General

1. What testing requirements exist regarding state assessments?

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®), STAAR Alternate 2, and Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) assessments are required by state law to be offered by school systems. State law also requires that students take the assessments. Refer to Texas Education Code (TEC) §39.023 and §39.027.

Additionally, STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate fulfill federal assessment and accountability requirements as established in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA requires that students be assessed in mathematics and reading or language arts annually in grades 3–8 and once in high school. Refer to ESSA Section §1111(b)(2)(B).

More information on these requirements is available in the State and Federal Required Tests Fact Sheet.

2. What alternative testing locations may a district use for the Texas Assessment Program?

Districts may set up alternative testing sites at locations other than the home campus, such as performing arts centers, recreational centers, students’ homes, or any other site supervised by a trained test administrator where the district can ensure equitable access and maintain test security. All of the following test administration guidelines must be followed at any testing site:

• There must be at least one trained test administrator for every 30 students. 

• Sufficient time to complete the test must be ensured for every student.

• Sufficient internet bandwidth must be ensured for all students.

3. Who can be a test administrator for the Texas Assessment Program?

Any district staff member holding valid education credentials (e.g., a Texas educator certificate or permit) may serve as a test administrator. Staff members who do not hold valid education credentials may serve as test administrators if they are supervised by a district staff member who holds valid education credentials. All district and campus personnel who participate in state-required testing or who handle or have access to secure test materials must be trained at least once in test security and administration procedures and must have signed an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality. For more information, refer to the Designate Test Administrators topic on the Campus Testing Coordinator Training Activities page in these Coordinator Resources.

4. When is the secure browser required for testing?

The secure browser is required for summative tests. Districts can administer practice and interim tests using the secure browser or a supported web browser. For more information about supported browsers and system requirements, refer to the Technology Resources page on the Texas Assessment website.

5. Are students who meet the eligibility criteria for a special paper administration of STAAR included in the three percent calculation for a paper by request administration?

The three percent calculation represents a fraction in which the numerator includes only those students in the district who will receive a paper by request administration of a specific STAAR assessment (such as the STAAR grade 3 mathematics assessment) and the denominator includes all eligible students in the district who are scheduled to be administered that same assessment. Because “all eligible students” includes those students who meet the eligibility criteria for a special paper administration of the assessment, those students are included in the denominator. The total number of paper testers in a district will be the number of students who take a special paper administration in addition to the number of students who take a paper by request administration.

6. What happens to the paper test materials if a student who was marked to receive a paper by request administration of STAAR moves to another district before the testing window?

• If the student moves to a new district that is participating in the optional paper by request process and that has not met its maximum three percent, the student may request paper by request in the new district. The receiving district should obtain the paper test materials from the sending district or request them during the additional orders window.

• If the student moves to a new district that has met its maximum three percent, the new student will not be able to take a paper by request administration.

• If the student moves to a new district that is not participating in the optional paper by request process, the new student will not be able to take a paper by request administration.

7. How do districts monitor test administrations based on the new rules for school safety?

The new rules for school safety indicate that exterior doors must be locked unless they are in a secure exterior area. Exterior classroom doors that are required to be locked must also have a means (windows, cameras, or intercoms) to allow someone inside the classroom to identify any individual seeking to enter the classroom.

Individuals (educators or students) who need to enter a classroom during testing may gain access to a locked exterior classroom door:

• by using a security badge for electronic locks,

• by using a master key, or

• after identification from the test administrator within the classroom.

8. How often are the reports available through the Monitoring Test Progress module in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) updated?

Test Completion Rates reports are updated nightly.

The following reports are updated in near real time:

• Plan and Manage Testing

• Search Students by TSDS ID

• Test Status Code Report

• Test Session Status Report

Test opportunities that have been started by an individual student will also be displayed in the Student Participation panel in the student’s individual record in TIDE. The test name, session ID, and test status are available for each testing opportunity a student has started or completed.

If the test administrator is using a live proctored session, the information on the dashboard is updated in real time.

Open

 

9. What is the difference between a proctored and an unproctored test session in the Test Delivery System (TDS)?

Proctored test sessions:

• can be started immediately after the session is created or can be scheduled in advance and started by the test administrator at the scheduled start time;

• must have a test administrator logged into the Test Administrator Interface of TDS so he or she can monitor the session and see student progress in real time; and

• are limited to a maximum of 200 students.

Unproctored test sessions:

• are scheduled in advance and automatically open at the scheduled time;

• can be monitored for student progress using the Monitoring Test Progress module in TIDE; and

• do not have a limit on the number of students.

10. What user roles can create test sessions in TDS?

Administrator roles can create test sessions. Refer to the User Role Permissions page in these Coordinator Resources for more information.

11. What should a district do if a student begins an operational test that the student is scheduled to take on a different day (e.g., a student starts a science test instead of a social studies test)?

If the student has already begun responding to test questions on the wrong test, the student should complete that test on the same day. The student may then take the correct test on a different day within the testing window.

12. Which students are classified as “New to Texas”?

Any student who transfers from another state or country directly into a Texas public school district or open-enrollment charter school during the current school year (August 1–July 31) is considered new to Texas, and district personnel should select “New to Texas” in TIDE.

For new students who take STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessments, district personnel should indicate that the students are new to Texas only for the first administration those students participate in.

This classification does not apply to students who transfer from home schools or private schools in Texas or to students who transfer to or from a different campus or district.

13. How can a teacher access his or her students’ test results?

A teacher can access his or her students’ test results through the Centralized Reporting System (CRS). To facilitate teacher access, district personnel should submit a roster of students associated with that teacher. Rosters can contain a maximum of 500 students.

Score Codes

14. What score code should a district use for a student who is not tested?

Both federal and state law require that students enrolled in public school districts and open enrollment charter schools take the STAAR assessment in order to measure their understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Federal and state law also specify that all EB students in kindergarten through grade 12 enrolled in public schools or open-enrollment charter schools must participate in TELPAS. TELPAS is aligned to the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). EB students are required to be assessed annually with an English language proficiency assessment until they meet EB reclassification criteria.

As all eligible students must be accounted for, district personnel should enter score codes in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE during the administration window for students who are not tested, according to the following criteria:

• If a student is absent on the district-assigned testing days, including make-up days, use “A” for “Absent.”

• If a student is present but does not test, use either "S" for "Score" or "O" for "Other" depending on the specific scenario:

  • For students taking a STAAR grade 3–8 assessment, use "S."

  • For students taking a STAAR EOC assessment for the first time, use "S."

  • For students taking a STAAR EOC retest in spring or December, use "O."

  • For students taking STAAR Alternate 2, use "S."

  • For students taking TELPAS, use "S."

  • For students taking TELPAS Alternate, use "S."

• For students eligible for but not participating in a STAAR EOC retest in June, a score code should not be entered.

For more information, refer to the Enter Student Information into TIDE page in these Coordinator Resources.

15. What score code should a district use for a student who is homebound and cannot test?

District testing personnel must make an effort to test homebound students, as all enrolled students are required to be accounted for. A trained test administrator may administer the assessment at the student’s home or at another facility as long as district testing personnel can ensure equitable access and maintain test security. If testing is not possible:

• use score code “O” if the student is able to participate in instruction but not in testing, or

• use score code “A” if the student is not able to participate in instruction or testing.

16. What score code should a district use for a student who is suspended?

If a student is suspended during the entire testing window, enter score code “A” in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE. However, since most suspensions last 1–3 days, it is likely that a suspended student will still be able to test during the testing window.

17. What score code should a district use for a student who has been expelled?

In many cases, if a student has been moved to an alternate campus, disciplinary alternative education program, or juvenile justice alternative education program, the student should test there. Refer to the Administrations in Alternative Education Settings page in these Coordinator Resources for more information.

• If an expelled student is still enrolled in the district but not able to test, use score code "A."

• If an expelled student is no longer enrolled and did not start a test, no action is needed. The test record will be voided.

• If a student is expelled after starting a test and is no longer enrolled, the online test record should be removed. Use the Do Not Report option in the Create Requests task in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE to remove the online test record.

18. What score code should a district use for a student who is unable to finish testing?

For a student who is sick or leaves the campus during the assessment and is unable to finish testing, district personnel must determine whether the student’s test should be scored. If the determination is that the test should be scored, no action needs to be taken. An “S” score code will be automatically applied at the end of the administration without requiring further action by the student or by district personnel. If the determination is that the test should not be scored, an "O" score code should be entered in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE.

19. What score code should a district use for an asylee/refugee who qualifies for an exemption from taking a STAAR grades 3–8 assessment?

Enter an “O” score code in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE.

Accommodations

20. Can all students use accessibility features?

Although accessibility features are available for all students, a student must routinely use the accessibility feature in classroom instruction and testing for the student to be able to use it on a state assessment.

21. Do districts need to record the use of accessibility features?

No, there is no need to document the use of accessibility features.

22. Do districts need to record accommodations if students did not use them?

For STAAR and TELPAS, district testing personnel should record the accommodation that is documented and made available to a student even if the student did not use the accommodation during testing. This includes accommodations that are made available to a student in an unexpected or emergency situation. District personnel should enter the accommodation in the appropriate fields in TIDE according to the directions included in the Enter Student Information in TIDE page. For STAAR Alternate 2, only accommodations that are used during the administration are noted in TIDE, and the notation is made after the student has completed testing.

23. What should a district do if an accommodation has been incorrectly provided to a student (e.g., a calculator is provided to a grade 7 student taking a mathematics assessment)?

If the student is still testing, the test administrator must remove or disable the accommodation and allow the student to complete the test. The test should be submitted, and a procedural testing irregularity form for an accommodation error must be completed. If the student has completed and submitted the test, a procedural testing irregularity form must still be completed. This form can be accessed through the Submit a Form task in the Administration and Security Forms module in TIDE.

24. What should a district do if it fails to provide a student with an online accommodation that is required by his or her individualized education program (IEP)?

If the error is discovered while the student is testing, the error may be able to be fixed, and the student will be able to continue testing with the required accommodation.

To turn on the following accommodations, the student must log out, log back in, and apply the appropriate attribute using the test attributes screen:

• customized zoom level

• large mouse pointer

To turn on the following accommodations, the student must log out, district testing personnel must turn on the accommodation in TIDE, and the student must then log back in:

• text-to-speech (TTS)

• auto TTS

• speech-to-text

• basic calculator

• spell check

• permissive mode

To turn on the following accommodations, the student must have answered fewer than five questions and must log out, the test must be reset and the accommodation turned on by district testing personnel, and the student must log in to the reset test:

• content and language supports

• refreshable braille

• American Sign Language

For content and language supports, refreshable braille, and American Sign Language, if the student has answered five or more questions, the accommodation error CANNOT be fixed and the test cannot be reset. District personnel must decide if the absence of the accommodation warrants the invalidation of the test. If it does, an “O” score code must be entered using the Create Requests task in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE. If an invalidation is not warranted, no action needs to be taken. An “S” score code will be automatically applied at the end of the administration without requiring further action by the student or by district personnel. District personnel should consider whether the test is required for graduation and should also inform the parents of the error.

If an accommodation error is discovered after the student has finished testing, the error cannot be fixed. District personnel must decide if the absence of the accommodation warrants the invalidation of the test and follow the steps in the previous paragraph.

For these circumstances, a procedural testing irregularity form for an accommodation error must be completed. This form can be accessed through the Submit a Form task in the Administration and Security Forms module in TIDE.

25. For an oral administration of an online assessment, what is the difference between TTS and auto TTS?

TTS and auto TTS are embedded supports within the Test Delivery System for students who meet the eligibility requirements for an oral administration of an online assessment. District personnel must select one of these two options in TIDE for students who are eligible for this accommodation.

TTS allows a student to independently select and change the level of reading support during the test administration. Auto TTS automatically reads aloud the text on the screen and does not allow a student to independently select or change the level of reading support during the test administration.

For more information regarding oral administration, refer to the Oral and Signed Administration policy document in the Accommodations section in these Coordinator Resources.

26. What should a district do if TTS is not working for students testing in Spanish?

Because TTS uses the local device’s native accessibility voice pack, district personnel must ensure that a Spanish voice pack is installed and activated on a student’s device prior to the test administration. It is recommended that district personnel test the functionality of Spanish TTS on each device prior to administering the assessment to a student.

27. What is Permissive Mode?

Permissive Mode is a feature within the secure browser application that allows a student to use non-embedded assistive technology to complete a test.

For more information, refer to the Assistive Technology Manual for Windows & macOS.

Special Populations

28. What should a district do if it provides the wrong STAAR language version (English versus Spanish) to a student?

If the error is discovered while the student is testing, the student may be able to continue testing with the correct language version. Based on how far the student has progressed in the test and how much time remains in the school day, district personnel must decide if the test should be:

• reset with the correct language version and scored,

• continued with the current language version and scored, or

• invalidated because the wrong language version is an inappropriate assessment of the student’s knowledge and skills.

For the test to be reset with the correct language version, the student must log out of the test. District testing personnel must reset the incorrect test in the Appeals/Score Code module and update the student’s presentation to the correct language version in TIDE. The student must then log in to the reset test. The student will resume testing at the beginning of the test with the correct language. The student must complete the test within the same school day unless the student has an extra day accommodation.

To invalidate the test, district testing personnel should use the Create Requests task in the Appeals/Score Codes module in TIDE and enter an “O” score code.

If the language version error is discovered after the student has finished testing, the error cannot be fixed. District personnel must decide if the wrong language version of the test is an inappropriate assessment of the student’s knowledge and skills and warrants the invalidation of the test. To invalidate the test, follow the steps above.

For all errors related to the wrong language version, a procedural testing irregularity form for an eligibility error must be completed. This form can be accessed through the Submit a Form task in the Administration and Security Forms module in TIDE.

29. What should a district do for a student receiving special education services who has failed the first administration of a STAAR EOC assessment and whose admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee has determined that the student does not need to pass the test to graduate?

District personnel should remove the EOC eligibility flag and the retester flag in TIDE for the corresponding administration.

30. What should a district do for an emergent bilingual (EB) student who is not retaking the STAAR English I EOC assessment because of the special provision?

District personnel should remove the EOC eligibility flag and the retester flag in TIDE for the corresponding administration.

31. Are there image cards for every STAAR Alternate 2 question?

It is important to note that not every test item Stimulus “a” will have an image card. However, all test item Stimulus “b” answer choices will have an accompanying image card. District or campus personnel should refer to the current STAAR Alternate 2 Image Card List in the Resources section of TIDE.

32. What parts of the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment can be translated into the language the student is routinely instructed in?

The assessment is administered in English, so only the bold print in the presentation instructions may be translated into the language in which the student primarily communicates. It should be noted on the scoring document whether the presentation instructions were translated or not.

33. What should a district do if a student was tested with TELPAS but should not have participated based on an ARD committee decision?

If the student completed the test and the test was submitted, the district should change the score code in TIDE to “X” for “ARD decision.” The district should inform the parents of the error. A procedural testing irregularity form for an eligibility error must be completed and submitted through the Submit a Form task in the Administration and Security Forms module in TIDE.

34. Must all 40 TELPAS Alternate Observable Behaviors be completed in order to submit the test?

Yes, all 40 Observable Behaviors must be entered in the Data Entry Interface (DEI). If ratings for all 40 Observable Behaviors are not entered, the system will not allow the test to be submitted for scoring.