July 22, 2011
Subject: Additional Flexibility for the 2011–2012 Testing Calendar
The purpose of this e-mail is to notify you of
a number of updates to the 2011–2012 Student Assessment testing calendar. The
majority of these updates have been made to provide districts with additional
flexibility during the 2012 spring and summer test administrations. However, please
note that there is no requirement to implement a new test administration schedule
for the 2011–2012 school year. Districts may follow the local schedule already
developed.
The revised calendar will be posted to the
Texas Education Agency’s (TEA’s) website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/calendars/.
Updates to the 2011–2012 testing calendar
include the following:
- Districts will be given more
latitude to adjust schedules as necessary for the test administrations at
grades 3–8 during the week of April 24–April 27, 2012.
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics,
reading, science, and social studies assessments are currently scheduled
for specific days during that week. TEA is allowing districts flexibility
to change the administration dates within that week to accommodate local
needs without having to contact the agency. TEA will re-evaluate the
2012–2013 STAAR administration schedule for grades 3–8 based on feedback
received from 2011–2012.
- To
give districts maximum flexibility in scheduling, the STAAR end-of-course
(EOC) assessments in spring and summer 2012 will be administered in
testing windows, except for English I, English II, and English III.
- The
May testing window, which will replace the originally specified dates for
STAAR EOC assessments, will be from May 7–May 18. However, the English I,
English II, and English III administrations will still be administered on
specified days during the week of March 26–March 29.
- The
July testing window, which will replace daily blocks of administrations
of STAAR EOC assessments, will be from July 9–12.
- The
summer administration of the English I, II, and III assessments will
remain on specified testing dates. However, these dates have been slightly
changed to match the order of the March administrations. In addition,
specific make-up days for English I have been eliminated. Make-up
sessions for English I must be completed by Friday, July 13.
- The
dates for the STAAR grades 5 and 8 mathematics and reading tests have
changed in response to requests from school district personnel that all
reading and writing tests be administered on the same days to minimize
disruptions to instructional time on elementary and middle school
campuses. The STAAR grades 5 and 8 mathematics tests are now scheduled for
Tuesday, March 27, 2012. The STAAR grades 5 and 8 reading tests are now
scheduled for Wednesday, March 28. However, TEA is allowing districts additional
flexibility to change the administration dates within that week to
accommodate local needs without having to contact the agency.
- Specific
make-up days for grade 4 writing, grade 7 writing, and English I have been
eliminated. All make-up sessions for tests scheduled to be administered
from March 26–March 29, 2012, must be completed by Friday, March 30.
§ Assessment windows for two administrations have changed. The
assessment window for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
(STAAR) Alternate assessment, originally scheduled for January 2–April 13, 2012,
is now scheduled for January 9–April 20. The testing window for the Texas
English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), originally scheduled
for March 5–April 6, 2012, is now scheduled for March 19–April 11.
- Dates
are now included for the training of personnel from ESCs and large
districts on test administration procedures. This training will occur on
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 10–11, 2012.
- The
date by which ESCs must have completed training school district testing
personnel has been changed from January 6 to January 27, 2012.
- The
date is now included for the training of ESC personnel on language
proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) procedures for the assessment
program. The training will be conducted through TETN from 9:00 am to noon
(CST) on January 6, 2012.
- The
starting date for the TELPAS training of supplemental support providers is
January 30, 2012.
- The
list of subjects for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
assessments has changed. Texas will no longer participate in NAEP economics.
- The
dates that student results are scheduled to be posted online in the
“Report Dates” column of the testing calendar are no longer specified. Results
will be posted online approximately five days before the reporting date indicated
for each administration.
- A
footnote indicating STAAR L administrations has been added.
Please call the Student Assessment Division at
512-463-9536 if you have any questions about this information.
Assessment Contact Information
Texas Education Agency
Department of Assessment, Accountability, and
Data Quality, Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner
Division of Student Assessment, Gloria
Zyskowski, Deputy Associate Commissioner
(512) 463-9536
studenta@tea.state.tx.us
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