Navarro Independent School District

TELPAS, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System, is a statewide assessment designed to evaluate how well emergent bilingual students in Texas are learning English. It assesses students' English language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The assessment results help educators understand a student's current English proficiency level and tailor support to help them progress. 

Key aspects of TELPAS:

• Purpose: TELPAS measures a student's progress in English language acquisition, specifically in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

• Target Audience: It is administered to emergent bilingual students in grades K-12 in Texas. 

• Proficiency Levels: Students are assigned a proficiency level (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, or Advanced High) for each language domain, according to Austin Independent School District and the Texas Education Agency. 

• Assessment Components:

  • Grades K-1: TELPAS utilizes holistic, teacher-based assessments of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 
  • Grades 2-12: Students in these grades take online assessments for listening and speaking, and reading and writing, according to the Texas Education Agency. 
  •  Practice TELPAS Questions

The STAAR Alternate 2 is an alternate assessment in Texas designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities receiving special education services. It's based on alternate academic achievement standards and measures a student's grasp of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). 

Key Aspects:

• Purpose: To fulfill federal requirements (Every Student Succeeds Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) by assessing students who may not be able to participate in the standard STAAR assessment.
• Administration: A standardized, individually administered paper assessment given once a year in the spring.
• Eligibility: Determined by a student's Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee based on participation requirements.
• Subjects Assessed: Mathematics, Reading Language Arts (RLA), Science, and Social Studies in grades 3-8, and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments for high school.
• Design: Items are based on alternate academic standards, with built-in accommodations and accessibility features.
• Scoring and Reporting: Includes individual performance level ratings, scale scores, and category performance. The STAAR Alternate 2 on-track measure provides information about a student's potential for future progress. 

STAAR Interim Assessments are optional, online assessments designed to help educators monitor student progress and pre dict student performance on STAAR. These assessments are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and are available at no cost to districts and open-enrollment charter schools. They are not tied to accountability and provide data to inform instruction and identify areas where students may need additional support. 

Key Features of STAAR Interim Assessments:

• Optional and Free: They are not mandatory and are provided at no cost to Texas public schools. 

• Progress Monitoring: They help educators track student learning and identify areas where students are excelling or struggling. 

• Performance Prediction: The assessments are designed to predict a student's performance on the summative STAAR assessments. 

• TEKS Alignment: The questions are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), ensuring they measure what students are expected to learn. 

• Online Format: The assessments are administered online, allowing for efficient data collection and reporting. 

• Data-Driven Instruction: The results provide teachers with valuable data to inform their instructional practices and tailor their teaching to meet the specific needs of their students. 

• No Accountability Tie: The interim assessments are not used for school or district accountability purposes. 

• Below Grade Level Testing: They allow for the flexibility to assess students below their enrolled grade level if appropriate, potentially revealing academic growth that might not be apparent on grade-level assessments. 

• Multistage Adaptive Tests (in Math and Reading): In mathematics and reading, the interim assessments use a multistage adaptive format, meaning the difficulty of the questions adjusts based on the student's performance. 

• Linear Tests (in Science and Social Studies): In science and social studies, the interim assessments use a linear format, meaning all students receive the same set of questions. 

• Reporting: Results are reported in the STAAR Assessment Management System, providing information about students' strengths and weaknesses in different reporting categories. 

• Teacher Involvement: Test questions are developed with the input of Texas teachers, ensuring alignment with classroom instruction. 

NWEA's MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive assessment designed to measure student achievement and growth in K-12 math, reading, language usage , and science. It adjusts to each student's skill level, providing teachers with individualized data to inform instruction and track progress over time. MAP Growth is not an accountability test but a tool to help educators understand where students are on their learning journey and tailor instruction accordingly. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Key Features:

• Computer-Adaptive: MAP Growth adjusts the difficulty of questions based on student responses, providing a more precise measure of their abilities. 

• Measures Growth: It tracks student progress over time, allowing educators to see how students are developing in specific subjects. 

• Subject-Specific: MAP Growth assesses students in math, reading, language usage, and science. 

• Nationally Normed: The results are compared to a national sample of students, providing context for student performance. 

• Not an Accountability Test: MAP Growth is intended to inform instruction and guide learning, not to evaluate schools or teachers. 

How it's used:

• Identify Instructional Levels: MAP Growth helps teachers understand each student's current academic standing. 

• Inform Instruction: The data from MAP Growth helps teachers tailor their lessons and provide targeted support to individual students. 

• Track Progress: It allows educators to monitor student growth throughout the year and see how effective their teaching strategies are. 

• Guide Resource Allocation: MAP Growth data can help schools determine where to allocate resources and provide support to students who need it most. 

Family Guide to MAP Growth