STAAR Testing for Kids with Disabilities - Link to TEA.

Assessments for Students with Disabilities

A student with a disability can be a student:

• with an identified disability who receives special education services;
• with an identified disability who receives services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; or
• with a disabling condition who does not receive special education or Section 504 services.

The Texas Assessment Program is a statewide testing program that includes the STAAR©, STAAR Spanish, STAAR A, STAAR L, and STAAR Alternate 2. Although most students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations, a student with a disability may have choices regarding which of these assessments is most appropriate. 

Information about the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) or the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) appears on their websites.  

Students not Receiving Section 504 or Special Education Services  

Students not receiving section 504 or special education services are required by Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and pass all five STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessments in order to receive a Texas high school diploma.

Students Receiving Section 504 Services 

Students are required by TEC §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and pass all five EOC assessments in order to receive a Texas high school diploma:  

• Most students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations. 
• Review the eligibility requirements for STAAR A for students identified with dyslexia or related disorders as defined in TEC §38.003.
   

Students Receiving Special Education Services 

The admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee makes educational decisions for a student, including whether satisfactory performance on an EOC assessment shall also be required for graduation per Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1070(b):

• Most students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations.
• For students who need more significant accommodations, review the STAAR A eligibility requirements.
• Review the participation requirements for STAAR Alternate 2 for students with significant cognitive disabilities who access the grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum through prerequisite skills. 

 English Language Learners

Students are required by TEC §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and pass all five EOC assessments in order to receive a Texas high school diploma. 

• Most students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations. 
• STAAR Spanish is available for students receiving instruction in Spanish in grades 3-5. 
• STAAR L mathematics, science, and social studies assessments are available for students who need a higher degree of linguistic accommodation and who meet eligibility requirements.
• The ARD committee and the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) make all educational decisions, including whether satisfactory performance on an EOC assessment shall be required for graduation per TAC §89.1070(b), for students with disabilities who are also English language learners (ELL).

State of Texas Site HERE