State Assessment News & Updates

• Nov. 18 & 19 - Fall STAAR Alternate (register in Kickup) 2 & TELPAS Trainings (contact Kelly for invite)
• December 3-6 - December STAAR EOC (high schools)
• Dec. 12 & 15 - Work Sessions (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!

As of 11/14/2025 - Another 3,000+ tests administered this week!

Remember that many different ways to use interim data are included in our STAAR Interim Assessments training slides.

High school campus coordinators are required to complete and submit their oath prior to training test administrators. Find the oath and instructions for campus coordinators on our PfISD State Assessments website. (PfISD State Assessments website > Trainings & Security > Oaths)

Test administrator training slides are posted on our PfISD State Assessments website. The oath for test administrators is linked at the end of the training slides and further information for campus coordinators is also available on our PfISD State Assessments website.

December EOC eligibility has been updated for high school students. Use the "Advanced Search" feature in TIDE to review. Refer to our Campus Coordinator Training slides for more information.

You will identify some eligible students that may need to be manually updated. Make manual updates as needed based on students records you have collected. The campus coordinator is responsible for identifying all eligible students and ensuring they are prepared and scheduled to participate in the December STAAR EOC administration.

Verification of student identification will be due in early December.

• Campus coordinators will be required to verify that students have been properly identified to participate in SA2 by following the instructions that will be shared in the next 2 weeks.
• We will discuss the process at our upcoming SA2 training.
• This process will ensure you receive the appropriate materials for your students in February/March.
• If you have no students participating in SA2 on your campus, you will need to read the directions and respond accordingly.
• How to be prepared? Talk to your ARD facilitator and your teachers NOW to ensure students are properly identified to participate in SA2.

Each campus has identified either February 3 or 4 for their test date. Please indicate your selected test date here. Make-up opportunities are encouraged but not required. See page 7 of the manual for more information.

A reminder that all students in grades 3, 5 and 5 who are scheduled to take STAAR Spanish in Spring 2026 are required to participate in the field test. See page 6 of the manual for more information.

Watch for training dates to be shared soon. Training will be via Google Meet, and you will need to schedule time to actively participate in the training.

As we discussed at State Assessment Accessibility Training in October, TEA has clarified that anything used as a Supplemental Aid, including mnemonics, must help the student with content only and not testing strategy.

Examples of strategies that are NOT allowed:

• ❌ RACES (Restate the question, Answer the question, Cite evidence from the text, Explain your evidence, Sum it up or So what?)
• ❌ CUBES (Circle important words, Underline the question, Box key words, Eliminate extra information, Solve by showing work)
• ❌ Other mnemonics used for a strategy are not allowable mnemonic devices (Supplemental Aids) for STAAR testing

Teachers may use strategies in class, of course. Students may choose to write any mnemonic on their scratch paper after the test begins. Test administrators may NOT tell or require students to do this.

Two additional slides have been shared at this link and also below.

STAAR assessments, including accommodated versions, and TELPAS listening and speaking assessments and reading and writing assessments are administered online. However, some students might be eligible for special paper or holistic administrations in rare, unavoidable circumstances where students cannot access an online assessment or a testing accommodation cannot be provided in an online setting. Find more information in our State Assessment Accessibility Training slides.

Requests for TELPAS are due December 18.

Requests for Spring STAAR administrations are due January 26.

Eligibility Requirements (with examples)

Accommodation Cannot be Applied

✔️a student requires braille materials for Interims (does not require TEA approval for STAAR)

✔️a student accesses accommodations via technology that is not embedded in the Secure Test Browser

Unable to Participate in One Domain of TELPAS

✔️a student communicates with eye blinks and ARD committee has determined the student cannot be assessed by an online speaking assessment (TELPAS), student will be holistically rated in listening

✔️a student is deaf and ARD committee has determined the student cannot be assessed in listening, student will be holistically rated in speaking

Technology Access is Precluded

✔️a student experiences adverse health (seizures, spasms, headaches) when exposed to certain types of monitors

✔️a student is participating in an assessment in a setting that does not offer reliable internet access
✔️a student is precluded by a court order from accessing the internet

Be aware:
🚫A special administration will not be approved because a student knows very little English.

🚫A special administration will not be approved because a student has limited exposure to computers.
🚫A special administration will not be approved because another mode (paper, holistic) is preferred.

As the campus coordinator for STAAR, you have already marked training dates on your calendar based on the schedule I have shared.

Registration is now available in Kickup for the following sessions:

• STAAR Alternate 2, Nov. 18 or 19 (see details below)
• December STAAR EOC (High Schools only), Oct. 30
• Work Sessions, Dec. 12 & 15

TIP: Search "State Assessments" in Kickup to find these sessions.

The day prior to each session, please confirm time and location in Kickup. If you export the event to your calendar, any changes in Kickup will not be reflected in your calendar.

Campus coordinators who are new to this role in PfISD are required to attend. If a campus has no students eligible to participate in STAAR Alternate 2, the campus coordinator is not required to attend.

👀Those who are returning to this role in PfISD are not required to attend, but are expected to read all training materials, including slides and Key Dates that will be posted next week.

Only the designated campus coordinator for state assessments is invited.

Choose 1 of 2 sessions in November and register in Kickup.

👉WMS, PES, RES, SHES - please double check to confirm the appropriate person is registered in Kickup if students on campus will participate in SA2.

Campus coordinators who are new to this role in PfISD are required to attend.

👀Those who are returning to this role in PfISD are not required to attend, but are expected to read all training materials, including slides and Key Dates that will be posted next week.

Only the designated campus coordinator for state assessments is invited.

Choose 1 of 2 sessions in November and email Kelly to register. Invites have been sent to those who have emailed their request.

👉CMS, WMS, DES, SHES, TES, WES - please double check to confirm the appropriate person has requested an invitation.

Resources for upcoming trainings as well as other resources for use during each administration are available and periodically updated.

Be sure you have this site bookmarked.

For all state assessment programs, each student will test on a PfISD managed device. Chromebooks are preferred. Devices used for state assessments should be routinely used in class. No installation is required for Chromebooks, and the Secure Test Browser is accessed as noted on the document linked below.

If additional devices are needed, Windows devices (laptops, desktops) may be used. The campus coordinator is responsible for installing the Secure Test Browser for 2025-2026 on Windows devices. Installation is completed once (according to the instructions below) in the current school year and is effective for all administrations.

✅Each campus coordinator for state assessments is expected to be knowledgeable of all devices, including headphones and headsets, on campus. Routine technology checks throughout the school year are encouraged to ensure all devices are accounted for and in working order.

If you haven't already inventoried headsets and headphones on campus, you should do so right away so you are well-prepared for spring administrations.

Headsets and headphones should be used routinely by students and not stored for test administrations. An accurate inventory is essential.

Campus coordinators for TELPAS and STAAR should work together to ensure these devices are available for spring administrations.

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.

Our work sessions are intended to help you work efficiently, and are not intended to provide time for you to complete tasks in the most difficult or time-consuming way.

Educate yourself, learn and apply some new spreadsheet skills and make the most of your time.

Technology for Teachers & Students is a good Youtube channel to subscribe to. I've previewed a number of their spreadsheet videos based what I've seen some of you doing recently, and these videos will help you. Open each video and read the caption to see what is covered in each video.

• Excel for Beginners - The Complete Course
• Excel for Intermediate Users - The Complete Course
• Filtering in Excel - Basics & Beyond
• Advanced Excel - VLOOKUP Basics
• Dealing with Duplicates in Excel and Finding Unique Data
• Many more...check out the channel!

The channel offers many more videos, including some specific to Google Sheets. I recommend you master spreadsheet skills in Excel and then transfer your learning to Google Sheets.

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

• Setting Up Make-up Tests - November 19, 10-10:30
• Changing Your Testing Schedule - December 3, 10-10:30
• Campus TELPAS Testing - January 28, 10-10:30
• Testhound Tune-Ups (live work sessions, bring your questions)
• Mondays, 2:30-3pm
• Thursdays, 9-9:30am
• You will notice a slight variation in the schedule in late November & early December.

Remember Blue Mind Theory?