STAAR assessments, including accommodated versions, and TELPAS listening and speaking assessments and reading and writing assessments are administered online. However, some students might be eligible for special paper or holistic administrations in rare, unavoidable circumstances where students cannot access an online assessment or a testing accommodation cannot be provided in an online setting.

The following assessments are eligible for a special paper or holistic administration.

Test Format	Paper Administration	Holistic Administration
STAAR regular print and large print	X
STAAR Spanish regular print and large print	X
STAAR with Embedded Supports regular print, large print, and braille (contracted and uncontracted)	X
STAAR Spanish with Embedded Supports regular print and large print	X
STAAR braille (contracted and uncontracted)	X
TELPAS listening and speaking		X
TELPAS reading grades 2–12 regular print and large print	X
TELPAS reading grades 2–12 braille (contracted and uncontracted)	X
TELPAS writing grades 2–12		X

A student who is eligible for a special administration of TELPAS listening or speaking assessments should be rated holistically in both domains, as applicable. A student who is eligible for a special administration of TELPAS reading or writing assessments should be tested on paper for TELPAS reading and rated holistically for TELPAS writing, as applicable.

Prepare for Special Administrations

District and campus coordinators must:

❏ Review Eligibility Requirements

Accommodations Cannot be Applied

Before determining that a special administration of an assessment is necessary, all available accommodation options should be carefully reviewed. A student may require a testing accommodation that cannot be provided in an online setting; however, district testing personnel should first take into account the full range of accommodations, including accessibility features, locally-approved designated supports, and designated supports that require approval from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). For detailed guidance, refer to the Accommodations section, which outlines these options and their appropriate use.

A student should be designated as eligible for a special administration only if a required accommodation documented in the student’s individualized education program (IEP), individual accommodation plan (IAP), or Section 504 paperwork cannot be delivered in an online format. Careful consideration should be given to whether the paper or holistic mode offers the necessary supports to allow the student to successfully demonstrate his or her understanding of the assessed content. If the student has previous experience receiving instruction or taking assessments online (e.g., STAAR Interim Assessments), it might be more appropriate to maintain consistency by providing the student with an online administration.

Unable to Participate in One Domain of TELPAS

District or campus coordinators may register a student for a special administration if the student’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee has determined that the student is not required to participate in TELPAS for a specific domain because of the student’s disability. For example, a student who is deaf and whose ARD committee has determined the student will not be assessed in the listening domain will not take the TELPAS listening and speaking online assessment. The student is eligible to be rated holistically in speaking.

Technology Access is Precluded

District or campus coordinators must make every effort to administer STAAR and TELPAS assessments online. In rare situations where appropriate computers or technology are absolutely unavailable, as might occur on occasion with a homebound student or a student in a juvenile justice alternative education program (JJAEP), jail, or detention center, that student may be eligible for a special paper or holistic administration. Contact Texas Testing Support for assistance ordering paper materials.

❏ Designate Eligible Students

District coordinators must review the criteria and verify that a student is eligible for a special administration. For a student who meets the eligibility criteria, district and campus coordinators must ensure that either the Special Ed Indicator Code field or the Section 504 Indicator Code field is set to “Yes.”

Figure 12. This screenshot highlights the location of the Special Ed Indicator Code and Section 504 Indicator Code fields in TIDE.

To change a student’s test mode, district or campus coordinators must select either “Paper,” “Holistic,” or “Paper & Holistic” in the appropriate Test Mode field. For paper administrations, district or campus coordinators must select the appropriate option in the STAAR & TELPAS Paper Test Format field. District and campus coordinators will need to select “Paper” or “Paper & Holistic” for Test Mode and select the paper test format prior to the due date listed in the Calendar of Events. District coordinators must review initial orders by the date listed in the Calendar of Events.

For STAAR, districts will receive two shipments of test administrator manuals. All paper test materials for special administrations and paper by request administrations will arrive in the initial order shipments. Based on the initial orders received, district coordinators may place additional orders for special administrations and test administrator manuals during the additional orders window listed in the Calendar of Events.

For TELPAS, the initial order shipment includes test administrator manuals and regular print, large print, and braille paper test materials.

A screenshot of TIDE highlighting the complete list of selectable options.

Figure 13. This screenshot highlights the complete list of selectable options in the STAAR & TELPAS Paper Test Format field.

For a student who is eligible for a special paper administration of STAAR Spanish, district or campus coordinators will need to enter “Spanish” in the Presentation field. This will ensure the Spanish version of STAAR is available in the Response Entry system (RE) to submit the student’s responses.

Figure 14. This screenshot highlights the “Spanish” option in the Presentation field.

Submitting Student Responses

For special paper administrations, students should be instructed to record their responses in their test booklets. District testing personnel must submit student responses in RE for scoring, as student responses in test booklets will not be scored. District testing personnel are responsible for submitting student responses in RE by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on the last day of each specific testing window. Refer to the specific test administration instructions and the Directions for Entering Student Responses in RE page for more information.

For special holistic administrations of TELPAS listening, speaking, and writing, students’ ratings recorded on the TELPAS Student Rating Roster must be entered in the template available through the Holistic Rating Upload task in the Appeals/Score Codes card and submitted in TIDE. District testing personnel are responsible for submitting ratings and ensuring they are processed in TIDE by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on March 27, 2026. Large files take more time to process. It is recommended that district testing personnel review their file history through the Holistic Rating Upload task to verify successful uploads for holistic ratings.