STAAR 5 & 8
STAAR 5 & 8 Letter
5TH AND 8TH GRADE STAAR FAILURE REQUIRED MEETINGS
Parents / Guardians
The 85th Texas Legislature passed legislation (HB 657) which pertains to students who receive special education services under Texas Education Code, Chapter 29, subchapter A.
All students taking state assessment (STAAR), including students receiving special education services, are subject to grade-advancement requirements and participation in an accelerated instruction program. However, HB 657 requires the Admission, Review, Dismissal (ARD) committee to make decisions regarding both grade placement and participation in an accelerated instruction program in certain circumstances.
HB 657 states that if a 5th or 8th grade student receiving special education services does not perform satisfactorily on STAAR in reading or mathematics, the ARD committee must meet prior to the second administration of the test. The ARD committee must determine the manner in which the student will participate in an accelerated instruction program and whether the student will be promoted or retained.
When deciding between promotion and retention, the ARD committee may promote the student if the student made sufficient progress on the measurable academic goals in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), despite not performing satisfactorily on the reading or mathematics STAAR test. If promoted, the school district is not required to provide the student additional opportunities to perform satisfactorily on the STAAR test.
Additional information regarding promotion can be found in the Student Success Initiative (SSI) Manual, which can be accessed online at http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ssi/.
If you have questions, please contact:
Your Campus Diagnostician
You may also contact:
Heather Knox, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services
409-882-5436
TEA COVID - 19 WAIVER FOR 2020 - 2021
Students enrolled in grades 5 and 8 are still required to take the appropriate State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) tests once. Regardless of their score, retest opportunities will not be provided. Districts will have local discretion on whether these students should advance to the next grade, just like students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7. These decisions should be based on local criteria that reflect a student’s academic achievement and mastery of subject matter, and should include STAAR assessment results, along with other relevant information. Districts are still responsible for providing accelerated instruction and supports for students that fail to perform satisfactorily on STAAR. Furthermore, although students in grades 5 and 8 will not be retained solely on the basis of STAAR results, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools will remain accountable for student performance.
As a part of this waiver, there will only be one administration of the STAAR grades 5 and 8 mathematics and reading assessments for the 2020–2021 school year. This administration will be in May to coincide with the administration of other STAAR grades 3–8 assessments.