Published On: March 16th, 2020By

Governor Waives STAAR Testing For 2019-2020 School Year

On March 16, Governor Greg Abbott announced that he has waived the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year. The Governor is also requesting that the Department of Education (DOE) waive federal testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year. 

“Your health and safety are top priorities, and the state of Texas will give school districts flexibility to protect and ensure the health of students, faculty, and their families,” said Governor Abbott. “We will empower schools to make the best decisions to protect their communities from COVID-19.”

Additionally, the Governor announced that he is working closely with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to ensure that schools continue to deliver instruction to students while schools are closed. You can review TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s statement here and review more information and updates on the TEA website

So what does this mean for my student? We are glad you asked!

STAAR Grades 3–8 Assessments

Students will not need to take a test to be promoted to the next grade level. School districts will have discretion on whether students in grades 5 and 8 should advance to the next grade level, just like students in all other grades. The following criteria will be considered:

  • The recommendation of the student’s teacher,
  • The student’s grade in each subject or course, and
  • Any other necessary academic information, as determined by the district.

STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments

Most students have already completed courses that have corresponding EOC assessments before their senior year. Normally, seniors who have not passed up to two of the required STAAR EOC assessments may graduate through the individual graduation committee (IGC) process. This means that current seniors may graduate through the IGC process regardless of the number of EOC assessments they need to pass. 

Districts will need to determine if a student has met all other graduation requirements which includes successfully completing curriculum requirements or successfully completing an individualized education program. 

Students graduating in future years but taking one of the five courses with a corresponding STAAR EOC assessment this year will not be responsible for meeting that EOC assessment graduation requirement if they earn course credit this year. 

STAAR 2 Alternate

The STAAR Alternate 2 administration window required and scheduled for March 30 through April 21, 2020 is cancelled. For all students receiving special education services, the admission, review, and dismissal committee will continue to make educational decisions, including decisions related to required performance on academic assessment. 

TELPAS and TELPAS Alternate

The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) is an assessment program for students in Texas Public Schools who are learning the English language. The window for this assessment, which was made optional this year,  has been extended to May 29, 2020. Scoring data will be provided for each TELPAS domain a student completes. TEA is looking at exit criteria for English learners to determine what adjustments may be made this year for this determination. Discussions are ongoing, and more information will be provided as it develops. 

STAAR Interim Assessments 

The second testing window for the STAAR Interim Assessments will remain open through May 29, 2020, for districts to use as a resource to monitor student progress. The assessments are available at no cost to districts and are not tied to accountability.

Aldine ISD Teaching and Learning department is working with campus administrators and teachers to provide educational resources materials for all students during this time. Students can access educational resources on the At-Home Learning site any time of day. Please visit aldineisd.org/healthalerts for all updates on COVID-19.

About the Author: Valonia Walker, APR

Senior Communications Specialist