State Assessment News & Updates

• Feb. 24 - March 11 - PfISD TELPAS Window (note this window is different across the state)
• 🚫 Feb. 26 - Ooops - there is no work session on this day as I may have said in our STAAR CTC Training...sorry about that. 🚫
• March 27 - Work Session (register in Kickup)

Reach me at my desk most days from about 7:30-4:30. I'm always happy to stay later if you let me know you need help after 4:30pm.

💬Gmail Chat??? I'm trying to learn. Feel free to give it a try, and I'll do my best!

STAAR campus coordinators are responsible for documenting the campus plan for securely storing test tickets and STAAR Alternate 2 materials.

Instructions are on slide 47 of our STAAR Campus Coordinator training slides.

At the start of each year, I share our "PfISD Campus Testing Plan" document with new campus coordinators.

Please review Section 3, especially the list of materials, to ensure you have everything you need.

If you receive new students, you can add them to TIDE to immediately have access to their state assessment history as well as to print tickets for interims, TELPAS or STAAR. Use the instructions in our Quick Guide to manually add a student.

🔥Hot tip: If the student was previously enrolled in another Texas campus or district, including within PfISD, call me with the student's TSDS ID. I can very easily transfer the student for you. This can help to avoid mistakes.

✅Returning TELPAS Campus coordinators are able to begin working in TIDE to ensure "Years in U.S. Schools" is complete and accurate and students are properly identified as EB. Find more information in the "TELPAS & TELPAS Alternate" section below.

New TELPAS campus coordinators are able to begin working in TIDE if the trainings below are completed in Cambium's LMS. I will not be checking the status of the required courses again, so you'll need to call me when these are complete.

If you receive any requests from anyone not enrolled on your campus to participate in Spring STAAR, please refer the request to Kelly.

SPRING 2026 STAAR ADMINISTRATION

For STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessment retesters, Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI) will set the Retester fields to “Spring” and the Spring EOC Eligibility fields to “Yes” in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) on January 22. CAI will also set the EOC Previously Passed flags for all students who passed any EOC assessment during the December 2025 administration. Eligibility for first time testers must still be set by district personnel prior to the administration.

Window 3 of RLA & Mathematics, including Algebra I, interims are required for all students in grades 3-8. All eligible students are required to participate.

Please make sure all tests have a status of submitted when the window closes on Feb. 19.

Around 12,000 submitted with about 2,000 in progress this morning.

• Next step will be to review Materials List that will be available in January. This is your opportunity to verify that you are receiving appropriate materials. You may need to place an additional order at this time if there have been changes since verification.
• Find your list of materials here.
• Wait for further instructions on requesting additional materials. An order form will be provided in the next few weeks. I cannot place an order at this time.
• Do not provide notice that you're receiving "extra" materials. These are the materials you are receiving and that cannot be changed.
• Additional materials requested will be available AFTER the start of the SA2 administration window.

I have ordered reference materials for grade 3-8 math, Algebra I and grade 8 science. Expect these to be delivered to you by April 1. Please call me no later than April 2 if you have not received these.

Every student taking one of these tests will receive a hard copy of these reference materials. For math, students will also receive the grade-appropriate grid paper.

Important: If you happen to have old copies laying around, be sure to destroy any copies of the grade 8 science reference materials. This year's version is updated to reflect the new TEKS, and it's important you use the updated version.

If you need to make additional copies, find them at this link. (Please don't run copies now! Wait to receive your delivery.)

TIDE is now set up for TELPAS at this time, and campus coordinators are now authorized to work on TELPAS in TIDE. You may work in Testhound. Follow instructions below to gain access.

• Years in U.S. schools is due complete and verified in TIDE by February 20.
• Instructions are available here.

❗❗We currently have 6,276 students in grade 1-12 in TIDE for TELPAS and only 18 are missing years! That's less than 1%! Campuses with missing years are PHS, HHS, PMS, WMS, PES, NES, WES, ROES, BES, RBES and HLES.

Please continue to verify, especially as new students are enrolled and added to TIDE.

Please verify that students are properly identified in TIDE to participate in TELPAS Alternate. You may need to work with your ARD facilitator and STAAR coordinator. Second graders have also been identified in TIDE. Call with questions about TELPAS Alternate.

I was able to add 2nd graders this week.

• Instructions are available here.

Find TELPAS training slides on our PfISD State Assessments website on the "Trainings & Security" menu.

Below are photos from our STAAR campus coordinator training.

Please email me with any of your campus plans to work on addressing test anxiety - students and staff. You might want to make a plan with a counselor and others on campus.

I have updated a set of generic seating charts that you can use for consolidation. You'll want to print these to have available.

You may also choose to reassign students in Testhound and print a new seating chart. However, this is not required!

These seating charts are only allowable for consolidated test sites.

What is your plan to ensure technology is in good working order, updated and ready for test days? Routine technology checks are recommended. Schedule a day for everyone to launch the Secure Test Browser (or something else) in class and establish a reporting system for teachers to document the check. You'll need to have a system to capture any problems and submit "Technology Help" requests if any devices are not functioning properly.

Schedule your campus technology checks at least 4-6 week prior to a test administration to allow time for any repairs or troubleshooting.

Campus coordinators for state assessments should be reading the weekly Principals' Newsletter. Additionally, I will send a weekly email most weeks. Please be sure to schedule time to read each weekly email.

If you need to catch up on my weekly email, find links on the Resources page of our PfISD State Assessments website. You'll find last week's email there if you missed it.

Find the archives of the weekly PfISD Principals' Newsletter at this link. If you're not receiving these, ask your principal to get you added to the mailing list.

Find the link and/or preregister at this link (must be logged in to Testhound).

When logged into Testhound, click "Help" to find more information and links to register or access recordings.

• From "Help", navigate to
• "Register for a Live TestHound Educational Session" or
• Watch a Recorded Testhound Educational Session.

Upcoming Sessions

• Campus Auto-Pilot - February 11, 10-10:30
• Setting up Rooms & Test Administrations - February 25, 10-10:30
• Make-up Testing/Marking Students Absent - March 11, 10-10:30
• Verifying Accommodations, March 18, 10-10:30
• Campus Reports, March 25, 10-10:30am
• Testhound Tune-Ups (live work sessions, bring your questions)
• Mondays, 2:30-3pm
• Thursdays, 9-9:30am

🤍The white candy hearts are the best! 🤍