Spring 2022 STAAR Now More Important Than Ever
Summative tests will show learning gains and losses for Texas.
The 2022 spring and summer administrations of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) will look no different than previous summative tests, but significant changes are coming in 2023. This year’s summative tests will reveal new information about how Texas students are progressing against COVID learning loss.
Parents need to see clear information about their student’s progress compared to previous years. Teachers need information on how students are doing relative to a consistent set of state standards. And administrators need the information from these assessments to allocate resources to support specific students, classrooms, and schools that have the greatest needs.
The spring administration window for STAAR Alternate 2 begins March 28 and the STAAR End-of-course (EOC) administration window opens April 5.
Refer to the Testing Calendar for specific dates of all state assessments.
A Redesigned Summative Test Takes Shape
New question types tested for effectiveness in February 2022 Stand-Alone Field Test.
Beginning with the spring 2023 STAAR administrations, non-multiple-choice questions will be included to reflect normal classroom instruction. Following a comprehensive study of how Texas educators test the understanding of students beyond the use of multiple-choice questions, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) conducted an extensive field test of new question types.
The field test will help determine what kinds of questions will be most effective at engaging students in fresh ways for them to demonstrate their knowledge on the state-required summative test beginning in the 2022–23 school year. Today, students can practice using the new question types in the online testing platform.
The new question types were developed with input from teachers, students, and a wide range of educational stakeholders and assessment experts. Teachers and parents can see preliminary blueprints that show how each test will be organized with the addition of new question types.
Advancing to STAAR Online Testing
Resources available to help districts advance their online testing capabilities.
House Bill (HB) 3261, enacted by the 87th Texas Legislature in 2021, requires state summative assessments to be administered fully online by the 2022–23 school year. This transition will require nearly all students to be assessed online, with the exceptions of students who cannot access the online platform.
School districts can test students online with STAAR Interim assessments, and students can take practice tests online to become familiar with the accessibility and accommodation features. However, some districts still need to make advances to be ready. TEA has developed resources to assist districts and has made available the TEA Online Infrastructure Matching Grant to help cover costs of the transition.
Researching a Possible Replacement for STAAR
TEA pilots a through-year progress monitoring system.
House Bill 3906, enacted by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, requires TEA to develop and pilot an innovative, through-year assessment model as a possible replacement for the summative STAAR. A through-year assessment model refers to a progress-monitoring system that provides students multiple opportunities throughout the school year to demonstrate their mastery of the curriculum standards and to contribute to their summative performance level reported at the end of the year.
In response to this legislation, TEA has developed the Texas Through-year Assessment Pilot (TTAP) in collaboration with Texas educators, administrators, students, and families. TTAP will launch in the 2022–23 school year and include three, short testing opportunities—one each in the fall, winter, and spring. During the first year of the pilot, volunteer public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools will test students in grade 5 science, grades 6 and 7 math, and grade 8 social studies.
School districts and charter schools must apply before April 29 to participate in TTAP. Participation in the pilot is not an exemption from participating in the required STAAR tests. TEA has created a TTAP Webpage to provide more information about the pilot.
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