2015

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• STAAR Alternate 2 Overview
• Updates
• Important Dates
• Eligibility and Participation Requirements
• Subjects Assessed
• Test Design
• Accommodations Information
• Who can Administer STAAR Alternate 2?
• Test Administrator Responsibilities
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STAAR Alternate 2 is:
• an assessment based on alternate academic standards designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities receiving special education services.
• a standardized assessment (redesigned based on state legislation) administered individually to each eligible student.
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• State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR ® )
Alternate 2 will now be a paper-based assessment and individual student responses will be transcribed into the TestNav online form.
• Participation counts must be entered during the window
(Sept. 22 – Oct. 24).
• Districts will need to submit their own student data files. Pearson
will not load previous year STAAR Alternate 2 students.
• The End-of-Course (EOC) Code field (CSV location AI) is mandatory for STAAR Alternate 2 grades 9–12.
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• The Alternate Assessment Assistant and Alternate Assessment
Teacher roles will no longer have any permissions associated with them beginning December 2014.
• Alternate Assessment Teachers no longer have to be assigned to students in the assessment management system.
• Test sessions must be created and students added to test sessions.
• Student responses will be transcribed into TestNav.
• The STAAR Alternate 2 assessment window is shorter.
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9/22/2014 – 10/24/2014
11/5/2014 – 2/27/2015
Participation counts window
 SDU submission window
 Registration available
12/29/2014 - 03/27/2015 Additional order window
1/9/2015
1/19/2015
1/23/2015
2/2/2015
2/9/2015 – 2/20/2015
3/6/2015
5/20/2015
6/5/2015
Materials list posted online
Test session creation
Materials due in district
Proctor caching available
STAAR Alternate 2 Assessment
Return nonscorable materials
Grades 3 – 8 reports due in district
EOC reports due in district
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The admissions review and dismissal (ARD) committee determines whether a student with a significant cognitive disability is eligible to take STAAR Alternate 2 based on specific criteria.
Please review the Educator Guide for STAAR A and STAAR Alternate 2 for additional information on eligibility and participation requirements.
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Six clusters comprise a test form resulting in 24 scripted questions per test.
The test materials will include a test administrator booklet and a student booklet.
The test administrator booklet contains scripted questions and guidelines for how the test will be administered.
A student booklet contains stimulus images and text needed for the student to select answers.
This design allows for standardization of the assessment and eliminates the need for teachers to prepare tasks or materials.
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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.
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The STAAR Alternate 2 test administrator
• should be the student’s teacher for the subject being tested, and
• must have a high level of familiarity with the student so that testing accommodations can be prepared appropriately and the student’s typical response modes can be understood.
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The STAAR Alternate 2 test administrator must initial and sign the test administrator oath following training on test security and general testing procedures and before handling secure test materials.
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Certified and noncertified paraprofessionals who may serve as test administrators or test administrator assistants are:
• currently employed by the district, and
• routinely work with students in the classroom.
Paraprofessionals must be supervised by a certified professional on the same campus throughout the test administration.
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Include:
• maintaining security of test materials while in their possession,
• preparing test materials for each administration,
• implementing the test administration processes and procedures stated in the manuals,
• monitoring and maintaining test security,
• viewing secure test materials,
• reporting any suspected violation of test security to the campus coordinator,
• transcribing student responses into TestNav (can also be done by other designated individuals), and
• preparing test materials for return to the campus coordinator at the conclusion of test administrations.
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The test administrator assistant can provide assistance including:
• preparing allowable accommodations,
• manipulating materials during the testing session,
• translating or signing information for the student, and
• managing student behavior.
All test administrator assistants:
• must be trained in test security and administration procedures prior to the assessment, and
• must sign the test administrator’s oath of test security and confidentiality.
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Participation counts must be entered in the Texas Assessment
Management System, delivered through PearsonAccess, beginning
September 22, 2014 , and submitted no later than 11:00 PM (CT) on
October 24, 2014 .
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•
•
•
•
Materials list posted online by: 1/9/2015
Due in district by: 1/23/2015
Additional Order window: 12/29/2014 - 03/27/2015
Return secure nonscorable materials to Pearson by: 3/6/2015
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Return all nonscorable materials:
• test booklets grouped by grade for grades 3–8
• test booklets grouped by course for EOC assessments
• STAAR Alternate 2 test administrator manuals
• photocopies of secure test materials, if used
Pack STAAR Alternate 2 materials either by campus or by district. If you are packing by campus, be sure that all the materials for a single campus are grouped together and packed in the box before adding materials from another campus.
Do not mix STAAR Alternate 2 materials with STAAR or TELPAS materials in the same shipment.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Enter or Upload Student Data
Create Test Sessions
Print Student Authorizations
Transcribe Student Responses into TestNav
Enter Score Codes
Verify Accommodation Categories
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There are two options for entering student data to the Assessment
Management System. Districts may
•
• upload student data using a file created locally, and/or enter student data manually.
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In order to transcribe scoring information into TestNav, students must be assigned to test sessions.
•
Test sessions are electronic groupings of students that are specific to each grade, subject, course and test form (five forms in most grades).
•
Campus testing coordinators should create test sessions at least one to two weeks before testing.
•
After sessions have been created, students can be added individually or by group.
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Student authorizations may be printed after students have been placed into a test session.
The student authorizations contain the URL that will be entered into a browser to access TestNav and the unique username and test code needed to log in to transcribe scoring information for an assessment.
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After student authorizations have been printed, student responses can be added into TestNav.
The test administrator will log in to TestNav using the student’s authorization ticket and transcribe student responses.
A student’s transcribed performance information is automatically scored when the Final Submit button is clicked at the end of the test.
It is not necessary to make a selection in the Score Code menu for performance data to be scored.
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If a student does not complete the test, one of the following score codes must be selected when marking the student’s test complete.
A = Absent
Student is absent throughout the testing window. A student should not be marked absent if the student was absent on the testing days but also fits one of the score designations below.
M = Medical Exception
Student does not participate in the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment on the basis of the student’s medical condition, as determined by the ARD committee and documented in the student’s IEP. A decision not to assess a student based on a medical exception should be rare.
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N = No Authentic Academic Response
Student does not participate in the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment on the basis of the student’s disability, as determined by the ARD committee and documented in the student’s IEP. A decision not to assess a student based on the student’s disability should be rare.
O = Other Student Not to Be Scored
Student experiences a test administration irregularity or illness during testing and cannot complete the assessment.
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Additionally, test administrators or other campus personnel will complete the accommodations information for each assessment after the student performance data has been transcribed.
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Score reports will include the individual performance level ratings of students, scale scores, and number of questions answered correctly within each reporting category for each of the assessed grades and content areas.
Score reports are due in district:
• 5/20/2015 (Grades 3 – 8)
• 6/5/2015 (EOC)
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www.texasassessment.com/resources
• Educator Guide for STAAR A and STAAR Alternate 2
• User’s Guide for the Texas Assessment Management System
• 2015 District and Campus Coordinator Manual
• STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Manuals
• STAAR Alternate 2 Sample Items
• STAAR Alternate 2 Administration Participation Collection (broadcast e-mail)
• STAAR Alternate 2 Medical Exception Eligibility Requirements
• STAAR Alternate 2 No Authentic Academic Response Eligibility
Requirements
Texas Education Agency: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/special-ed/staaralt/
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Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Phone: (512) 463-9536
Email: staaralt@tea.state.tx.us
Pearson’s Austin Operations Center
Phone: (800) 627-0225
Email: TXPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com