State Assessment News & Updates

• Fri., Sept. 18 - National Cheeseburger Day! 🍔
• Mon., Sept. 21 - Interims & TIDE Training (register in Kickup)
• REQUIRED for those who are new to the role of campus coordinator for state assessments in PfISD
• Wed., Sept. 23 - Interims & TIDE Training (register in Kickup)
• REQUIRED for those who are new to the role of campus coordinator for state assessments in PfISD
• Mon. Sept. 28 - out of office ❌
• Fri., Oct. 2 - State Assessments Work Session & Lunch with Leaders (register in Kickup)
• Fri., Oct. 9 - December STAAR EOC Training (HS)
• October 12 - 16 - HOLIDAY! 🎉
• October 23/26 - State Assessment Accessibility Training (register in Kickup)

⏰I am usually available at my desk from 7:30am - 4:30pm. I'm happy to stay later on request.

💬Reach me via chat, email or phone. Sometimes I overlook chat, so feel free to nudge.

UPDATED

Planning should be well underway at this time. The Key Dates document below is available to help. Some dates are tentative at this time, so check back.

Campus coordinators are required to provide training to test administrators prior to the administration of interims. To provide training, campus coordinators must first participate in training. Campus coordinators are not authorized to train campus staff until this training is complete.

• New campus coordinators will participate in in-person training next week and will also complete trainings listed below in Cambium's LMS.
• Returning campus coordinators will complete trainings listed below in Cambium's LMS.

Staff administering interims are also required to submit a "Security Statement," and this will be shared with training materials next week.

Training materials will be posted on our PfISD State Assessments website next week.

🆕Before campus coordinators conduct campus trainings for Interims, the following trainings are required to be completed.

Returning Campus Coordinators - Required LMS Trainings (updated 9.18.2026)

• What's New for 2026-2027 School Year: TIDE & TDS (10 mins?)
• Managing Secure Test Materials (13 mins)
• NEW: Test Security for the Texas Assessment Program (40 mins)

New Campus Coordinators - Required LMS Trainings (updated 9.18.2026)

• The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) Module 1: System Overview and User Management
• The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) Module 2: Preparing for Testing
• The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) Module 3: During and After Testing
• Managing Secure Test Materials
• NEW: Test Security for the Texas Assessment Program (40 mins)
• Coming Soon (I think): CRS

More information about access to TIDE for various users is available here.

This morning, I added 76 students in grades 3-8. A handful of those were moved from one campus to another.

I also added about 96 EOC students and about a dozen of those were moved from one campus to another.

As of 1pm, I have 35,641 test attributes (aka accommodations) from Testhound & Ellevation processing in TIDE!

REPEAT ITEM

Campus staff are not permitted to use TEA's Family Portal to access state assessment history for students who are not personal family.

The campus coordinator is responsible for training campus staff to access state assessment history in compliance with FERPA & TEA guidance.

Staff who need to be trained may include counselors, administrators, LPAC staff, special education staff, registrars and anyone who has an educational need to view state assessment history. The campus coordinator for state assessments is responsible for identifying all staff who need to participate in this training. The appropriate setting can be determined by the campus coordinator. Individual meetings or a small group session would be ideal.

This document is available to help train campus staff.

It is recommended that each campus coordinator for state assessments maintain documentation that training has occurred.

When complete, the campus coordinator will complete the brief form linked below.

⭐Already completed: Marc (KLMS), Melissa (NES), Rebecca (HHS), RIta (VMES), Kel (PHS) & Angie (WHS)

UPDATED

You should now see current students on the Accountability > CCMR Early Warning System report in ODS.

Need to know more? Click on the "Training" link in the menu and register for training.

REPEAT ITEM

STAAR EOC English II is a graduation requirement for students graduating in 2027 (June and August), and all students who have taken and not yet met the standard will participate in the upcoming December administration.

Students graduating in 2028 and beyond are not required to retest in December because the STAAR EOC English II graduation requirement will be discontinued.

By 10/7, Cambium will update "Retester" status in TIDE for December STAAR. Kelly will then remove eligibility for all classified as 11th graders in TIDE (October 8/9).

Students graduating in 2028 and beyond may choose to retest. We will not deny any student the opportunity to participate if they choose to do so.

Campus Coordinator Tasks

• Notify students graduating in 2028 who have taken and not yet passed STAAR EOC English II that they will not be scheduled to retest unless they request to participate.

• Identify any 11th grade early graduates, restore eligibility for December STAAR EOC English II in TIDE (beginning October 12, no later than November 18)
• Identify any students who may be graduating September - December 2027 and contact Kelly for guidance no later than October 12.

UPDATED: STAAR - updates in progress for Chromebooks, installation instructions for Windows devices coming soon (by October 1).

TSIA 2 - ✅ Chromebook app is installed, ✅ Safe Exam Browser is available on PfISD desktop self-installer (instructions emailed to high school campus coordinators on 8/27/2026).

User Profile for Assessments on Windows Devices

When you install, be sure you are logged into the computer with our PfISD testing login:

USER: Testing

PASSWORD: Success!

REPEAT ITEM

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.

The slides linked below were shared with campus principals on 9/8/2027 (A Team Meeting). Review these slides and submit an Incident IQ/Tech Request ticket for details about your campus inventory.

REPEAT ITEM

Use the document linked below to plan and prepare for upcoming assessment administrations.

REPEAT ITEM

The trainings listed below are now available in Kickup. Please register right away. Important details and updates will be communicated to those who are pre-registered.

TIP: In Kickup, search for "State Assessments," and all available sessions should appear.

Trainings scheduled for 2027 will be added to Kickup later.

Scroll down to see in-person training opportunities with Testhound staff. These opportunities were a big hit last year, so we've paid to have them come to PfISD again. Take advantage of these opportunities!

IMPORTANT CHANGE (previously shared):

TELPAS Trainings dates in January have changed.

TELPAS Campus Coordinator Training dates will be January 8 & 11. (Choose 1.) Please share this update with your TELPAS Coordinator.

❓Need more information? Find the updated training schedule with details at the link below.

Optional work sessions will continue to be offered for quiet work time or individual help as needed. Each work session will be about 8-4 on the dates noted below (tentatively).

To spice it up, I'm adding a "Lunch with Leaders" opportunity to each work session. Lunch with Leaders will be led by YOU! Participants will bring their lunch and share some learning on a particular topic. Volunteer hosts will plan together for an engaging conversation that may include a presentation, sharing of materials, discussion questions, make/take, Q/A, etc… .

Signing up to be a host does not imply you're an expert. Hosts should be from all levels with very little to lots of experience. All perspectives are welcome and valuable. You are invited to sign up to host as many times as you'd like. Leading a group of leaders is challenging, but it's a fantastic experience.

Work Sessions/Lunch with Leaders Topics

• Oct. 2, 11:30-1 - Technology - (register in Kickup)
• Nov. 19, 11:30-1 - Organization - (register in Kickup)
• Dec. 15, 11:30-1 - Communication - (register in Kickup)
• Jan. 28, 11:30-1 - Test Day
• March 24, 11:30-1 - Final Prep

REPEAT ITEM

Each selected campus should plan to participate in the Student Success Tool (SST) Stand-Alone Field Test scheduled for February 1-5, 2027. Campus assignments are linked below.

Campus coordinators will participate in a training session by Zoom in December/January. Details will be shared after the Field Test Manual is published by TEA.

Find more information here.

REPEAT ITEM

Bookmark our website linked below. You will use our website to access most of the resources you will need throughout the year. It is important to have this bookmarked prior to attending any training sessions.

UPDATED (archived link added)

Campus coordinators for state assessments should be reading the weekly Principals' Newsletter. Additionally, I will send a weekly email (just like this one)...most weeks. Please be sure to schedule time to read each weekly email in full.

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

Use this link to find archived Principals' Newsletters.

This time next school year, we will be wrapping up the BOY administration of SST.

Results will be reported by October 4. Think about how you will receive results, share with students, families and staff. How will your campus respond to BOY data?

UPDATED

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 In Person Opportunity! 🐶

TestHound staff will be in PfISD for the following opportunities. Show up and get your questions answered!

🐶 October 2, 8:30-1pm - Work Session with Testhound staff present - register in Kickup (13 registered so far!)

Upcoming Online Sessions

• I'm New - what do I need to do?, Wed., Sept. 16, 10-10:30am
• Campus Reports - Wed., Oct. 14, 10-10:30am
• Adding Exclusions to HS Students - Wed., Oct. 21, 10-10:30am (they may cover how to UPLOAD!)
• Getting Ready for December STAAR EOC - Wed., Oct. 28, 10-10:30am
• TestHound Tune-Ups (live work sessions, bring your questions)
• Mondays, 2:30-3pm
• Thursdays, 9-9:30am

STAAR & TELPAS REQUIRED REPORTS

• REQUIRED: Material Control (We use this for the seating chart. We do NOT use the report titled "Seating Chart."
• REQUIRED: Room Accommodations
• REQUIRED: Master Material
• Use any other reports that find helpful.

Campus coordinators will use these resources or call Kelly for support. Campus coordinators will not submit tickets, utilize chat or call Testhound for support.

Please share some of your favorite things if you haven't already done so! This info will help me when selecting snacks and other goodies for our trainings! 🍫🍿🍪🍬

I'm also collecting cute stationery to share since that seems to be a big like! 📝✍🏻📋

⭐ Thank you Cari (WLES), Melissa (CMS), Jessica (DES), Jenny (PES), Rebecca (HHS), Maryann (DES), Teri (JCES), Marc (KLMS), Melissa (NES), Sherri (WES), Nikki (MES), Rita (VMES), Christie (BES), Milton (ROES), Amanda (WMS), Tristan (CES), Elizabeth (CWES) & Angie (WHS) for submitting.