HOUSTON (AP) - Texas education officials say school districts in the state's five largest cities failed to meet federal education standards because of discrepancies in how the state and federal government count tests taken by special education students.

Preliminary records released Thursday in Austin by the Texas Education Agency show this is the third consecutive year Dallas, Houston and San Antonio fell short of the standards. Austin failed last year. This is the first year for El Paso.

Overall, 78 percent of Texas school districts met standards this year. To pass, 73 percent of a district's students must pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test and 67 percent must pass the math test.

State officials say they provide a modified test for special education students, but federal officials only count a portion of those test results as passing.

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