting the entry.
A two-minute check now can save you a two-hour correction later during a data validation review.
Know When to Pause
Some entries deserve extra attention:
| Check | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Student status | Grade level, homeless status, special education or ARD implications, and other flags |
| Dates and attendance | Incident date, scheduled consequence dates, actual dates served, and attendance |
| Incident structure | All involved students are connected to the correct incident |
| Action codes | The selected action is accurate, reportable, and supported |
| Documentation | Parent notices, behavior agreements, ARD records, and other required evidence |
Situations involving out-of-school suspension limits, students experiencing homelessness, founded bullying or cyberbullying, special education requirements, or multiple students should trigger an automatic “pause and verify.”
For example, when two students are involved in the same fight, they should be connected to the same incident identifier rather than entered as two unrelated events.
Note: As of August 5, 2026, TEA’s 2026–2027 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook is still proposed, with comments open through August 10. TEA will post the adopted version afterward. Any presentation for 2026–2027 should be checked again when that final version appears. TEA Student Attendance Accounting Handbook
Complete Six Checks
First, verify the student’s identity, grade level, homelessness status, and special education status. TEA specifically monitors unauthorized out-of-school suspensions involving students experiencing homelessness and students below grade three (source).
Second, verify the disciplinary-action date, reporting period, and official and actual assignment lengths. These are required elements in the TSDS PEIMS 44425 disciplinary-action structure.
Third, reconcile discipline with attendance. A student serving OSS must be counted absent when the student does not meet ADA attendance requirements (source).
Fourth, connect every student and action to the correct incident. The disciplinary incident number is designed to connect multiple students or multiple actions arising from one incident (source).
Fifth, confirm the behavior reason, location, action code, and assignment length against current TEDS descriptors (source).
Finally, retain the supporting documentation identified by TEDS, applicable law, and local policy. TEA may request documentation during a discipline compliance review (source).
Use a 60-Second Closeout
Before finalizing an entry, stop for one minute. Check the student, dates, attendance, incident structure, action code, and documentation. The “60-Second PEIMS Check” should be presented as a local quality-control routine: student, status, dates, attendance, incident, action, and documentation. Afterwards, submit.
The goal is not to “win” a PEIMS review. The goal is to avoid creating one. Accurate reporting protects students, helps campuses identify patterns, and gives district leaders information they can trust.
