State Assessments

  • STAAR 

    The Texas Education Agency implemented the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in spring 2012 to fulfill requirements enacted by the Texas Legislature. STAAR helps to ensure that Texas students are competitive with other students both nationally and internationally. One important function of STAAR is to gauge how well schools and teachers are preparing their students academically. The test is specially designed to measure individual student progress in relation to the content that directly ties to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Every STAAR question is directly aligned to the TEKS currently in effect for the grade/subject or course being assessed.

         STAAR 3-8 Assessments:
         Reading Language Arts and Mathematics, grades 3–8
         Science at grades 5 and 8
         Social Studies at grade 8

         STAAR (end-of-course) EOC Assessments:
         English I
         English II
         Algebra I
         Biology
         U.S History

    STAAR Spanish is available for English language learners (ELLs) in grades 3-5 for whom an assessment in Spanish provides the most appropriate measure of academic progress. STAAR Spanish is available in each subject area assessed by the English version assessments, including all retest opportunities.
     
    Student Performance

    Once students have taken a STAAR assessment they will receive a score indicating their performance. Students will fall in to one of the four categories below:

        • Masters - Mastery of the course knowledge and skills is shown - student is on-track for college and career readiness.
        • Meets Grade Level - Strong knowledge of course content - student is prepared to progress to the next grade. 
        • Approaches Grade Level (Considered Passing)- Some knowledge of course content, but may be missing critical elements - student needs additional support in the coming year.
        • Did Not Meet Grade Level - No basic understanding of course expectations is shown - student may need significant support in the coming year.

     

    Substitute Assessments

    UPDATE: An amended version of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §101.4002, State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness End-of-Course Substitute Assessments, is now effective as of February 23, 2020. The adopted rule requires a student who chooses to use a substitute assessment to meet graduation requirements to take the corresponding State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) end-of-course (EOC) assessment at least once for federal testing and accountability purposes.  See TEA's flowchart.

    A student is eligible to use a substitute assessment as provided in the Substitute Assessment Standards.  A student who is eligible to substitute an approved assessment as specified in the standards is responsible for providing an official copy of his or her scores from that assessment to their counselor.  The counselor will send a copy of the assessment scores to the Campus Testing Coordinator (CTC).  The CTC and District Testing Coordinator will verify the student's score on the substitute assessment and determine whether the student met the performance standard required.  The Campus Testing Coordinator will notify the student and parents if the student has met the performance standard. 

    Visit TEA website for more information 

     
    STAAR Alternate 2

    The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Alternate 2 (STAAR Alternate 2) fulfills federal requirements of both the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  ESEA requires that all students be assessed in specific grades and subjects throughout their academic career, whereas IDEA requires that students with disabilities have access to the same standards as their non-disabled peers and be included in statewide assessments.

    STAAR Alternate 2 is a standardized item-based assessment administered individually to each eligible student enrolled in grades 3-8 and end-of-course subjects.  STAAR Alternate 2 is administered to eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities who are receiving special education services in the following grades and subjects:
    • grades 3-8 reading language arts
    • grades 3-8 mathematics
    • grades 5 and 8 science
    • grade 8 social studies
    • Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History EOC assessments


    Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)

    TELPAS fulfills federal requirements for assessing the English language proficiency of English Learners (ELs) in kindergarten through grade 12 in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  TELPAS reports student performance in terms of four English language proficiency levels:  beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.  TELPAS results are used in accountability and performance-based monitoring indicators.  The assessment components for grades K-1 and 2-12 include the following:
    • Grades K-1
      • holistically rated observational assessments of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
    • Grades 2-12
      • multiple-choice online reading and listening/speaking tests in six grade clusters: 2, 3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12
      • holistically rated student writing collections

    TELPAS Alternate

    TEA designed the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System Alternate (TELPAS Alternate) to assess the progress that limited English proficient (LEP) students, also referred to as English learners (ELs), make in learning the English language.  Texas Education Agency (TEA) has developed the TELPAS Alternate assessment to meet the federal requirements mandated under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which requires states to administer an alternate English language proficiency (ELP) assessment for English learners (ELs) with the most significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in the general ELP assessment, even with allowable accommodations. 

    • Grades K-12
      • holistically rated observational assessments of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
     

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