• Good news! You should be able to catch me at my desk over the next few weeks! ☎️
• February 24 - March 12 - TELPAS
• March 3 - I'll be in a meeting for the morning. Please email, and I'll do my best to help.
• March 15-23 - SPRING BREAK 🌹
• March 27 - Work Session (register and confirm details in Kickup), See some suggested tasks at the end of this email 💻
• April 15-17 - STAAR RLA
• April 18 - HOLIDAY! 🐰
• April 22-24 - STAAR Science & Social Studies
• April 19-May 1 - STAAR Mathematics

If you need to catch up, find links to this newsletter on the Resources page of our PfISD State Assessments website.

Each principal and campus coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all eligible students participate in the TELPAS & STAAR administrations, including alternate assessments. For students who do not participate, usually due to an absence in Skyward, we are required to retain auditable documentation for 5 years.

<<LINK INCLUDED HERE IN YOUR THE EMAIL YOU RECEIVED on 2.20.2025.>>

“S” (for score) is automatically assigned to a test submitted by a student with no further action required by the campus coordinator. All other tests require documentation that is auditable.

The deadlines are very tight with absolutely no flexibility due to TEA's deadlines. All score codes are required to be submitted in TIDE no later than:

• TELPAS & TELPAS Alternate – due March 12
• STAAR Alternate 2 – due April 13
• April STAAR RLA – due no later than 4pm on April 17 (BEFORE April 18 holiday)
• April STAAR SC/SC – due no later than noon on April 25
• May STAAR Mathematics – due no later than noon on May 2

Detailed instructions are included on the first tab of the document linked above.

You may want to train another administrator or trusted staff person to help monitor attendance, prepare for make-ups and maintain this documentation for each day of testing. While score codes will be submitted in TIDE only at the very end of the administration, you will not wait until the end of the administration to begin putting this documentation together.

It is imperative that great care is taken when documenting score codes in TIDE. Making corrections is not always possible, and score codes impact state accountability calculations.

Score code documentation and submission in TIDE is a priority, as noted above. After score codes are documented and submitted in TIDE, the campus coordinator will ensure required documentation is saved in the designated locations. Required documentation is due no later than:

• TELPAS – due March 12
• Check-in Form is available on our PfISD State Assessments website. Find it on the "Administrations" menu by expanding TELPAS.
• STAAR Alternate 2 – due April 13 (or April 2 for Early Birds)
• April STAAR RLA – due no later than noon on Monday, April 21
• April STAAR SC/SC – due no later than noon on Monday, April 28
• May STAAR Mathematics – due no later than noon on Monday, May 5

Each campus has a "Documentation" folder that includes subfolders by administration with subfolders for each of the required documents. Refer to your check-in document for instructions.

Find your folders here: S:\StateAssessments\<<YOUR CAMPUS>>\2024-2025\Documentation

I will continue adding students in TIDE, with an emphasis on EB students. Find the lists of updates/deletions at this link and check your email for any campus-specific notices I may have shared.

If you must manually add a student, use our "Quick Guide..." available at this link.

🚫❌Campus coordinators will not adjust eligibility for alternate tests, and will not change EB indicator in TIDE.❌🚫

Thank you for completing "years" in TIDE last week. Please continue to verify and/or complete "Years in U.S. Schools" in TIDE for new students as they enroll. Instructions

If you have a newly enrolled/identified student who is not available to you in TIDE and/or is not identified as EB in TIDE, please add your student to this list below for further review. Check the list daily for updates.

Campus coordinators are not authorized to add or change the EB field in TIDE.

On February 27, elementary campus coordinators received a file to upload holistic ratings into TIDE. All student information has been pre-populated and should not be modified except as noted on the instructions. Students will not be deleted from the spreadsheet without explicit instructions to do so.

Before the file is uploaded, please designate at least one additional person, other than the person who added the holistic ratings to the spreadsheet, to verify for completion and accuracy.

Instructions for completing the attached spreadsheet and uploading into TIDE are available here.

Please do not, for any reason, upload duplicate ratings for a student. This will cause problems.

Ratings for all K-1 students identified as EB must be uploaded into TIDE no later than Wednesday, March 12. Uploading ratings earlier is highly recommended.

More information, including a "how to" video are available at this link. (Scroll down to find "TELPAS.")

Please use the "Advanced Search" function in TIDE to confirm students identified by ARD committee to participate in STAAR Alternate 2 are properly marked in TIDE to participate in TELPAS Alternate.

Do not make any changes to Alternate fields in TIDE. Contact Kelly if you identify a student who is not properly marked in TIDE. Be sure to have the TSDS ID handy when you call.

Remember when I mentioned that we can set our test dates within the state's window? Well, we cannot set test dates outside of the state's window, and somehow I managed to do this. Our Key Dates have been corrected.

• You may choose to delay the preview window until March 10-14 or use March 3-14 as your preview.
• All testing will begin on March 24, after spring break.
• My apologies for my confusion and the disruption to your plans.

STAAR Alternate materials that each campus will receive are listed on this document. Please review this list to ensure you are receiving sufficient materials for all students identified to participate in STAAR Alternate 2. Use the "Enrolled Campus Expected Shipment" column.

👉Orders are due no later than noon on March 5. You will need to identify the proper form number from your Materials List (shared above) and also provide the local ID # for each student for whom the materials are being requested. These materials will be available sometime after spring break.

We have a small quantity of additional manuals available.

Count your test administrators for your largest administration to ensure you have enough manuals. Place an order for exactly what you need as the supply is limited.

When the supply is exhausted, the campus can make copies as needed.

Orders are due by noon on March 12.

STAAR Alternate 2 & STAAR test administrator trainings must be documented here.

Slides for STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Training have been posted. Test administrators should participate in training February 18-28. Training documentation is due complete no later than February 28.

Slides for STAAR Test Administrator Training are posted. Campus trainings for STAAR will not begin before March 25. All trainings and documentation should be complete no later than April 11 (or April 25 for STAAR Mathematics).

Find training slides on the Trainings & Security menu of the PfISD State Assessment website.

I have ordered reference materials to be copied and delivered to the campus coordinator by April 1. Please mark your calendar to expect these in March and notify me no later than April 1 if you do not have these in your hands. (I said at training you would need to order these, but it seemed like everyone wanted copies, so I have already submitted the order.)

You should be prepared to make additional copies if you do not receive sufficient quantities. Find the materials at this link to make copies AFTER you receive the quantities I have ordered.

ES - Mathematics reference materials by grade enrollment and grid paper; a small quantity of Spanish have been ordered for bilingual campuses

MS - Mathematics reference materials by grade enrollment and grid paper; Algebra 1 reference materials by enrollment and grid paper; science reference materials by grade

HS - Algebra 1 reference materials by enrollment

We will have a new program for June 2025. Students will prep for 1-2 days (2 days of prep for EOC E1 & E2) and then take their test on the next day.

STAAR EOC English I & II

Test Prep Days (2 days) - June 16 & 17

Test Days - June 18, students who need to take both EOC tests, will take the 2nd test on June 19

STAAR EOC Algebra I

Test Prep Day - June 23

Test Day - June 24

STAAR EOC U.S. History

Test Prep Day - June 23

Test Day - June 24

STAAR EOC Biology

Test Prep Day - June 25

Test Day - June 26

Further details, including job postings for an enthusiastic STAAR coordinator as well as test prep teachers/test administrators will be coming soon.

To ensure each campus is well-prepared to begin the upcoming administrations, here are some technology-related tips that may be helpful.

The Test Administration Manuals state that, "For EB students who request assistance, test administrators are allowed to paraphrase, translate, repeat, or read aloud these directions and the directions that introduce particular test sections or question types, as long as the substance of the directions is not changed."

In Pflugerville ISD, on test days, we will only allow translations by the test administrator, as stated in the manuals. If a teacher routinely translates directions for a student, please be sure the assigned test administrator is also able to translate on student request. (The student must make the request on test days.)

For students who routinely request directions to be translated and use other means (not the teacher) during instruction, you may choose to translate test administration directions in the weeks prior to testing for a teacher to review with the student prior to the day of the test. This includes the use of an online translation. This must be done by a trained test administrator or the campus coordinator who is responsible for the accuracy of the translation. These directions will not be used on the day of the assessment.

Always check here first when you are looking for something that I have shared.

Resources from recent trainings as well as other resources for use during each administration are available and periodically updated. Be sure you have this site bookmarked.

The commissioner shared "Spring 2025 STAAR Information" with superintendents in his February 20 call with superintendents.

His slides detail the use of the Family Portal to see state assessment results. There are some great screenshots that illustrate what parents can see in the portal. On slide 7, he highlights 2 new indicators:

• a new "Advanced" icon 🏆
• a note that will highlight eligibility for accelerated instruction.

Find the slides at this link.

If you're interested in understanding the hybrid scoring process that combines human scorers with an automated scoring engine to score STAAR RLA ECRs, I have a few resources to share.

First, it helps to be familiar with the writing rubrics and how they changed in 2023. Find the rubrics at this link. Some common misconceptions educators have are rooted in the fact that the rubric changed in 2023 based on recommendations from educator committees.

After you understand the rubrics, familiarize yourself with the "STAAR Constructed Scoring Response" document that is available at this link. (Scroll down to find "What Other Information is Available?".)

Then, take a look at this recorded webinar (live version was last week).

RTC Collaborative & TEA Automated Scoring Engine Webinar - ESC 12 Zoom Recording

Password: 56h.3yQH

Each test administration should be built with students and test administrators assigned to a room no later than 1 week prior to the test administration. Changes may continue to occur, but the bulk of the work should be completed no later than 1 week prior to each administration.

Upcoming Training Opportunities - Preregister at this link (must be logged in to Testhound).

• Testhound Tune-Ups (live work sessions, bring your questions)
• Thursday, March 6, 9-9:30 AM CT
• Monday, March 10, 2-2:30 PM CT
• Thursday, March 13, 9-9:30 AM CT
• Monday, March 24, 2-2:30 PM CT
• Thursday, March 27, 9-9:30 AM CT
• Monday, March 31, 2-2:30 PM CT
• Scanning Test Books Back to Boxes (STAAR Alt 2), Wednesday, March 5, 10-10:30 AM CT
• Test Configuration - Assign by Period, Wednesday, March 12, 10-10:30 AM CT
• Test Configuration - Assign by Capacity, Wednesday, March 19, 10-10:30 AM CT
• Filter by Accommodation, Wednesday, March 26, 10-10:30 AM CT
• Consolidating Rooms on Test Day, Wednesday, April 2, 10-10:30 AM CT

Testhound found a friendly face at MES, and he & his buddy are still spreading some love.🐶💕

Share your puppy pics here, please! Include the name of your campus when you save your photo in the designated folder.

Thursday, March 27, Confirm time and location in Kickup

Individual assistance as needed. TIDE & Testhound support available at all sessions. Attendees may come and go at any time, but all must register in advance. Bring laptops and other necessary resources. Confirm time and location in Kickup.

Suggested Tasks: Final preparations for April/May STAAR administrations