Accommodation Request Process
Only the Extra Day, Complex Transcribing, Mathematics Scribe, and Other designated supports require the submission of an Accommodation Request Form to TEA. The appropriate team at the campus level (e.g., ARD committee, Section 504 committee, RtI team, student assistance team) determines whether the student meets the specific eligibility criteria listed on the policy document and, if so, submits an Accommodation Request Form to TEA in TIDE. Do not submit an Accommodation Request Form if the student does not meet the specific eligibility criteria. Accommodation requests must be approved by TEA before a student can use one of these designated supports on a state assessment. The decision to use one of these designated supports is recommended by the appropriate team at the campus level based on the eligibility criteria and is documented as “pending TEA approval.”
Step 1: Determination of Student Eligibility
The appropriate team at the campus level must consult the Accommodations section of these Coordinator Resources to determine if the student meets the specific eligibility criteria for a particular designated support requiring TEA approval. The district testing coordinator is responsible for providing information about supports to campus testing coordinators or campus personnel and is also the primary contact person for schools when questions arise.
Step 2: Completion and Submission of an Accommodation Request Form in TIDE
If a student meets the specific eligibility criteria for a particular designated support requiring TEA approval, the appropriate person at the campus or district level, as determined by district policy, should complete the Accommodation Request Form in TIDE under the Administration and Security Forms module. Only Accommodation Request Forms that adhere to the following guidelines will be processed. All others will be deleted, and the district will be asked to resubmit the form.
Confidential student information, such as a student’s first or last name, Social Security number, pages from an IEP, or medical documents, should NOT be included. Please remember to redact personally identifying information from any documents submitted in support of the Accommodation Request Form.
A separate request form should be completed for each student needing a designated support. Blanket requests for multiple students will NOT be accepted.
The following information must be provided as the rationale on the Accommodation Request Form.
Extra Day Rationale
Indicate how the student meets the eligibility criteria for this designated support.
Describe the disability that prevents the student from completing the test within the prescribed time limit. Be specific about the characteristics of the condition, symptoms, and level of severity the student experiences. Phrases like “severe fatigue” and “shuts down” are not sufficient. The description should be student specific and individualized. For instance, explain what happens when the student becomes severely fatigued or shuts down.
Explain how the provision of an extra day has proven effective for this student. Include the frequency and duration of the student's breaks and explain how much work the student accomplishes during periods of productivity.
Note if the student has an alternate school schedule or location (e.g., attends school only two hours a day, is hospitalized, is homebound, has academic work in the morning and social skills in the afternoon).
Explain which accessibility features or designated supports have been tried and the student’s level of success with them.
Describe what has been done to accommodate the student’s needs in previous years. If the student was approved to receive this support in previous years, include the Accommodation Request Form identification numbers.
Complex Transcribing Rationale
Indicate how the student meets the eligibility criteria for this designated support.
Describe the impairment in vision or physically disabling condition that creates a need for a Complex Transcribing support. Be specific about the characteristics of the condition, symptoms, and level of severity the student experiences. The description should be specific and individualized. Include specific reasons why the student is not able to write his or her own responses or use Basic Transcribing (e.g., word processor, speech-to-text software) to complete constructed response questions.
Attach a sample of the student’s handwriting in the Supporting Documentation section of the form if the student is able to independently write. The sample, including the file name itself, should not include identifying student information.
Student work samples must be current and representative of the student’s ability at the time of this submission. Requests submitted without a current sample will not be processed.
Mathematics Scribe Rationale
Indicate how the student meets the eligibility criteria for this designated support.
Describe the impairment in vision or the physically disabling condition that creates a need for the Mathematics Scribe designated support. Be specific about the characteristics of the condition, symptoms, and level of severity the student experiences. The description should be specific and individualized. Include specific reasons why the student is not able to write his or her own computations, use other designated supports, or use any allowable test administration procedures or materials to address the disability.
Attach a sample of the student’s handwritten computations if legibility is the issue. The sample, including the file name itself, should not include identifying student information.
Student work samples must be current and representative of the student’s ability at the time of this submission. Requests submitted without a current sample will not be processed.
Describe what has been done to accommodate the student’s needs in previous years. If the student was approved to receive this support in previous years, include the Accommodation Request Form identification numbers.
Other Rationale
An Accommodation Request Form for an Other accommodation may be submitted by the district coordinator after a TEA Accommodation Task Force member has been contacted. The Accommodation Request Form should be completed in TIDE, under the Administration and Security Forms module.
Indicate how the student meets the eligibility criteria for this designated support.
Describe in detail the Other support being requested.
Describe the disability that creates a need for the Other designated support, including specific information about the characteristics of the condition, symptoms, and level of severity the student experiences.
Explain which accessibility features or designated supports have been tried and the student’s level of success with them.
Describe what has been done to accommodate the student’s needs in previous years. If the student was approved to receive this support in previous years, include the Accommodation Request Form identification numbers.
The Accommodation Request Form in TIDE contains sections that are required to be completed before the form can be submitted. After clicking the Submit button, a confirmation window will appear with an identification number. A confirmation email will be sent to the submitter and to the district testing coordinator; however, this is only a receipt of submission and is not an approval for the student to use the designated support on the state assessment.
Accommodation Request Forms must be submitted to TEA in a timely manner to allow committee members the ability to process and review requests, as well as to communicate to districts the appropriate guidelines for administering a TEA-approved designated support. Requests should be submitted no later than one week prior to the individual student’s test administration window. For circumstances that require an accommodation request but occur after this time (e.g., newly enrolled student, medical emergency, updated ARD committee decision), the district coordinator should contact the TEA Student Assessment Division at (512) 463-9536 and ask to speak to a member of the Accommodations Task Force for further instructions. |
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Step 3: TEA Accommodations Task Force Committee Review
After a representative of the TEA Accommodations Task Force has received the district coordinator–approved Accommodation Request Form, the information will be reviewed. In some cases, the representative of the TEA Accommodations Task Force may contact the district for more information. TEA will communicate the committee's decision to the submitter and district coordinator by email. Approved requests will include specific guidelines so that the use of the designated support is carried out in a standardized manner.
Although every attempt is made to address requests promptly, this step in the accommodation request process may take several weeks to complete. Do not resubmit the request while the review process is ongoing unless asked to do so by a member of the TEA Accommodations Task Force. If the TEA decision has not been received prior to testing or if questions arise, the district coordinator may contact the TEA Accommodations Task Force.
Step 4: Required Communication Within District
It is the responsibility of the district coordinator to ensure that all designated support decisions and associated information are relayed to appropriate campus personnel.
The TEA decision email should be read in its entirety. It is the responsibility of the district coordinator and campus coordinator to review and abide by any specific guidelines that accompany an approved accommodation request. The test administrator may also need special training to administer an assessment with an approved designated support.
Appropriate campus personnel should note in the TEA decision email the stated expiration date of an approved designated support. All approved accommodation requests will expire after the June test administration each year. A new accommodation request will need to be submitted each school year if the student continues to need the support.
For questions about TEA designated supports or the accommodation request process, contact the TEA Accommodations Task Force at (512) 463-9536.
