Assessment & Accountability Updates
as of January 15, 2021
Region 6 ESC Assessment & Accountability Listserv
Test Administration Upcoming Events:
Jan. 4-8 - Receive TELPAS and TELPAS Alternate administrator manuals
Jan. 11 - Deadline to submit comments on ESSA Addendum and Amendment request
Jan. 11-Apr. 2 - Submit student registrations for:
TELPAS K-1, All domains
TELPAS 2-12
Writing Domain
ListeningDomain
Speaking Domain
Jan. 11-Apr. 9 - Submit student registrations for:
TELPAS 2-12, Reading domain
TELPAS Alternate
Jan. 15 - Dec. EOC reports and files posted in TAMS.
Score codes and language changes for Dec. EOCs open.
Jan. 15-20 - Districts receive printed Dec. EOC reports
Jan. 15-Feb. 5 - Submit student registrations for:
Paper Grades 4 & 7 Writing
Paper April English I & II
OOD/OOS students register for April English I & II.
Jan. 15-Feb. 12 - Submit student registrations for Paper Grades 5 & 8 Math & Reading
Jan. 15-Mar. 5 - Submit student registrations for Paper May Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History.
OOD/OOS students register for May Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History.
Jan. 15-Mar. 12 - Submit student registrations for:
Paper Grades 3, 4, 6, & 7 Math & Reading
Paper Grades 5 & 8 Science
Paper Grade 8 Social Studies
Jan. 15-May 7 - Submit student registrations for:
Online Grades 4 & 7 Writing
Online April English I & II
Jan. 15-Jun. 4 - Submit student registrations for Online May Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History.
Jan. 15-Jun. 11 - Submit student registrations for:
Online Grades 3-8 Math & Reading
Online Grades 5 & 8 Science
Online Grade 8 Social Studies
Jan. 18 - Student results posted in assessment portals
Jan. 29 - Select registration method (PEIMS or district file) for Grades 4 & 7 Writing (default is PEIMS).
Feb. 8 - Materials list available for STAAR Alternate 2
Feb. 22 - Materials lists available for:
Grades 4 & 7 Writing
April English I & II
Standard & Additional Reports Available for December 2020 EOC Administration
STAAR Report Cards, rosters, summary reports, and data files can be accessed through the STAAR Assessment Management System under the Reports > Results tab. Select the 2020 DEC STAAR EOC option from the Reporting Admin drop-down menu.
For the December 2020 administration, item level data (items and images of responses) will not be included in the student data files posted. As a result, Student Information Retrieval System (SIRS) requests for data from the December 2020 administration will not include item level data.
Printed copies of the Confidential Student Labels are being shipped to your district and will arrive January 15–20, 2021, unless your district opted out of receiving the labels. The shipments include additional orders placed by December 1, 2020.
Results for this administration will be posted to the Student Portal by January 18, 2021, for parents and students to view. Secure access to the Student Portal is available for families from the Texas Assessment homepage by entering the student access code. For the December 2020 STAAR EOC administration, the Student Portal will display student results only; item level data will not be available.
Additionally, results for this administration will be posted to the Teacher Portal by January 18, 2021. Secure access to the Teacher Portal is available directly from the Texas Assessment website. Authorized users will be able to view student results by administration.
Spring and Summer 2021 Assessment Guidance
The purpose of this communication is to provide information regarding the spring and summer 2021 administrations for the Texas Assessment Program, which includes the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) grades 3–8 and end-of-course (EOC) assessments, STAAR Alternate 2, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), and TELPAS Alternate.
A frequently asked questions guidance document has been posted on the COVID-19 Support: Student Assessment webpage in response to districts’ concerns regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the spring and summer 2021 assessments. Although state assessments will not be used for state or federal accountability purposes for the 2020–2021 school year, the state assessments will provide equitable baseline data necessary to determine actual learning loss during the COVID-19 crisis and areas to address for the benefit of all Texas students.
Assessment Scoring & Reporting
The Student Portal is updated with the latest assessment information. Parents can access their child’s results using a unique access code, which can be found on any previous state assessment Report Card. Additionally, parents can view their child’s performance relative to the campus, district, and state.
Raw score to scale score conversion tables are posted here.
For questions or help with accessing and interpreting STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate results, districts and parents can email assessment.reporting@tea.texas.gov or call (512) 463-9704.
Award of Student Assessment Contracts
This communication is to inform you of the selection of Cambium Assessment, Inc. and NCS Pearson, Inc. as the vendor team to support the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in the development, administration, scoring, and reporting for the Texas Student Assessment Program beginning September 1, 2021, through August 31, 2024.
ETS (Educational Testing Service) and Pearson will continue their respective work under their existing contracts through the completion of the spring and summer 2021 administrations, concluding their work on August 31, 2021.
Under the new contracts, Cambium will host and manage a single testing platform for all assessments and manage the registration, administration, scoring, and reporting for the entire assessment portfolio—the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), STAAR Alternate 2, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), and TELPAS Alternate. This also includes STAAR Interim Assessments. Cambium delivered more than 60 million online tests in 2018–2019 and currently serves 28 states and territories, as well as the College Board.
Pearson will be responsible for item development and test form construction. Pearson has supported Texas assessments for 40 years and will be a valuable resource in developing items that strongly align to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Cambium, Pearson, and TEA will work closely with education service centers (ESCs) and district testing coordinators over the next eight months to gather input and ensure a seamless transition of vendor services and support. TEA will continue to ensure that state assessments remain valid, reliable sources of information to support strong instruction and inform teachers, administrators, parents, and the community to help improve academic achievement for all Texas students. If you have any questions, please submit them to TEA using the Student Assessment Help Desk.
Spring 2021 STAAR Administrations
Student Registration
Student registration for the spring 2021 STAAR administrations will be available through the Assessment Management System beginning January 15, 2021. For a full listing of paper and online registration dates, visit the Student Registration tab of the Communications Resources or the Calendar of Events.
The quantities of test booklets and precoded answer documents shipped to districts will be based on paper registrations in the Assessment Management System at the close of the paper materials registration window. Districts may identify students that need large print, oral administration, or Spanish directly in the student’s test registration. Districts can order additional large print, oral administration, and Spanish materials through the Assessment Management System (Orders > Initial Orders) for the spring 2021 STAAR administrations beginning January 15, 2021.
The STAAR EOC Retester Verification Roster for the spring 2021 STAAR EOC administrations will be available through the Assessment Management System (Reports > Students > District Student Home Campus Report) on January 15, 2021. Districts should use this roster to verify student registration information for retesters.
Out-of-District (OOD) and Out-of-School (OOS) Registration
OOD and OOS examinees may register for the spring 2021 STAAR EOC administrations on January 15, 2021. For districts to receive precoded materials and test booklets, examinees should register online at https://texastests.com/forms/student-reg-eoc for the
- April 2021 STAAR EOC administration by February 5, 2021, and
- May 2021 STAAR EOC administration by March 5, 2021.
Districts may order braille materials for the spring 2021 STAAR administrations on January 15, 2021 for the
- April 2021 STAAR EOC administration by February 5, 2021, and
- May 2021 STAAR EOC administration by March 5, 2021.
Districts receiving freight shipments may request a change from the standard campus sort order so that campus boxes are packed in the order of the districts’ choosing. Districts may request a specified pallet sort order by contacting the Texas Assessment Support Center. Requests must be submitted by January 22, 2021.
STAAR Interim Assessments
An optional 30-minute STAAR Interim Assessments training module for educators and administrators is now available. This module covers the purpose and design of interim assessments and helps educators understand how to use the data to support instruction and intervention. Visit the STAAR Interim Assessments webpage to access the module.
Opportunity 1 and Opportunity 2 Testing Windows
The testing window for the interim assessments Opportunity 1 is open through March 31, 2021. In addition, the Opportunity 2 testing window is also open through March 31, 2021. The list of test titles available for each opportunity is posted on the STAAR Interim Assessments webpage.
Legislative Report: State of Texas Transition to Online Assessments Feasibility Study-December 2020
Professional Learning Opportunities:
Supplemental STAAR Test Administrator Training Module
This training module was created for Test Administrators. It is designed to supplement the mandatory training required of all Test Administrators. The training consists of two training videos and twelve questions about the content covered in the videos. The module should take about an hour to complete. A Certificate of Completion will be available at the end of the module. Individuals will be prompted to fill in their first and last name and date of completion prior to printing or saving a copy of the certificate. Note that any unsaved certificates will not be retrievable at a later time.
More Training Opportunities from ETS
Webinar information and registration links are available on the Training webpage.
In response to the extension of the spring 2021 STAAR online administrations from one week to five and the implications this change will have on scoring and reporting, ETS will host four live training sessions of the Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 webinar in February and March to provide multiple opportunities for district and campus personnel to listen and ask questions. The content presented in each session will remain the same and will follow standard ETS webinar format.
To accommodate this change, ETS will not have spring versions of the Overview of the STAAR Online Testing Platform and the Technology Staff Network Configuration, Secure Browser Installation, and Device Set Up webinars because there are no scheduled updates to the secure browser application and no new personal needs and preferences (PNPs). Districts can continue to access the recordings of the webinars from the fall in the District and Campus Coordinator Resources on the 2020–2021 Summative Webinar Recordings (Fall) webpage. Additionally, the Getting Ready for Your December 2020 Shipments to Arrive and the Spring 2020 Material Returns webinars will be combined, and the session will be extended by 30 minutes.
Webinar Date Webinar Title
Thursday, January 21, 2021 STAAR 3–8 Registration for New DTCs
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 Winter Activities for Upcoming STAAR Administrations
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 (Session 1)
Thursday, February 18, 2021 Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 (Session 2)
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 STAAR Test Material and Precode Shipments—Receipt and Return
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 (Session 3)
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 Online Testing Preparation for Spring 2021 (Session 4)
Thursday, March 25, 2021 Navigating the Texas Assessment Portal
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Preparing for the Release of Spring 2021 Scores
More Training Opportunities from Pearson
Two webinar training opportunities will be available in January 2021 to provide an overview of the STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate Assessment Management System and the TELPAS Online Training Center and to help you prepare for the spring administrations.
The webinars include information on changes and key dates.
Each webinar will be offered at two different times but will include the same information. Districts will receive an additional email in January when registration for the webinars opens. Dates and times for these webinars are listed below.
STAAR Alternate 2 and TELPAS Alternate
Tuesday, January 26
Wednesday, January 27
10:00–11:30 a.m. (CT)
10:00–11:30 a.m. (CT)
TELPAS and TELPAS Online Training Center
Tuesday, January 26
Wednesday, January 27
2:00–3:30 p.m. (CT)
2:00–3:30 p.m. (CT)
For questions and assistance regarding the information in this communication, contact the Customer Service Center using the live chat feature, the Pearson Customer Support Form, or by calling 800-627-0225.
STAAR Interim Assessments
COVID-19 Waiver Support
Testing of Virtual Students
CALENDARS:
Calendar of Events - Online Calendar Upload Now Available
Additional Assessment Resources:
ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATES:
2021 Identification for School Improvement FAQ Now Available
Federal School Improvement Identification
TEA will use of the six-year federal graduation rate to identify any Title I or non-Title I campus that does not attain at least a 67 percent graduation rate for comprehensive support and improvement.
TEA will escalate Title I additional targeted support campuses to comprehensive support and improvement after three consecutive years, rather than escalating Title I targeted support and improvement campuses. Additional information on the adjusted escalation timeline is available in the ESSA addendum currently posted for public comment.
A-F Accountability:
2021 Accountability Ratings
As was shared in the December 10, 2020 To The Administrator Addressed correspondence, TEA will not calculate domain or overall scaled scores or A–F rating labels for 2021 accountability. Performance Reporting will continue to report all available data: STAAR outcomes; College, Career, and Military Readiness outcomes; and graduation/dropout rates. These data will be published in August 2021 accountability data tables and on associated 2021 releases such as TAPR and the School Report Card.
TEA has received numerous questions about the availability of a 2021 A–F Estimator. While existing estimators will remain on the website, Performance Reporting staff would caution against their use in an attempt to apply a “what if” rating to 2021 outcomes. The impact of COVID-19 may vary greatly between districts and campuses. The scaling set in 2018 may not appropriately account for variations in 2021 outcomes.
Graduation Rate Methodology
TEA and the USDE negotiated the following methodology for the graduation rate component of the Closing the Gaps domain:
- Did the student group meet the four-year long-term graduation rate target of 94.0% and demonstrate improvement of at least 0.1% over its baseline rate?
- If #1 is no, did the student group meet the four-year interim graduation rate target of 90.0% and demonstrate improvement of at least 0.1% over the prior year rate?
- If #1 and #2 are no, did the student group meet its four-year graduation rate growth target? The growth target is calculated as follows.
Did the student group demonstrate sufficient growth from the prior year in order to meet the long-term graduation rate target of 94.0% (i.e. a 10% decrease in difference between the prior year rate and the long-term target)?
current year four-year graduation rate – prior year four-year graduation rate
≥
94.0 (long-term target) – prior year four-year graduation rate
10
For example, the 2019 four-year federal graduation rate for the special education student group was 66.7%, and the 2020 four-year federal graduation rate was 70.0%. Using this methodology, the student group would meet the growth target as demonstrated below:
70.0 – 66.7 = 3.3 > 2.73=
94.0 – 66.7
10
For more information, please see the Closing the Gaps graduation rate methodology flowchart or view the To The Administrator Addressed announcement from January 7, 2021.
The 2019–20 School Report Cards (SRC)
The 2019–20 School Report Cards (SRC) are now available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at http://tea.texas.gov/perfreport/src/index.html.
School Report Card—The purpose of the SRC is to inform parents and guardians about a campus’s individual characteristics and its academic performance. Due to COVID-19, all campuses and districts received a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for the 2019–20 school year. Therefore, several data points have not been updated, including STAAR® and academic growth data.
Distribution to Campuses. TEA will notify each principal that the SRC for his or her campus is available. It is, however, the district’s responsibility to provide the SRC to each campus for distribution to parents and guardians.
Distribution to Parents. Each campus must send a copy of the SRC to a parent or guardian of each of its students within six weeks of the date of this letter. The campus may provide the SRC in the same way that it sends other official communications to parents and guardians, such as including the SRC in a weekly folder sent home with each student, mailing it to the student's residence, providing it at a parent-teacher conference, or enclosing it with the student report card. Districts may distribute the SRC electronically if they can ensure that parents and guardians are notified that the SRC is available and that they are able to access it. A campus or district must provide a printed copy (in color or black and white) to anyone who cannot access the electronic version.
At their discretion, campuses may include additional information with the SRC that highlights other performance aspects of the campus or district.
All campuses that reported student enrollment on the TSDS PEIMS October 2019 snapshot will have an SRC, including Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) campuses, Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) campuses, and campuses paired for accountability rating purposes. Because the SRC for JJAEPs, DAEPs, and paired campuses do not have STAAR performance results, districts are not required to distribute the SRC for these campuses but may do so, if desired. Otherwise, all campuses with an SRC are required by law to distribute the SRC to parents and guardians.
Campuses that opened in the 2020–21 school year will not have a 2019–20 SRC and therefore are not required to distribute a report.
· Sample Cover Letter—Districts are not required to include a cover letter with the SRC, but many schools find it helpful to provide one. A sample cover letter to parents—in both English and Spanish—is available at the link below.
· Definitions—Brief definitions of the items included in the SRC are available in both English and Spanish at the link below. Districts are not required to provide definitions to parents, but many schools find it helps parents and guardians understand the reports.
For those who would like greater detail about the information in the SRC, the 2019–20 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) Glossary is a useful resource. It contains definitions and data sources for all the information included in the SRC; the data in the SRC is a subset of that published in the TAPR.
The TAPR Glossary is available on the TEA website at https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/2020/glossary.pdf.
The administrative rules that govern the SRC (19 TAC §61.1021) are available on the TEA website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter061/ch61bb.html.
Preliminary 2021 Accelerated Testers Student Listings Now Available
Preliminary 2021 Accelerated Student Listings and explanatory materials are now available in the TEA Login (TEAL) Accountability application. Please note that the data in these reports are confidential. The Final 2021 Accelerated Student Listing will be released in March 2021 and will be updated to reflect accelerated testers reported by each district as enrolled in grade 12 for the 2020–21 PEIMS snapshot.
As part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan 2021 Addendum, TEA has requested to delay the implementation of this requirement until August 2022. If that request is granted, TEA will begin the inclusion of accelerated testers’ SAT/ACT results with 2022 accountability.
Additional information on the inclusion methodology for accelerated testers is available on the Performance Reporting Resources page. A July 30, 2020 To the Administrator Addressed letter provides further details on the approved ESSA accelerated testers waiver.
Preliminary 2019 College, Career, and Military Readiness Outcomes Bonus (CCMR OB) Student Listings Now Available
Preliminary 2019 CCMR OB Student Listings are now available in the TEA Login (TEAL) Accountability application. This listing is preliminary, and the State Funding Division will use this listing to generate preliminary 2020-21 CCMR OB funding. Please note that the data in these reports are confidential.
Additional information on CCMR OB criteria, as well as the use of military enlistment data is available on the Performance Reporting Resources page. An October 29, 2020 To the Administrator Addressed letter provides further details on the proposed thresholds and timeline.
If you have questions regarding CCMR OB criteria or student listings, please contact TEA's Performance Reporting Division at (512) 463-9704 or performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov.
For questions regarding funding, please contact the State Funding Division at (512) 463-9238 or sfinance@tea.texas.gov.
Additional Accountability Resources:
Important Assessment Contacts:
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
1701 N. Congress Avenue, Room 3-122A
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: (512) 463-9536
Fax: (512) 463-9302
ETS Customer Service
(STAAR Grades 3–8, EOC, and Interim Assessments):
Phone:(855) 333-7770
Email:
STAAR3-8@ets.org
STAAREOC@ets.org
Pearson's Customer Service Center
(STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS. and TELPAS Alternate):
Phone: (800) 627-0225
Email: TxPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com
Additional ESC 6 Newsletters:
Contact Information:
Assessment, Accountability & School Improvement Specialist
Regional Testing Coordinator
Region 6 Education Service Center
Email: jhassell@esc6.net
Website: https://www.esc6.net/
Location: 3332 Montgomery Rd, Huntsville, TX, USA
Phone: 936-435-8355