Should you wish to be removed from this email list or if someone in your district needs to be added, please contact Jessica Hassell at jhassell@esc6.net.

Test Materials Shipments

• Test materials are scheduled to arrive in districts March 15–19, 2021. For some districts, precoded answer documents will arrive in a separate shipment by March 26. Districts scheduled for freight shipments will receive test materials and precoded answer documents in a single shipment.
• The District Coordinator Kits will be posted to the Help Documentation tab in the STAAR Assessment Management System by March 15, 2021. For those districts returning materials via freight, the Bill of Lading will be packed in the district white box (Box 1).

Specific Braille Instructions

• Specific braille instructions are included in the braille kits that are scheduled to be delivered to districts by March 30, 2021. These instructions will also be available for download beginning March 15 in the Help Documentation section of the Assessment Management System. For more information, district testing coordinators should review the Specific Braille Instructions section of the online resources.

Additional Orders

• Districts needing more test materials for the April 2021 STAAR administrations must place additional orders through the Assessment Management System. For instructions on ordering additional materials, district testing coordinators should review Section 8.4 Additional Materials Orders of the STAAR Assessment Management System User’s Guide. The window to order additional materials for these administrations is March 8–30, 2021.

Student Precode Registration Reminder

• This is a reminder to submit precode files for the May 2021 STAAR end-of-course (EOC) administrations by March 5, 2021, and for the STAAR grades 3–8 administrations by March 12, 2021. Districts should indicate whether a district file will be uploaded or if the PEIMS source file should be used for grades 3–8. If a decision is not indicated by March 1, ETS will upload the PEIMS source file.

Initial Orders

• Initial materials orders for the May 2021 STAAR administrations are determined by paper registrations identified in the Assessment Management System at the close of the paper registration windows, March 5, 2021, for EOC assessments, and March 12, 2021, for grades 3–8 assessments. Large print, oral administration, and Spanish test booklet needs should be identified directly in a student’s test registration and may be entered into the Assessment Management System manually via the student’s profile or a registration upload file.

• Districts can view registration-based quantities of test booklets to be received by campus and input additional quantities of large print, oral administration, and Spanish test booklets needed. Authorized staff can also use the Test Mode/Materials Report to verify counts prior to the close of the paper registration window. Refer to Section 8.2 Initial Materials Orders of the STAAR Assessment Management System User’s Guide for additional information and instructions.

Online Infrastructure Readiness

• Technology infrastructure and readiness must be assessed before administering online versions of the STAAR assessments. It is recommended that district and campus testing coordinators work closely with technology staff to prepare for STAAR online testing. To prepare for online testing, district coordinators and technology staff should use the available resources and complete the tasks listed below. The resources listed are available on the Texas Assessment Technology webpage.

Additional Orders

• Districts may submit orders for additional materials for the 2021 STAAR Alternate 2 administration until April 30, 2021, through the STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate Assessment Management System. A student registration must also be submitted, either by importing a student registration file or by manually registering the student. Additional orders submitted without a student registration will not be approved.

Preview Window

• Test administrators who have been trained on security and confidentiality and have signed an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality may preview the STAAR Alternate 2 test materials from March 15–26, 2021. This window should be used to preview test materials and prepare accommodations; it should not be used to administer the tests. Refer to the STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Manual for more information.

Districts can opt in to receive printed report cards through the Assessment Management System. The deadline to opt in for printed STAAR Alternate 2 report cards is May 7, 2021. The deadline to opt in for printed TELPAS report cards and TELPAS Alternate report cards is May 28, 2021. Districts that do not opt in will not receive printed report cards.

The document below was created in collaboration with all 20 Regional Testing Coordinators to serve as a guide moving into the Spring testing season.

The document below is a sample letter created to share with parents regarding TELPAS. It is available in both English and Spanish.

The report can be found here: Legislative Report: State of Texas Transition to Online Assessments Feasibility Study-December 2020 (PDF posted 1/4/20).

The following training webinars are coming soon. Select the link to register for the training. Web information, registration links, and recordings are also available in the District and Campus Coordinator Resources on the Training webpage.

• The “Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 – Session 4” webinar will take place Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 1:30–3:00 p.m. (CT).
  

• The “Navigating the Texas Assessment Portal” webinar will take place Thursday, March 25, 2021, 1:30–3:00 p.m. (CT).
  

• The “Preparing for the Release of Spring 2021 Scores” webinar will take place Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 1:30–3:00 p.m. (CT).

For additional information on these topics, refer to the Assessment Management System User's Guide. For questions or assistance regarding the information in this communication, contact the Texas Assessment Support Center at 855-333-7770, STAAR3-8@ets.org, STAAREOC@ets.org, or via live chat through the Assessment Management System.

Click here for directions on how to import each Testing calendar into your Outlook or Google calendars.

The printed version of the 2020–2021 Calendar of Events varies slightly from the online version. The online version has been updated to reflect that the STAAR grade 8 science and social studies tests are also available online on May 6 and 7. These testing dates correspond with the testing dates listed on the Student Assessment Testing Calendar for the 2020-2021 School Year.

The diagnostic test, which is not administered to all students, alters the blueprint of the test, and when used in accountability raises comparability concerns when comparing TSIA 2.0 results between districts and campuses. Due to this concern, Performance Reporting does not plan to use TSIA 2.0 diagnostic results in College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) accountability components.

Performance Reporting will process TSIA 1.0 and 2.0 for the Class of 2021 and will continue to use TSIA 1.0 outcomes for accountability and outcomes bonuses as long as graduates have eligible 1.0 outcomes. TAPR will report outcomes for both TSIA 1.0 and 2.0 for several years during the overlap.

The TSIA 2.0 CCMR criteria will be adopted into rule in the 2022 Accountability Manual which details the use of TSIA for both accountability and outcomes bonuses. TEA will analyze the THECB data to evaluate the actual use of the TSIA 2.0 diagnostic over the next year. The 2022 Accountability Manual will be available next spring.

The 2021 AEA campus registration process for the state academic accountability system opens March 29, 2021 and closes April 9, 2021. The registration process is conducted online using the TEA TEAL Accountability application. Alternative education campuses (AECs) designated for 2020 AEA provisions are re-registered automatically in 2021, provided the campus continues to meet enrollment and at-risk criteria as determined by TSDS PEIMS October snapshot data. If a campus was registered in 2020 using the at-risk safeguard and does not meet the at-risk enrollment criterion again in 2021, the campus is not eligible for AEA and is not re-registered for AEA in 2021. Campuses that were not registered in 2020 but meet eligibility in 2021 are automatically registered for AEA by the agency. No action is required on a district’s part unless the district chooses to remove a campus from evaluation under AEA procedures. Districts may rescind AEA registration by submitting an AEA rescission form in TEAL during the AEA window.

Please note, AEA grades 6–12 enrollment criterion has been updated from 50% to 90% in response to the AEA’s taskforce recommendation as announced in the 2021 Accountability Framework. This adjustment aligns with the original intent of limiting AEA provisions to middle and high schools.

While all districts and campuses will receive a Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster label for 2021, the 2021 AEA list will be used for informational purposes by the AskTED, PEIMS, and Charter School teams at the agency.

District’s should exercise caution when using 2021 assessment outcomes for evaluating or planning purposes. Assessment data from 2021 should be used in conjunction with other, more stable data points and local data that documents the impact of COVID-19 on instruction.

Performance Reporting will not publish a 2021 A–F Estimator. The impact of COVID-19 will vary greatly among districts and campuses, and the scaling set in 2018 may not appropriately account for variations in 2021 outcomes.

The Local Accountability Guide and Frequently Asked Questions provide information about plan requirement and example components. They can both be found on the local accountability webpage.

Districts wishing to learn more about the local accountability system and how to develop a district local accountability plan can participate in an hour-long overview webinar with time for Q & A.

Registration links are available for upcoming webinar dates in March and April. The webinar schedule through August 2021 is available here.

• Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 9 am
• Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 10 am
• Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 3 pm
• Friday, April 30, 2021 at 12 pm

Please contact the local accountability system team at LAS@tea.texas.gov for additional information or to set up a virtual meeting to discuss specifics related to your district.

The 2021 STAAR Grades 3-8 Reporting Student Data File Format and 2021 STAAR End-of-Course Reporting Student Data File Format have been posted here.

The Student Portal is updated on bi-monthly basis to reflect changes submitted by the districts.

The raw score to scale score conversion tables are posted here.

Districts can opt in to receive printed STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate report cards through the Assessment Management System. The deadline to opt in for printed STAAR Alternate 2 report cards is May 7, 2021. The deadline to opt in for printed TELPAS report cards and TELPAS Alternate report cards is May 28, 2021. Districts that do not opt in will not receive printed report cards.

For questions or help with accessing and interpreting STAAR results, districts and parents can email assessment.reporting@tea.texas.gov or call (512) 463-9704.

Based on feedback from divisions within TEA, diagnostic results from the Texas Success Initiative assessment (TSIA) 2.0 will not be evaluated for college readiness in the College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) components. The chart below has been updated to reflect this change.

Despite the impacts of COVID-19, the percentages of campuses and districts reporting low, moderate, and high levels of economically disadvantaged students has remained stable.

March 29–April 9: 2021 Alternative Education Accountability (AEA) Auto-Registration Process in TEAL

April 2021: 2021 Accountability Manual Public Comment Period

April 26–May 7: 2021 Campus Pairing Process in TEAL

Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
1701 N. Congress Avenue, Room 3-122A
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: (512) 463-9536
Fax: (512) 463-9302

ETS Customer Service
(STAAR Grades 3–8, EOC, and Interim Assessments):
Phone:(855) 333-7770
Email:
STAAR3-8@ets.org
STAAREOC@ets.org

Pearson's Customer Service Center
(STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS. and TELPAS Alternate):
Phone: (800) 627-0225
Email: TxPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com

Jessica Hassell, M.Ed.

Assessment, Accountability & School Improvement Specialist

Teacher Incentive Allotment Lead

Regional Testing Coordinator

Region 6 Education Service Center

Email: jhassell@esc6.net
Website: https://www.esc6.net/
Location: 3332 Montgomery Rd, Huntsville, TX, USA
Phone: 936-435-8334