The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has shared information on the new online version of STAAR that will be available beginning in March 2017. STAAR A (STAAR Accommodated) and STAAR L (linguistically accommodated English version of the STAAR) will no longer be used as the online version will take their place. What we know is limited to the communication from State Assessment Divison:
- The new version will have embedded accommodations, accessibility feature, and non-embedded accommodations (not in the platform)
- There will be embedded accommodations for text to speech, language and vocabulary supports, and content supports
- Accessibility features will be included (TBD)
- Accommodations students use during STAAR administration will be selected on the basis of documentation in the IEP of current instructional accommodations, routinely and effectively used in the classroom; students will receive only the specific accommodations he or she uses
- If students’ ARDs or Section 504 committees had selected STAAR A assessments for Spring 2017, IEP/504 plan will need to be updated to reflect each assessment the student will take and the specific embedded accommodations and non-embedded accommodations (i.e., supports that are not part of the technology platform) that the student requires during testing. It will be a case by case decision as to update through an ARD or through an IEP amendment.
- The accessibility features that are available to all students in the online version of STAAR do not need to be listed in a student’s IEP or Section 504 plan, unless the student’s ARD or Section 504 committee wants to ensure that the student uses a certain feature.