STAAR Alternate 2 Accommodations

TEA defines accommodations as changes to materials or procedures that enable students to participate meaningfully in learning and testing. It is critical that students with disabilities are provided access to the assessment through careful use of accommodations wherever appropriate. Accommodations may be used only if they meet the criteria below and are listed in the student’s individualized education program (IEP). The accommodations must:

• maintain the integrity of the assessment,

• avoid leading to or providing the student with a direct answer,

• be used routinely in instruction,

• reflect the student’s learning styles, and

• allow a student to respond using a mode that is appropriate for the student.

The chart below shows allowable accommodations for STAAR Alternate 2 and the code that should be entered in the STAAR Alternate 2 Non-Embedded Supports field in TIDE after the administration if the accommodation is used by a student.

Open

During a STAAR Alternate 2 administration, a student may respond using the communication mode appropriate for the student at the time of testing. Whether a student responds verbally, physically, or visually, it is important that the test administrator clearly understands the student’s preferred answer choice. For examples of verbal, physical, and visual responses, refer to the STAAR Alternate 2 Educator Guide on the STAAR Alternate 2 Resources webpage.

Prior to the opening of the STAAR Alternate 2 testing window, there is a two-week preview window during which district personnel may preview the assessment. A test administrator may also preview the assessment during the testing window as long as testing has not begun for a particular student. Test administrators may NOT administer the assessment during the preview window.