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

• STAAR, including STAAR Spanish

• TELPAS reading (paper version only)

This designated support provides a student with enlarged paper test materials when the student cannot effectively access test materials in standard print size.

A student may use this designated support if the student:

• routinely and effectively uses large-print materials, including textbooks, worksheets, etc., during classroom instruction and classroom testing in place of digital materials because the tools available to enlarge text and images online do not provide adequate support; and

• meets at least one of the following three criteria:

  • the student has an impairment in vision (e.g., uncorrected vision, nystagmus, qualifies for special education services with a vision impairment);

  • the student cannot accurately track letter to letter, word to word, or line to line; or

  • the student has a physical disability which necessitates the use of large-print materials.

• To receive large-print materials, “Paper” must be indicated in the Test Mode field and “Large Print” must be indicated in the STAAR & TELPAS Paper Test Format fields in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) prior to the deadline for indicating a special paper or holistic administration in the Calendar of Events.

• For a student not receiving special education or Section 504 services, the decision is made by the appropriate team 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 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).

• In the case of an emergent bilingual (EB) student with a disability, the decision is made by the applicable group in conjunction with the student’s language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) and documented in the student’s permanent record file and IAP or IEP.

This designated support is limited to the large-print test materials provided by the state.

• Orders for large-print materials will be closely monitored to ensure that district testing personnel are ordering only for students who meet the eligibility criteria. In most cases, large-print test materials should be indicated only for a student with an impairment in vision.

• When scheduling administrations, district testing personnel should remember that all student responses for large-print tests must be transcribed into the Data Entry Interface (DEI) by the end of the STAAR two-week testing window or the TELPAS testing window to be scored.

• Specific information about large-print test materials, including the policy for students who require test materials in a font size larger than the state-supplied large-print test materials, is found in the applicable STAAR Paper Test Administration Information or TELPAS Paper and Holistic Test Administration Information. 

• Refer to the Font and Point Sizes Matrices for point sizes and fonts used on all state assessments.

• Technology-based accommodations for online test takers enable most students to test online. However, in rare instances, a student may be administered a paper test. For a student eligible for a special paper administration, "Paper" must be indicated in the Test Mode field and a specific paper format must be selected from the Paper Test Format field in TIDE. 

• For situations when a student experiences an unexpected or emergency situation (e.g., broken arm, broken glasses) immediately before the assessment, refer to the Accommodations in Unexpected or Emergency Situations policy.

District testing personnel should contact the Student Assessment Help Desk with any questions.

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