On November 2, TEA released a memo concerning the transition to online assessments as required by HB 3261 (Huberty) 87(R). The memo can be found below:
“The purpose of this correspondence is to inform superintendents, school system and campus administrators, and teachers about new resources related to the transition to online state summative assessments that will be implemented in the 2022–2023 school year, and to provide preliminary information related to the redesign of state summative assessments being implemented on the same timeline.
Transition to Online
House Bill (HB) 3261, enacted by the 87th Texas Legislature in 2021, requires state assessments to be administered online by the 2022–2023 school year. This transition will require nearly all students to be assessed online, with the exceptions of students taking the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment and students who require accommodations that cannot be provided online.
A Transition to Online Assessments Feasibility Study was conducted in 2020. The study examined national best practices in online assessments and included a statewide survey that was distributed to all Texas public school systems to gauge readiness for online testing. The study revealed that 70 percent of other states are already fully implementing online assessments and included a variety of lessons learned from those transitions. Seventy-five percent of local education agencies (LEAs) responded to the statewide survey, and the representation of urban and rural LEAs was proportional to state demographics. The study showed that school systems in Texas generally have the infrastructure in place to fully implement online testing and that a small investment in internet connectivity would be needed for a subset of primarily small and rural LEAs to upgrade their infrastructure. Overall, the study indicated that a two-year transition period is feasible, allowing educators and students time to increase familiarity and comfort with online testing. Key findings and the methodology of the online feasibility study is explained in the Transition to Online Assessments video found on the STAAR Redesign web page.
Additionally, independent of the feasibility study, the number of students that tested online significantly increased during the 2020–2021 school year, providing more insight into facilitating an effective transition to fully online summative assessments.
To support public school systems with this transition, TEA is launching a Transition to Online Assessments Implementation Guide that outlines prerequisites to online testing implementation (i.e., adequate network infrastructure, sufficient hardware, and up-to-date software) and provides next steps and resources to achieve the recommended minimums. The guide also includes additional criteria for a successful online implementation, next steps based on experiences from Texas public school systems that have already moved online, and links to resources and supports provided by the testing vendor and regional service centers.
Online Transition Grant
TEA will also be launching a $4 million matching grant targeted at small and rural LEAs that need to increase their network infrastructure to meet online testing needs. The total grant amount is based off one-time infrastructure estimates determined through the online feasibility study. The grant will prioritize LEAs in need of last-mile fiber and/or internal connections in order to meet recommended bandwidth speeds, all of which are also E-Rate eligible. More information will be provided by early 2022.
Resources to Practice Online Assessment
Educators, students, and even families have many opportunities to familiarize themselves with the STAAR online testing platform (TDS):
- STAAR Practice Tests – available on www.texasassessment.gov, a resource open to the public that provides exposure to the testing tools and accommodations that increase equitable access for all students. Note: currently available practice tests are based on the current STAAR assessment design. Practice tests based on the redesigned state assessment will be available in 2022.
- STAAR Interim Assessments – free, optional, online tests for public school systems that mirror the summative blueprint and predict students’ performance on the STAAR.
- Texas Formative Assessment Resource (TFAR) – free, optional, online tool for educators to create and deliver quizzes, analyze results, and gain real-time feedback as learning occurs.”