1. STAAR Alternate 2 Campus Training
STAAR Alternate 2 Preview Window
March 20–March 31
STAAR Alternate 2 Assessment Window
April 3–April 21

2. NOT take the place of reading the appropriate state material.
This training does
NOT take the place of reading the appropriate state material.
STAAR Alternate 2 Educator’s Guide
STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Manual

3. Information for STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Training
This slide is for campus test coordinator information only
Information for STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Training
Group training must include only the non-secure front matter from the STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Manual located on the TEA’s Coordinator Manual Resources webpage.
The test instructions located in the back of each test administrator manual are considered secure and may be viewed only by the test administrator during the preview and testing windows.

4. Tested Assessment Areas
STAAR Alternate 2
Tested Assessment Areas
Grade
Subject Assessed
Grade 3
Mathematics and Reading
Grade 4
Mathematics, Reading, and Writing
Grade 5
Mathematics, Reading, and Science
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Social Studies
End of Course (EOC)
Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History

5. Key STAAR Alternate 2 Campus Dates
Activity
Date
Enrollment Collection
November 7- December 9
Materials Due in District
February 27, – March 3, 2017
Test Session Setup Begins for Online Transcription Forms
March 6, 2017
Deadline for Security Training
March 10, 2017
*Last Date for Test Administrator Training (Test administrators must be trained prior to preview window
*March 10, 2017 (Spring Break)
STAAR Alternate 2 Preview Window
March 20, – March 31, 2017
Proctor Caching Available for Online Transcription Forms
March 20, 2017
STAAR Alternate 2 Assessment Window
April 3, – April 21, 2017
*Transfer date: students entering the district April 5 or later do not have to be assessed
*April 4, 2017
Please note:
Districts are not required to assess students who are eligible for STAAR Alternate 2 that enroll in a new district on April 4, 2017 or later (but you must test if they transferred from another school within DISD

6. Participation Requirements for STAAR Alternate 2
Students, for whom the ARD committee determines eligible for STAAR Alternate, will take an alternate assessment in ALL enrolled courses/subjects for that school year.

7. Medical Exception
Students who are medically fragile and cannot attend to or tolerate any academic interaction can qualify for a medical exception if the student is:
in the final stages of a terminal or degenerative illness.
receiving extensive short-term medical treatment due to a medical emergency or serious injury in an accident.
unable to interact with peers or staff without risk of infection or contamination to him/herself or others.
receiving non-academic homebound services due to medical issues and does not receive academic instruction.

8. No Authentic Academic Response (NAAR)
Students who are unable to respond authentically to any verbal, visual, or tactile stimuli during academic instruction due to level of cognition rather than a medical condition can qualify for a NAAR exception if the student:
does not show any observable reaction to a specific stimuli.
exhibits only startle responses.
tracks or fixates on objects at random and not for a purpose.
moves or responds only to internal stimuli.
vocalizes intermittently regardless of changes in the environment around them.
unable to receive any visual, auditory, or tactile information during the assessment.

9. Test Administrator Qualifications…Who can test?
The STAAR Alternate 2 test administrator:
must have a high level of familiarity with the student so that testing accommodations can be prepared appropriately and the student’s typical response modes can be understood.
must receive training as defined in campus test coordinator’s responsibilities on test security and general testing procedures before handling secure test materials.
must initial and sign the test administrator oath.
Test administrators may include:
teachers (including those who hold teaching permits or probationary certificates)
paraprofessionals (certified and noncertified)
related service staff (currently employed by the district and routinely work with students in the classroom)

10. Test Administrator Qualifications…Continued
Paraprofessionals
Certified and noncertified paraprofessionals and related service staff may serve as test administrators or test administrator assistants if they:
are currently employed by the district, and
routinely work with students in the classroom.
*Paraprofessionals must be supervised by a certified professional on the same campus throughout the test administration, receive training, and sign the test administrator oath.
Teacher Assistants
Test administrator assistants can provide assistance including:
preparing allowable accommodations as directed,
manipulating materials during the testing session,
translating or signing information for the student, and
managing student behavior.
Anyone involved in STAAR Alternate 2 must sign an oath and attend training

11. STAAR Alternate 2 Preview Window
March 20, March 31,2017

12. Materials: Preview Materials Window
Test administrators who have been trained on security and confidentiality and have signed an oath of test security may preview the STAAR Alternate 2 test materials beginning on March 20, 2017
The test administrator should use this time to:
Review the “Presentation Instructions” and “Scoring” sections of this manual to become familiar with the policy for presenting and scoring questions.
Practice reading the script and following the presentation instructions for test questions while maintaining the secure contents of the assessments.
Review the Scoring Instructions for test questions and plan teacher assistance for specific questions.
Review the student booklet to plan and prepare accommodations for any student who may need an accommodation according to the guidelines outlined in the “Accommodations” section of 2017 STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator manual.

13. Materials: Preview Materials Window
STAAR Alternate 2 test materials are considered secure and the campus coordinator must check them out to the test administrator using the STAAR Alternate 2 Materials Control Form each day. A separate materials control form will be used for the Preview Window and the actual assessment window.
Test materials should be checked out during the preview window only when needed by the test administrator to become familiar with the test and prepare for accommodations. At the end of each day, all secure materials, including photocopied pages from the student booklet, must be returned to the campus coordinator each day.
Test materials must be kept in locked, secure storage throughout the day when not in use.
Test materials (including photocopied pages from the student booklet) must be returned to the campus coordinator at the end of each day.
Failure to turn in test material each day is an irregularity

14. Materials: Preview Materials Window-Planning and Preparing Accommodations
The accommodations must:
maintain the integrity of the assessment,
avoid leading to or providing the student a direct answer,
be used routinely in instruction,
reflect the student’s learning styles, and
allow a student to respond using a mode that is appropriate for the student.

15. STAAR Alternate 2 Assessment Window
April 3, – April 21, 2017

16. STAAR Alternate 2-Administering the Assessment
The STAAR Alternate 2 Presentation Instructions are standardized and must be followed to ensure a valid assessment.
Test items must be administered in the order they appear in the student booklet.
The test administrator is given directions to present the item, specifically what to direct the student to, and what to communicate to the student.
Students can be alerted back to the task or materials or be encouraged to stay focused at any time during testing.
At no time may a student go back to previously answered items, including after an administration has been stopped and resumed for an emergency.
Students can request to have information repeated.

17. STAAR Alternate 2-Incomplete Assessment
Every attempt must be made to complete the assessment during the window.
If the assessment cannot be completed within the window, enter the score for the portion of the testing the student was able to complete into the online transcription form.
If a student cannot complete testing within the window due to his or her disability or other administration obstacles, contact your campus test coordinator for guidance.
In order for a student to be marked “absent” they must have been absent the entire 3 week assessment window.

18. STAAR Alternate 2-Test Security
Test administrators must prepare the environment for the administration of STAAR Alternate 2. STAAR Alternate 2 is administered to students in a one-on-one setting. Test sessions must be conducted under the best possible conditions with minimal distractions and in a setting that is arranged in the most appropriate way for individual students. Some options include
administering the test in a separate location,
providing adaptive or special furniture, and
providing special acoustics.
To support test security and standard assessment practices, STAAR Alternate 2 administrations require that
no element of the testing room environment should hinder any student’s performance,
a “Testing—Do Not Disturb” sign should be posted outside the testing room,
bulletin boards and instructional displays that could aid students during testing must be covered or removed,
clocks (either analog or digital) in the testing room do not have to be covered or removed,
all desks used for testing must be cleared of books and other materials not required for the test, and
test administrators must prevent students who are not part of the current testing session from viewing another student’s test administration.
The test administrator will determine the most appropriate seating arrangement based on individual student needs.

19. STAAR Alternate 2-Transcribing Student Responses
Pages of STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator Manual
Test Sessions must be created in the Assessment Management System by your campus TC prior to entering student information
Student responses will be entered into the online transcription form
Testing personnel will access the online transcription form by using the “Launch Test” feature in the Assessment Management System
Scoring documents can be found in the back of STAAR Alt 2 Test Administrator Manuals or in the resources section at assessmentmanagementsystem.com under Support > Documentation
The scoring documents must be returned to your TC

20. STAAR Alternate 2-Test Administrator Responsibilities
Maintain test security of materials until returned to the coordinator
Report any suspected violation of test security to the campus coordinator.
Transcribe student responses into the online transcription form.
Prepare test materials for return to the campus coordinator at the conclusion of test administrations.
Sign material in and out on the materials control form during both the preview and assessment window.
Sign an oath.

21. STAAR Alternate 2 Materials Control Form
A materials control form will be used for both the preview period and the assessment period, and will be designated as such.
Test administrators must verify that they have received the exact number of secure test materials recorded as issued, and initial the “Out” box.
The test administrators’ initials also signify that they have signed their security oaths.
When the materials are returned, TC will initial the “In” box. Your initials indicate that the test administrators have returned all secure test materials checked out to them as listed on the STAAR Alternate 2 Materials Control Form.

22. Return Test Materials to Campus Coordinator
Return nonscorable materials:
STAAR Alternate 2 Scoring Document
test booklets grouped by grade for grades 3–8
student test booklets grouped by course for EOC assessments
secure Alternate 2 test administrator manuals and photocopies of secure test materials, if used
Pack STAAR Alternate 2 materials by campus.
Do not mix STAAR Alternate 2 materials with STAAR or TELPAS materials in the same shipment.

23. Please sign your oath and turn in to test coordinator
Remember, this training does not take the place of reading the appropriate manuals.
Please sign your oath and turn in to test coordinator