Paper by Request

House Bill (HB) 1225, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, adds Section 39.02342 to the Texas Education Code. Allowing for a new optional process for districts to provide a paper administration of a State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) assessment to up to three percent of their students. Districts have the flexibility to implement this new optional process and gather paper administration requests as appropriate for their school. 

The number of students who are provided a paper by request administration of STAAR may not exceed three percent of the number of eligible students enrolled in the district who are administered each assessment. For example, if a district has 500 students who are eligible for the STAAR grade 3 math and reading language arts (RLA) assessments, the district testing coordinator may indicate up to 15 students as eligible for a paper by request administration of the STAAR grade 3 RLA assessments. Similarly, if a district has 300 students who are eligible for the STAAR Algebra I assessment, the district coordinator may indicate up to 9 students as eligible for a paper by request administration of that assessment.  

District testing personnel may provide a paper administration of STAAR to any student whose parent, guardian, or teacher in the applicable subject area requests a paper version. The parent, guardian, or teacher must submit the request for a paper administration of STAAR to the district no later than September 15 for the December administration and no later than December 1 for the spring administration. The only criterion that is required to be met is submitting the request to the district by the deadline.

The following assessments are available for students participating in a paper by request administration:

• STAAR grades 3–8 and EOC regular print

• STAAR Spanish grades 3–5 regular print

It is important to note that the number of students who receive a paper by request administration is separate and distinct from the students who are eligible for a special paper administration of STAAR. Students who are eligible for a special paper administration of STAAR are not counted in the maximum three percent of students who are administered a paper by request administration, but both groups of students are included in the total number of eligible students enrolled in the district who are administered each assessment. If a student requires a paper version of the assessment with embedded supports, large print, or braille, refer to the Special Administration of an Assessment page.