The STAAR redesign is a result of House Bill (HB) 3906 passed by the 86^th Texas Legislature in 2019. The Texas Education Agency (TEA), working with a wide range of education stakeholders, including the Assessment Education Advisory Committee, has been exploring the most instructionally supportive approach to implementing these changes. The redesign will be implemented in the state summative assessments administered in the 2022–2023 school year.

For more information click the link below. 

Understanding the STAAR Report Card

STAAR is the state's testing program and is based on state curriculum standards in core subjects including reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. STAAR tests are designed to measure what students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade. The goal is to ensure that all students receive what they need to be academically successful. Meeting these individual student needs depends greatly on schools, parents, and community members working together.

• Who? - All public school students in Texas, grades 3–12, take STAAR tests.
• What? - STAAR is the state’s testing program and is based on state curriculum standards in core subjects including reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies.
• When? - Grades 3–8 STAAR tests are given in the spring. End-of-course assessments (EOC) are given throughout the year. The number of tests your child takes each year will depend on what grade he or she is in. Most students will have two to four testing days during the school year.
• Where? - STAAR tests are given to students at their own school, in regular classrooms that have been set up to make it easy to focus on the test. If students have certain special needs and require special accommodations, they may be tested in a different area of the school.
• Why? - STAAR tests are designed to measure what students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade. The goal is to ensure that all students receive what they need to be academically successful. Meeting these individual student needs depends greatly on schools, parents, and community members working together.
• How? - STAAR tests for grades 3–8 and EOC assessments are offered in both online and paper formats.

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Testing Accommodations for Students With Special Needs

Certain students with special needs may qualify for special accommodations in order to help them complete STAAR tests. These could be in-classroom accommodations such as extra time, taking the test online, or sound or sight supports, for example. These accommodations are decided on in partnership among students, parents, teachers, administrators, and TEA officials and must be approved in advance of test day.

Download the Informational PDF on Online Accommodations

Students are required to take the STAAR end-of-course assessments for courses in which they are enrolled as part of their graduation requirement. The STAAR EOC assessments test students for college readiness and mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for each course.

The end-of-course assessments only assess the TEKS for a given course. STAAR is timed, giving students up to four hours to complete each exam.

At the high school level, there are five EOC assessments required in the four foundation curriculum content areas of English (reading and writing), math, science and social studies. All students must meet a cumulative score requirement to graduate.

Math—Algebra I

English—English I (Reading and Writing), English II (Reading and Writing)

Science—Biology

Social Studies—U.S. History

Every question that appears on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) is grounded in the knowledge and skills statements and student expectations within the state-mandated curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Please note that every year the STAAR tests may represent varying combinations of TEKS student expectations.

Each student must meet a score requirement for all EOC assessments taken to graduate. Additionally, each student must meet the cumulative score requirement to graduate.  

TEA has removed the four (4) hour time limit for both STAAR grades 3 through 8 assessments and STAAR EOC assessments (5 hours for English 1 and English 2 EOCs). Extended time accommodations for students with unique learning needs will continue to be offered on national assessments, i.e. SAT, ACT and AP examinations

Click here and scroll down to EOC Assessments to see the assessed curriculum and released test questions.

TEA has developed the STAAR Alternate 2 (STAAR Alt 2) assessment to meet the federal requirements mandated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a federal education law previously known as No Child Left Behind. TEA designed the STAAR Alternate 2 to assess students in grades 3–8 and high school who have significant cognitive disabilities and are receiving special education services.

The Texas Education Agency definition of a student with a significant cognitive disability is a student who:

• exhibits significant intellectual and adaptive behavior deficits in their ability to plan, comprehend, and reason, and ALSO indicates adaptive behavior deficits that limit their ability to apply social and practical skills such as personal care, social problem-solving skills, dressing, eating, using money, and other functional skills across life domains;
• is NOT identified based on English learner designation or solely on the basis of previous low academic achievement or the need for accommodations; and
• requires extensive, direct, individualized instruction, as well as a need for substantial supports that are neither temporary nor specific to a particular content area. 

Determination of who will take the STAAR Alt 2 state assessment is made by a committee composed of parents, administrators, specialists and the students teacher. Click link below for more information from TEA.

1. Login to the Texas Assessment Website

2. Click the link titled "For Families"

3. Click the "Log In to Student Portal" link

4. Click "OK" at the prompt

5. Click "Lookup Access Code" link

6. Type in the Student's first name only, the PEIMS ID (social security number or state issued id) and Date of Birth

7. Click "Go"

8. If there is State Assessment Data you should see the following screen indicating the portal access code lookup is Successful. Click "go" from here

9. You will then be directed to the student's Testing History page

10. Click Download PDF's if you wish to print the latest copy of the CSR (Confidential Student Report)