State Assessment News & Updates

• Nov. 3-5 - Texas Assessment Conference (out of office)
• Nov. 18 & 19 - Fall STAAR Alternate 2 & TELPAS Trainings (register in Kickup)
• Dec. 12 & 15 - Work Sessions (register in Kickup)

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

As of 10.31.2025

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.

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.

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.

Only the designated campus coordinator for state assessments is invited.

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

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

Only the designated campus coordinator for state assessments is invited.

Choose 1 of 2 sessions in November and email Kelly to register.

I promise I will send invites. Stay tuned.

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.

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 Reports - November 12, 10-10:30
• Setting Up Make-up Tests - November 19, 10-10:30
• Testhound Tune-Ups (live work sessions, bring your questions)
• Mondays, 2:30-3pm
• Thursdays, 9-9:30am

Click on the photo below for a quick getaway!