State Assessment

What Is Required

Federal law requires that schools be held accountable for educational results so that each student can meet his/her academic potential. State assessments are to be given to determine whether schools have been successful in teaching students the knowledge and skills for their enrolled grade as defined by the state content standards (the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS). In determining which assessment is appropriate the ARD committee should refer to the State and District Assessment Framework.

What We Do

STAAR OVERVIEW

In spring 2012, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

The STAAR program includes annual assessments for:

Reading and mathematics, grades 3–8
Writing at grades 4 and 7
Science at grades 5 and 8
Social studies at grade 8
End-of-course assessments for English I, English II, Algebra I, biology and U.S history.

Beginning in 2016, TEA will voluntarily administer STAAR EOC assessments for English III and Algebra II.

Although most students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations, a student with a disability may have choices regarding which of these assessments is most appropriate.

STAAR PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

STAAR with approved or allowable accommodations should be the first consideration when determining which assessment is most appropriate for a student.
Federal regulations mandate that all students have access to and be assessed on grade-level curriculum.
The ARD/IEP committee will determine and document the needed accommodations for both instruction and assessment.
Testing accommodations are based on the documented accommodations in the student's IEP and the TEA guidelines for allowable accommodations for STAAR.

If a student does not meet the passing standard on the statewide assessment, the student's IEP must include a statement regarding how the student will participate in an accelerated instruction program

For More Information about STAAR visit the ESC-20 STAAR Special Education Page

STAAR Online

STAAR Online will be an online accommodated version of STAAR that will be available to students who need it. This test will have embedded accommodations as well as student-specific accommodations that can be pre-set based on individual student needs. Below is a PowerPoint presentation from a TEA TETN, presented on September 23, 2016 with all currently available information, as well as a one-page summary, created by ESC-20.

STAAR Online is a computer-based assessment that will have student specific accommodations, including:

▪ Simplified language of some test questions

▪ Simplified versions of individual words

▪ Picture support for some individual words

▪ Preview text (OA allowed) for reading passages

▪ Math and Science formula support

▪ Clarification of charts and graphs

▪ Reading assistance (text-to-speech)

▪ additional tools such as highlighters, rulers, graph paper, contrast options, and colored backgrounds

STAAR Online Tutorial Checklist

This STAAR Online Tutorial Checklist Tool is meant to assist educators in tracking students' progress as they practice and familiarize themselves with the online tutorials in preparation for the STAAR Assessment when taken online. Student performance on the tutorials should not be a consideration when determining if a student meets eligibility for participation using STAAR Online embedded supports . When considering eligibility for STAAR designated supports refer to TEA's Accommodation Resource page and review the specific supports under STAAR Accessibility Features and Designated Supports.

STAAR Online Accommodations Examples

STAAR ALT 2 OVERVIEW

TEA has developed the STAAR Alternate assessment to meet the federal requirements mandated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a federal education law previously known as No Child Left Behind. TEA designed the STAAR Alternate to assess students in grades 3–8 and high school who have significant cognitive disabilities and are receiving special education services.

STAAR ALT 2 PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

Only students receiving special education services and who meet all of the requirements (determined by the ARD/IEP committee), may participate in the STAAR Alt assessment. In order to participate the student must meet all of the following:

have a significant cognitive disability (Intellectual disability with commensurate delays in adaptive behaviors)
require specialized supports to access the grade-level curriculum and environment
require intensive individualized instruction in a variety of instructional settings
access and participate in the grade-level TEKs through prerequisite skills (student expectations from earlier grades)

The ARD/IEP committee must complete the STAAR Alternate 2 Participation form before recommending STAAR Alt. If the committee indicates yes on all the criteria, evidence of each item must be provided on the form.

For More Information about STAAR Alternate 2 visit the ESC-20 STAAR Special Education Page

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