STAAR Linguistic Accommodations

STAAR Linguistic Accommodations

Evaluating the academic achievement of Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) requires assessments that measure grade-level content knowledge rather than English language proficiency limitations. Under Texas Education Agency (TEA) policy and 19 TAC Chapter 89, EBs taking the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) are eligible for specific linguistic accommodations known as Designated Supports. These supports are engineered to remove construct-irrelevant linguistic barriers while preserving the validity and rigor of state academic assessments.

Statutory Authority and LPAC Decision-Making

The Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) holds sole statutory authority for determining and documenting individualized STAAR designated supports for Emergent Bilinguals. Campus testing coordinators or individual classroom teachers cannot unilaterally assign or eliminate test accommodations.

Core LPAC Decision-Making Rules

1. Individualized Selection: Accommodations must be determined individually for each EB based on their TELPAS language proficiency levels, educational background, and specific literacy needs. Blanket accommodation decisions for entire classrooms or campuses are strictly illegal.
2. Routine Instructional Use Mandate: State policy strictly dictates that any designated support assigned for STAAR MUST be routinely and effectively used by the student during daily classroom instruction and local testing. An accommodation cannot be introduced for the first time on the day of the state test. If a student does not use a support routinely in class, they are ineligible to receive it on STAAR.
3. Pre-Assessment Documentation: Prescribed accommodations must be formally documented in the student's permanent LPAC file during the Spring Pre-Assessment LPAC meeting prior to the testing window.

Allowable STAAR Designated Supports for EBs

The TEA establishes clear guidelines regarding allowable designated supports across STAAR subjects (Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts/Reading - RLA):

1. Bilingual Dictionaries

• Description: Allows EBs to use printed or electronic word-to-word translation dictionaries.
• Rules & Constraints: Dictionaries must provide simple word-for-word translations. Dictionaries containing definitions, visual illustrations, or detailed explanations are prohibited. Allowable across all STAAR subjects (RLA, Math, Science, Social Studies).

2. Extra Time (Same-Day)

• Description: Extends testing time until the end of the standard school day for EBs who require additional processing time due to dual-language translation latency.
• Rules & Constraints: The student must demonstrate active engagement throughout the testing session. The LPAC must document that the student routinely requires extra time to complete classroom assessments.

3. Oral Administration / Text-to-Speech (TTS)

• Description: On online STAAR assessments, TTS uses text-to-speech technology to read test questions, answer choices, and graphic labels aloud through headphones. Human oral administration is available for paper test administrations.
• Rules & Constraints:
  • Math, Science, Social Studies: TTS may read all test questions, answer choices, and reference materials aloud.
  • STAAR Reading Language Arts (RLA): TTS CANNOT read reading passages aloud to students. TTS may read test questions and answer choices, but reading passages must be read independently by the student. Reading passages aloud invalidates the underlying reading decoding construct being assessed.

4. Content and Language Supports

• Description: Embedded online tools on the STAAR digital testing platform that provide visual and linguistic supports:
  • Visual Pop-ups: Definitions paired with visual illustrations or simple diagrams for non-content vocabulary.
  • Syntactic Rollovers: Rewording complex, non-content sentence structures into simplified active-voice syntax.
  • Graphic Organizers & Bulleted Notes: Scaffolding long text passages into organized visual chunks.

5. Simplified Oral Instructions

• Description: Testing administrators may simplify or clarify the standard spoken test directions read before the exam begins (does not apply to test items).

Overview of Allowable STAAR Designated Supports

STAAR Special Provision for English I EOC

Texas administrative code provides a special assessment provision for eligible immigrant Emergent Bilinguals taking the STAAR English I End-of-Course (EOC) exam:

• Eligibility: An EB who is enrolled in their first 3 years of schooling in the United States AND is coded as a qualifying recent immigrant.
• Provision: If an eligible student takes the STAAR English I EOC exam and does not achieve a passing score, the LPAC may determine that the student is not required to retake the English I EOC exam, provided the student completes designated ESL coursework. This provision applies strictly to English I EOC and does NOT apply to English II EOC or other STAAR assessments.