STAAR Alternate is the state assessment for
students with significant cognitive
disabilities.
TEA Resources
List of Responsibilities
Policy Information
Training Center
Information
STAAR Alternate Resources Page on the TEA website
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staaralt
Assessment Window January 7th -April 19th
Monitoring Test Assignments
 Check to see if any recent ARD decisions have been
made that would affect how the student assignments
are set up in the system
 Ensure that student assessments are linked to the
appropriate alternate assessment teacher in the
Assessment Management System so evaluations can
begin
 Unregister any students no longer being assessed
with STAAR Alternate and add any new students or
alternate assessment teachers
 Ensure that all test administrators have completed all
required training before access to the Assessment
Management System is provided
Have the alternate assessment teacher verify the grade level and courses!
Pearson Resources
Home>Resources>Training>
Texas Assessment Management
System
The information
has been updated
from last year.
New Feature:
When a registered student’s records are moved to another district
due to a student transfer, an email will be sent to the District
Testing Coordinator at the previous district.
To the District Testing Coordinator Addressed:
This email is to inform you that a STAAR Alternate test
assignment for a student has been moved from your
district. No further action is needed from you at this time.
Student Name: First Last
Campus: Example School
If you have questions about this email or believe that you
received this email in error, please contact Pearson's
Austin Operations Center at
TxPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com or via phone at
800-627-0225 Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM
(CT).
Access http://www.TexasAssessment.com/support for
additional help.
The transfer cut
off date is
March 29, 2013.
Districts do not
have to begin or
complete an
assessment
after that date.
To see a list of students that have been moved from
your district to another district, go to Test
Management>Register Students and select the
Student Moves report from the Reports drop-down
list.
Check the Select All box and click Search. A list of
students will appear. This list will show both the
sending and receiving campus names and the date the
students were moved.
Please contact Pearson or TEA if a
student should not have been moved.
Monitoring Completion of Assessments
District Testing Coordinators did a great
job last year in monitoring!
Monitor progress on the assessments.
Number of
registered
students
Need to have “0” in these
columns to ensure that all
students will be tested.
Test Administrator Training
Monitor test administrator training by verifying that …
 all training modules have been completed and the
qualifications passed with 80% accuracy
 supplemental support is provided before the third
attempt is given to the teacher
 supervision is occurring for any test administrator
that has not passed all the modules but is continuing
to implement the assessment
Check to verify the training
status of all test administrators on the
TrainingCenter by viewing the STAAR Alternate
At-A-Glance Training & Qualification Report
Interrater Reliability Study
2013 STAAR Alternate Interrater Reliability Study Checklist
http://www.texasassessment.com/2013STAARAlternateIRRDetails
Interrater
Online Tool
Links
Available for:
Final Roster
Summary
Reports
Implementation
Steps
Interrater
Checklist
 Expected number of surveys is based on the
request of two students per campus as
indicated on the Detailed Roster of Selected
Districts and Campuses.
 If you called to inform Pearson or TEA that
the district did not have the requested
number of students available, the adjustment
may not have been made in the report.
Second Rater Interrater Reliability Tool
http://www.texasassessment.com/2013STAARAlternateIRR
Storing the Documentation Forms
District Testing Coordinators must:

develop and communicate the district policy on
where the documentation forms will be stored

ensure that only one official documentation form exists and
that all forms are stored in the same location for the
campus

make sure that test administrators know that the form
must remain secure and confidential while it is in their
care until given to the testing coordinator for storage

secure all forms by the close of the assessment window

inform staff that forms will not be accessible after
April 19, 2013 at 7:00pm CST
Test administrators should use caution when taking the documentation forms out of the
classroom or building or when forms are stored on computers, laptops, or flash drives.
Cover Letter
Audit Procedures
District and Campus Instructions
Envelope Labels
The same procedures used for the
2012 audit will be used in 2013.
STAAR Alternate Timeline
New Postings :
 Parent Training Materials
 Performance Level Descriptors
 Standard Setting Information
Essence Statement documents will not be posted until April
since the statements will be reviewed during the February
educator meetings.
Parent Materials will be a new section on the Resources page.
Grades 3-8
Parent Brochure for Grades 3-8
Available in English and Spanish
PowerPoint available in English and
Spanish
EOC
Performance Level Descriptors
Accomplished
Satisfactory
Available for all
tested grades and
subjects
Developing
Level I, II, and III Performance Levels do not refer to Complexity Levels 3, 2, and 1.
Complexity Level Selection by the ARD Committee
TAKS-Alt
TAKS-Alt
TAKS-Alt
STAAR
Alternate
2009
2010
2011
2012
Level 3
14 %
20%
23%
11%
Level 2
43%
49%
50%
55%
Level 1
43%
31%
27%
34%
Distribution among the three complexity levels should be more equally
distributed to reflect the range of developmental levels of students with
cognitive disabilities and demonstrate that students are being challenged with
higher expectations and more challenging tasks.
Process for Selecting the Complexity
Level for STAAR Alternate
Student Characteristics for the
STAAR Alternate Complexity Levels
Use the New ARD Forms for All 2013-2014 Assessment Decisions
For 2013-2014 the complexity level decision
must be made by the ARD committee and must
be recorded at the bottom of the second page
of the form for each assessed subject.
Reading Grade 6
Complexity Level(s) 3 and 2
Level 3
Combinations of Level 3 and 2
Level 2
Combinations of Level 2 and 1
Level 1
NRO
Implementing High Standards

Meaningful information about students is difficult to obtain if a
perfect score is achieved.

STAAR Alternate results should be comparable to the other state
assessments. The validity of the assessment is in question when the
passing rate is significantly higher than the other assessments.

With 34% of students being assessed at Complexity Level 1 for 2012,
the over selection indicates that a third of students being assessed
with STAAR Alternate are not expected to demonstrate skills at this
time and are in the beginning stages of awareness of the concepts
being taught.

Most students should be assessed with either some or all
assessment tasks at higher complexity levels in order to meet the
state expectation.
•
The state assessment is only one piece of information the ARD
committee should consider when evaluating if a student is making
progress.
•
The state assessment only measures academic performance.
Students with cognitive disabilities have IEP goals for many other
areas of development such as objectives for language and
communication, behavior, mobility, social interactions, vocational
preparation, and independent living. A student can show growth in
many areas.
Growth Measure

The range of available points for STAAR Alternate (0-84)will be
divided into stages that will be applied to the student’s
performance.

When two years of results are available, the growth measure will
compare the two years of results to determine if growth occurred
between the stages.

Positive growth between stages will be factored into AYP
calculations.
Adjusted Cut Scores


An adjusted cut score for satisfactory performance for the
2012 administration will be applied to the January results.
The final cut scores will reflect the standard that will be applied
to raw scores for the 2013 administration reported in May.
Standard Setting Information
A new Standard Setting Information section will be
added to the STAAR Alternate Resources page that
will feature the following:

Standard Setting Report

Frequently Asked Questions

Performance Labels and Policy Definitions

Performance Level Descriptors
More detailed information about STAAR Alternate can be found at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staaralt
STAAR
Modified
What is STAAR Modified and who is it for?
• An alternate assessment based on modified academic
achievement standards
• Different passing standard than STAAR
• Test questions that are based on STAAR
• For students receiving special education services who meet
participation requirements
• For the 2012-2013 school year, applies to students in grades
3-8 and entering grades 9 and 10
• Students repeating grade 10 and in grades 11-12 are still held to the
requirements of the TAKS program
GRADE/COURSE
3
4
5
6
7
8
SUBJECTS ASSESSED WITH STAAR
MODIFIED IN SPRING 2013
reading, mathematics
reading, mathematics, writing
reading, mathematics, science
reading, mathematics
reading, mathematics, writing
reading, mathematics, science, social studies
English I, English II
Algebra I, Geometry
End-of-Course (EOC)
Biology
World Geography, World History
What subjects are assessed with STAAR
but are not assessed with STAAR Modified?
• STAAR Modified English III and U.S. History will be administered
in 2014
• Algebra II, chemistry, and physics will NOT be assessed with
STAAR Modified.
How have the test designs for STAAR Modified
grades 4 & 7 Writing changed?
• For the Spring 2012 administration, these writing tests included
the revising section and a prompt on day one and the editing
section and a prompt on day two.
• For the Spring 2013 administration, revising and editing
passages will be administered on both day one and day two.
• In addition, the answer document will now be separated into
day one and day two sections.
Participation Requirements
How does an ARD committee determine whether
STAAR Modified is the appropriate assessment?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Review the student’s present level of academic achievement
and functional performance (PLAAFP).
Review the student’s instructional plan, which includes the
goals, objectives, accommodations and/or modifications the
student will need in order to access the grade-level/course Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Determine the appropriate assessment for the student based on
the instruction the student is receiving and whether the student
meets the participation requirements.
Document the assessment decision, including any
accommodations.
What does “State-required Documentation
Form” mean?
•
•
•
TEA requires the STAAR Modified Participation
Requirements Form to be completed and retained by
the district.
2012-2013: STAAR Modified Participation
Requirements may be included in the student’s IEP.
2013-2014: STAAR Modified Participations
Requirements must be included in the student’s IEP.
Which district personnel can complete
this form?
•
A member of the ARD committee who participated in the
meeting where the statewide assessment decision was
determined
•
Example: special education teacher, ARD facilitator,
administrator
For the 2012-2013 school year, where can this
form be retained and for how long?
•
•
Can be filed at the campus level
• Local determination
• Best practice-retain documentation as long as helpful for
decision-making purposes from year to year
Can be filed in the IEP (although it is not a required part of the IEP,
for the 2012-2013 school year)
• Best practice-complete form during the ARD committee
meeting when assessment decisions are made
• If form is filed in the IEP, the normal IEP retention policies
apply
Does an ARD committee need to complete the
participation requirements and retain the
document if a student is receiving modified
instruction in a course in which STAAR Modified
is not available?
•
•
•
Yes. This applies to English III, U.S. history, chemistry, physics,
and Algebra II
If the student meets participation requirements in these
courses, then he/she does not test since an assessment is not
available.
If the participation requirements are not reviewed or the
answer to any of the three questions on the STAAR Modified
Participation Requirements is No, the student takes STAAR.
If a student takes STAAR Modified in high
school but is dismissed from special education
before graduation, will the student now have to
take STAAR?
• Yes. The student is now held to the same requirements as all
other general education students.
Is the STAAR Modified science assessment appropriate
for a student when the IEP only addresses reading skills,
with no goals specific to science?
No. All subjects need to be addressed. The ARD
committee is required to confirm that the “student’s
IEP contains standards-based (TEKS-based) goals
indicating the modified content the student required
in order to access the grade-level or course
curriculum.”
Available Resources
What resources are available to help with
STAAR Modified?
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.
assessment/special-ed/staarm/
Where do we look for accommodation
information for TAKS, TAKS Accommodated,
& TAKS-M?
• Accommodation information for students who are
assessed with TAKS is located in the 2010-2011
Accommodations Manual.
• Additional resources for TAKS accommodations are
located at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/taks/accommodations/
What are Accommodations for Students
with Disabilities?
 Changes to instructional materials,
procedures, or techniques that are
made on an individual basis and allow
a student with a disability to participate
in grade-level or course instruction
and testing
 Should be evaluated regularly to
determine effectiveness and to help
plan for accommodations the student
will need each year
 Are not changes to the
content being assessed and
should not replace the
teaching of subject-specific
knowledge and skills as
outlined in the TEKS
 Should not be provided to
an entire group of students,
such as those in the same
class or disability category
What students are eligible for accommodations?
Applies to students taking STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR Modified,
STAAR L, and TELPAS
For purposes of statewide assessments, a student needing
accommodations due to a disability includes
• a student with an identified disability who receives special education
services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain
accommodations
• a student with an identified disability who receives Section 504
services and meets established eligibility criteria for certain
accommodations
• a student with a disabling condition who does not receive special
education or Section 504 services but meets established eligibility
criteria for certain accommodations
Who has the authority for decision
and documentation?
•Special education services‒the ARD committee; documented in IEP
•Section 504 services‒the 504 placement committee; documented in
IAP
•No special education or Section 504 services‒the appropriate team
of people at the campus level; documentation determined at local
level
• Response to Intervention (RTI) team and
student assistance team are examples.
• This applies to a small number of students.
•In the case of an ELL, the LPAC works in conjunction with the
applicable group; documented in permanent record file
The Accommodation Triangle
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
What is the purpose of the
Accommodation Triangle?
• Organizes accommodations for
students with disabilities in
accordance with
• the specificity of the eligibility criteria
• the need for TEA approval (Accommodation
Request Form) before the accommodation can
be used on a statewide assessment
What are Type 1 Accommodations?
Involves one eligibility criterion for students
with a specific need:
• Student must routinely, independently (when
applicable), and effectively use the
accommodation during classroom instruction
and testing
1
What does Routinely, Independently,
and Effectively Mean?
Routinely
• Used often enough that the student is familiar with and comfortable
using accommodation on a statewide assessment
• Not necessarily used every day or in every class
Independently
• Only applicable to some accommodations (e.g., applies to use of a
calculator but not to an oral administration)
Effectively
• Accommodation meets student needs as evidenced by data and
observations with or without accommodation use
What are Type 2 Accommodations?
Involves two or more eligibility criteria,
including:
• Student must routinely, independently (when
applicable), and effectively use the
accommodation during classroom instruction and
testing
• Additional criteria based on specific student needs
2
What is an example of eligibility criteria for a
Type 2 Accommodation?
• Supplemental Aid example– the student must meet all of
the criteria
What are Type 3 Accommodations?
• Only for a very small number of students
• Student must meet all eligibility criteria listed
• Appropriate team of people at campus level
determines eligibility for listed accommodations or
“other” accommodations not listed in the triangle
• Requires the approval of an Accommodation
Request Form (ARF) from TEA
3
What are Type 3 Accommodations?
 Requires an approved ARF because Type 3
accommodations involve a test administrator
handling or manipulating secure test materials
or student responses in ways that could
compromise test security, confidentiality, and/or
student results.
 TEA provides specific guidelines with an
approved ARF in order to ensure
that Type 3 accommodations are
carried out in a standardized
manner.
3
Accommodation Request Process
How do we request
Type 3 Accommodations?
• “Accommodation Request Process” document outlining
the process for requesting Type 3 accommodations is
posted on the Accommodations for Students with
Disabilities webpage.
• A link to the updated online Accommodation Request
Form is included.
• Districts must indicate that a student has met each of the
listed eligibility criteria PLUS answer specific questions
that detail evidence of student need.
How do we request
Type 3 Accommodations?
The student must meet all of these
eligibility criteria.
In addition, the student must meet at
least one of these eligibility criteria.
How do we request
Type 3 Accommodations?
 Describe the impairment in vision or physically disabling condition that
Specific
questionsBe
are
creates a need for a Complex Transcribing
accommodation.
now included
on the
specific about the characteristics of the condition,
symptoms,
and
system to
help be
level of severity the student experiences. online
The description
should
districts
complete
the
specific and individualized. Include specific
reasons
why the student
is
rationale
not able to write his or her own compositions
or usesection
Basic for Type
3 Accommodations.
Transcribing (e.g., word processor, speech-to-text
software) to This
information must be
complete the written composition.
provided in the rationale
 Attach a sample of the student’s handwriting
if legibility
the issue.
section
of theisonline
Accommodation Request
Form.
What accommodations are available for
each type of accommodation?
This type of PDF
document opens
when the link to an
accommodation in
the triangle is
clicked.
Recording Accommodations on the
Answer Document
How do we
document accommodations?
How do we
document accommodations?
•
“Guidelines for Recording
Accommodation Use on the
Student's Answer Document” is
posted on the Accommodations
for Students with Disabilities
webpage.
•
Mark Type 1, Type 2, and/or Type 3
accommodations in the blank
bubbles for each subject.
•
Mark the accommodation type for
each accommodation that is
documented and made available to
a student, even if the student did
not use the accommodation during
testing.
How do we
document accommodations?
• Specifically mark these
accommodations under
Type 2
•
•
•
•
Braille (BR)
Large Print (LP)
Oral Administration (OA)
Extra Time (XT)
• Specifically mark Extra
Day (XD) under Type 3
• The LA column is
for Linguistic
Accommodations
ACCOMMODATIONS
FAQs
What are “OTHER” Accommodations?
Any accommodation that is
not listed in the triangle can
be considered if the student
needs it to access the test.
Other accommodations can
not be requested through
the online system. Districts
must contact TEA to
discuss when the use of an
“Other” accommodation is
appropriate.
How do we determine appropriate accommodations
in unexpected or emergency situations?
• Unexpected or emergency situations may occur just prior to or on the
day of the statewide assessment that necessitate the use of a testing
accommodation.
• In these cases, testing coordinators should
 First, review Optional Test Administration Procedures and
Materials to see if anything can meet student’s needs  if so,
use it… no need to contact TEA
 Then, review Accommodation Triangle to see if a Type 1 or 2
accommodation can meet student’s needs  if so, use it… no
need to contact TEA
 Finally, review Type 3 accommodations  if one of these will be
effective, immediately contact TEA’s Accommodations Task Force
for permission and additional instructions
How do we determine appropriate accommodations
in unexpected or emergency situations?
Example Scenarios
 Student arrives at school without prescribed
eyeglasses  try a Projection Device
or Large Print before an Oral Administration
Encouraging
student
independence
should be a
priority
 Student arrives at school with dominant arm
broken  see if student can write math
computations on a white board with nondominant hand (“scratch paper or another
workspace” in Optional document) and dictate
responses for the test administrator to transcribe
(Basic Transcribing) before requesting Type 3
accommodation-Mathematics Scribe
How should students be grouped for an
Oral Administration?
• Consider
 level of reading support
 pace at which students work
 number of students one test administrator can handle
• Plan for mixtures of support level and pace
 know what level of support each student receives
 remember the four-hour time limit
 move around room and read aloud to students
individually or to small groups of students working at
a similar pace
What may be read aloud during an
Oral Administration?
Yes
Math,
Science,
Social
Studies
Reading
Writing
 Test questions and answer
choices (i.e., everything in the
test booklet
 Required reference materials
(as applicable)
 Allowable Supplemental Aids
No
N/A
 Test questions and answer
choices
 Required reference materials
(as applicable)
 Allowable Supplemental Aids
 Reading selections
 Required reference materials
(as applicable)
 Allowable Supplemental Aids
 Revising and editing
passages
 Revising and editing test
questions and answer choices
What does the phrase “evidence of
reading difficulty” mean?
• Evidence of reading difficulty = a problem with
reading
 The problem could be caused by a learning disability in
reading
 The problem could be caused by other conditions, for
example
 ADHD
 emotional or behavioral disability
 processing or memory issue
• The ARD or Section 504 committee decides if the
student exhibits evidence of a reading difficulty.
What does the phrase “disability that affects
math calculation” mean?
• Disability that affects math calculation= a problem
with calculations in mathematics
 The problem could be caused by a learning disability in
mathematics
 The problem could be caused by other conditions, for
example
 ADHD
 emotional or behavioral disability
 processing or memory issue
• The ARD or Section 504 committee decides if the
student exhibits a disability that affects math
calculation.
What are the differences in eligibility between
Basic Transcribing and Complex Transcribing?
Basic Transcribing
Complex Transcribing
•
Student is unable to effectively use
Basic Transcribing to address their
need
•
Meets at least one of the following.
• Meets at least one of the
following.
– The student has an
impairment in vision that
necessitates the use of braille
or large-print test materials.
– The student has a disabling
condition (e.g., severe fine
motor deficits, visual tracking
difficulties, difficulty with letter
formation) that prevents him
or her from independently
and effectively recording
responses
• Local Decision
–
–
•
The student has a temporary or
permanent impairment in vision that
necessitates the use of braille or largeprint test materials
The student has a temporary or
permanent physically disabling
condition (e.g., muscular dystrophy,
cerebral palsy, arthritis, physical
abnormality) that prevents him or her
from independently and effectively
recording responses
Accommodation Request Form
Required
What are Special Instructions/Considerations
for Transcribing?
• Special features that should be disabled when transcribing for a
student using technology-based methods (e.g., word processor,
software)
 Disable internet access
 For example, an eligible student may use a tablet (i.e., iPad) to type responses, but
the Wi-Fi/3G/4G internet access must be disabled and the student must be closely
monitored to ensure that the internet cannot be accessed or the camera feature is
not used. The student may need to complete the test in a separate setting to ensure
the confidentiality of the test.
 Disable spell check, word predictor, and all other special features (unless
the student also meets the eligibility criteria for Spelling Assistance)
• When transcribing a student’s responses to griddable questions, don’t
forget that the test administrator MUST use the “Transcribing Griddable
Questions” document so that the student is aware of the maximum
number of boxes available for each answer.
What are Special Instructions/Considerations
for Transcribing?
• When transcribing a student’s responses to the writing prompts and/or
the short-answer reading questions, the test administrator must
indicate to the student the space allowed.
 26 lines for each written composition
 10 lines for each short-answer reading question
• What are some ways the test administrator can indicate to the student
the space allowed?
 The test administrator or student can use a piece of scratch paper with
the correct number of lines or a sample lined page from the answer
document (on TEA website) prior to having the response copied to the
answer document.
 Twenty-six lines of handwritten text is approximately 1,725 typed
characters. Ten lines of handwritten text is approximately 675 typed
characters. These numbers are based on average-sized handwriting.
What are Special Instructions/Considerations
for Transcribing?
• The student must be given the full four hours to complete the
test. All of the student’s responses must be initially recorded by
the student (e.g., onto scratch paper, the student’s test booklet,
typed) by the end of the 4-hour time limit.
 It is recommended that the test administrator ensure that the
student makes all responses clearly and completely. This must
be done before the student leaves the testing room. Any
interaction with the student regarding the intended responses is
prohibited after the testing period has ended.
 If needed, the test administrator may transfer the student’s final
responses onto the answer document after the testing period
has ended.
How many large-print booklets can a
district order?
• Large-print materials should only be ordered for
students who meet the eligibility criteria.
• Districts who order excessive numbers of largeprint materials will be flagged for review.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.
assessment/accommodations/
Click this link to see all
resources for accommodations
for students with disabilities
Available Resources
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/
accommodations/staar-telpas/#triangle