Other
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Description of Designated Support
Designated supports that fall into the Other category are for students with unique needs not addressed explicitly with any accessibility features or designated supports located on TEA's Accommodation Resources webpage. These designated supports are not intended to provide additional supplemental aids not listed as allowed or for students who fail to meet established eligibility criteria for designated supports.
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Assessments
Depending on the request, Other designated supports may be used on:
- State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®)
- STAAR Spanish
- Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)
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Student Eligibility Criteria
Submit an Accommodation Request Form to TEA if the student
- routinely, independently, and effectively (if applicable) receives this designated support during classroom instruction and classroom testing, and
- is unable to effectively use any accessibility features or designated supports to address this need.
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Authority for Decision and Required Documentation
For a student not receiving special education or Section 504 services, the decision is made by the appropriate team of people at the campus level (e.g., Response to Intervention [RtI] team, student assistance team) and documented according to district policies. The decision should be based on the eligibility criteria and aimed at addressing a student's consistent academic struggle in a specific area, even after intensive instruction and remediation.
- For an English learner (EL), the decision is made by the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student's permanent record file.
- For a student receiving Section 504 services, the decision is made by the Section 504 committee based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student's individual accommodation plan (IAP).
- For a student receiving special education services, the decision is made by the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student's individualized education program (IEP).
- For an EL with a disability, the appropriate committee makes the decision in conjunction with the student's LPAC. The decision must be documented in the student's permanent record file by the LPAC and any other applicable committee, as described previously.
- After state testing, DS must be recorded in the ACCOMM. field on the STAAR answer document. This indicates that an allowable designated support was made available to the student. For students who test online, the Other Designated Supports field should be updated under the Non-Embedded Supports panel in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE). Special instructions sent with an approval may indicate additional information that should be recorded.
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Special Instructions/Considerations
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Supporting Resources
- District and Campus Coordinator Resources
- Accommodation Resources
- Accommodations Request Form
- General Instructions for Administering Large-Print State Assessments
- Font and Point Sizes Matrices for STAAR
- Font and Point Sizes Matrices for STAAR Alternate 2 and TELPAS
For assistance with test administration functions for all Texas assessments, contact Texas Testing Support at 833-601-8821 or TexasTestingSupport@cambiumassessment.com.
If you have any questions, contact the Student Assessment Division at 512-463-9536, and ask to speak with your Accommodations Task Force representative.