In order to fulfill the requirements of House Bill 3906 passed by the 86th Texas Legislature and incorporated into the Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 39, the Texas Education Agency redesigned the STAAR, which provides the foundation for the accountability system for Texas public education. STAAR is designed to assess the content of a course, including both concepts taught in previous grade levels and readiness for the next instructional level. 

The STAAR program includes the assessments listed below:

STAAR for Students with Special Needs
To address the different needs of students, there are a variety of test formats and accommodations. Optional test administration procedures and materials are available to all students on all versions of state assessments. Students with disabilities who are identified under 504, special education, or dyslexia may be eligible for additional accommodations. Decisions concerning these accommodations are made by the ARD committee or 504 committee.

TELPAS (Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System) is an assessment program for students in Texas public schools who are learning the English language. The Texas Education Agency developed TELPAS to meet state and federal requirements. Texas annually assesses the English language proficiency of students who have been identified as English Learners (ELs) in four language domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing. TELPAS evaluates the progress that each EL makes in becoming proficient in the use of academic English. 

Students in grades K-12 who have been identified as an EL are required to take TELPAS. This includes ELs whose parents have declined bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) program services. They will stop participating in TELPAS when their Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) determines that they are proficient in the English language and have met exit criteria. This applies to all English Learners, even those who are not in a bilingual or ESL program. Once a student has met the state’s exit criteria, they will no longer be identified as an English Learner and will not have to participate in TELPAS. More information about TELPAS can be found here.

TELPAS for Students with Special Needs
TELPAS Alternate is designed to assess students with significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in the general TELPAS assessment, even with allowable accommodations.