Standardized Testing
Which STAAR and other standardized tests will students take, and how are testing requirements and results handled?
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
In addition to routine tests and other measures of achievement, students in grades 3–8 will take the state assessment, the STAAR exam, in the following subjects:
- Mathematics, annually in grades 3–8
- Reading, annually in grades 3–8
- Science in grades 5 and 8
- Social studies in grade 8
STAAR Alternate 2 is available for eligible students receiving special education services and who meet certain state-established criteria, as determined by the student’s admission, review, and dismissal committee.
STAAR Spanish is available for eligible grade 3–5 students for whom a Spanish version of STAAR is the most appropriate measure of their academic progress.
Accelerated Instruction: Grades 3–8
LTS will provide accelerated instruction to each student who fails to perform satisfactorily on the STAAR exam in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. This accelerated instruction will be provided either during the subsequent summer or school year, and consist of instruction meeting the requirements of Education Code § 28.0211(a-1) and 28.0211(a-4), as applicable.
Accelerated instruction provided during the following school year may require participation of the student before or after normal school hours.
In providing this accelerated instruction, LTS may not remove a student, except under circumstances for which a student enrolled in the same grade level who is not receiving accelerated instruction would be removed, from: (1) instruction in the foundation and enrichment curriculum for the grade level in which the student is enrolled, or (2) recess or other physical activity that is available to other students enrolled in the same grade level.
Accelerated Learning Committees
LTS will establish an accelerated learning committee (“ALC”) for each student for each student who fails to perform satisfactorily on:
- 1. The third grade mathematics or reading STAAR assessment;
- 2. The fifth grade mathematics or reading STAAR assessment; or
- 3. The eighth grade mathematics or reading STAAR assessment.
A student’s ALC will be composed of the principal or designee, the students’ parent, and the teacher of the subject of the assessment on which the student failed to perform satisfactorily.
The ALC will, not later than the start of the subsequent school year after the student fails to perform satisfactorily on one of the STAAR exams mentioned above, develop an educational plan for the student that provides the necessary accelerated instruction to enable the student to perform at the appropriate grade level by the conclusion of the school year. The educational plan must be documented in writing, and a copy must be provided to the student’s parent or guardian.
A parent of a student who fails to perform satisfactorily on one of the STAAR exams mentioned above may submit a written request to the principal for LTS to consider the student’s assignment to a particular classroom teacher in the applicable subject area for the subsequent school year, if more than one classroom teacher is available. LTS retains discretion to make classroom assignments based on campus needs and classroom capacity.
During the school year, the student’s progress will be monitored to ensure that the student is progressing in accordance with the plan. LTS will also administer to the student the assessment instrument for the grade level in which the student is placed at the same time as the assessment is taken by other students in the same grade level.
If a student assigned to an educational plan fails in the subsequent school year to perform satisfactorily on a STAAR exam in the same subject, the superintendent or designee will meet with the student’s ALC to: (1) identify the reason the student did not perform satisfactorily, and (2) determine, in order to ensure the student performs satisfactorily on next administration of the STAAR exam, whether the student’s educational plan must be modified and if any additional resources are required for the student.
The student’s parent may contest the content or implementation of an educational plan developed by the ALC by submitting a written complaint to the principal within (1) seven calendar days of the parent’s receipt of the educational plan or (2) within seven calendar days of the parent’s concern that the educational plan is not being properly implemented. The superintendent will conduct a conference with the parent within five school days of the principal’s receipt of the written complaint and issue a written decision within five school days of the conference. A parent who is dissatisfied with the superintendent’s decision may appeal through the LTS student and parent complaint process, beginning at the level of superintendent review.
Special Education Students: The ARD Committee of a student who participates in the school’s special education program and who does not perform satisfactorily on the math or reading portions of the third, fifth, or eighth grade STAAR assessment must meet to determine the manner in which the student will participate in an accelerated instruction program.
Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System
The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (“TELPAS”) is a system of statewide assessments administered to all Limited English Proficient (“LEP”) students in grades K–12. The TELPAS measures English ability based on the stages of language development of second language learners. These results will further the understanding of the educational needs of LEP students by providing a state-level measure of both their current academic English levels and their annual progress in English.