Menu
Special Population Testing

The STAAR program includes assessments for students requiring special education services and English Language Learners. The special assessments include STAAR Alternate and STAAR L.

For information about how STAAR will affect students who are new to U.S. schools and/or are asylees, please see the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee resources for
decision-making guides and relevant forms: www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/ell/lpac/
Please read below to find out more about each adapted STAAR exam and to learn about student eligibility.  

More information about accommodations for students taking STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR L and TELPAS is available at the TEA website:
•    www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/staar-telpas/
•    www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations/

STAAR Alternate 2
TEA has developed the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment to meet the federal requirements mandated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a federal education law previously known as No Child Left Behind. TEA designed the STAAR Alternate 2 to assess students in grades 3–8 and high school who have significant cognitive disabilities and are receiving special education services. Click here for more information about STAAR Alternate 2.

Subjects that may be evaluated using STAAR 3–8 Alternate 2 assessments:
Grade 3—Reading and Math
Grade 4—Reading, Math and Writing
Grade 5—Reading, Math and Science
Grade 6—Reading and Math
Grade 7—Reading, Math and Writing
Grade 8—Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies

Courses that may be evaluated using STAAR Alternate 2 EOC assessments:
Math—Algebra I
English—English I and English II
Science—Biology
Social Studies—U.S. History

STAAR L
The STAAR program includes a number of assessments that address needs of English Language Learners who meet particular participation requirements.

Spanish versions of STAAR have been developed for grades 3 through 5 in each grade and subject assessed by STAAR English versions. Test development processes have been implemented to ensure that the Spanish-version STAAR tests are linguistically and culturally appropriate for the students tested and comparable to the English-version tests in content, rigor and achievement standards.

For grades 3 through 8 and high school, computer-based linguistically accommodated versions of STAAR L have been developed. STAAR L has been tested online since 2013.

For additional information regarding ELL testing for STAAR, please check the TEA website, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/ell/

The STAAR Modified assessments were administered for the last time in the spring of 2014.  Beginning in the spring of 2015, there will be a new test version called STAAR Accommodated, or STAAR A.  Details about the administration of STAAR A will be released by the Texas Education Agency in the fall of 2014.

Test Schedule
To view CISD’s test schedule online please click here (PDF).