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For a student who meets the eligibility criteria, this designated support may be used on

• STAAR, including STAAR Spanish

This designated support allows for various types of assistance (e.g., scaffolded directions, assistance with tracking, graphic organizers, simplified language, graphic representations of vocabulary and concepts) to support a student's understanding of passages, test questions, and answer choices.

A student may use this designated support only if:

• that student routinely, independently, and effectively uses this designated support during classroom instruction and classroom testing; and

• instructional and assessment decisions are made by a Section 504 committee; admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee; or a language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) for an emergent bilingual (EB) student taking a test in English.

NOTE: An EB student taking STAAR Spanish may be eligible for content and language supports if the Section 504 or ARD committee determines the student to be eligible.

• The Content and Language Supports field should be updated under the Test Attributes panel in TIDE prior to testing so the designated support is made available in TDS.

• For an EB student who tests in English, the decision is made by the 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 ARD committee based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student's individualized education program (IEP).

• In the case of an EB student with a disability, the decision is made by the applicable group in conjunction with the student's LPAC and documented in the student's permanent record file and IAP or IEP.

This designated support is available only during an online administration as a pop-up, a rollover, prereading text, and supplementary material.

• Refer to the STAAR Accessibility Educator Guide for more specific information about online features and supports. 

• To become familiar with the functionality of online tests, students should practice using the tools in the Practice Test Site before online operational assessments.

• Technology-based accommodations enable most students to test online. However, in rare instances, a student may be eligible for the administration of a paper test due to an inability to access the test and/or accommodations on a computer. The need for paper test materials with embedded supports must be indicated in TIDE. 

• For students taking STAAR braille who are also eligible to receive content and language supports, including students using a refreshable braille display, the eligibility criteria for a paper test administration with embedded supports does not need to be met. Test administrators will be provided with instructions regarding the administration of this designated support for students taking a braille test or using screen reader support for refreshable braille displays.

• Any student for whom the LPAC recommends the use of this support for any reading language arts (RLA) assessments may not be reclassified at the end of the school year. In addition, LPACs may not recommend designated supports for an EB student whose parents have denied bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) services. However, EB students who are approved by a different committee to receive this support based on reasons other than English language acquisition (such as a disability or documented academic or literacy difficulties) may be considered for reclassification at the end of the school year.

If you have any questions, contact the Student Assessment Help Desk at (512) 463-9536.