Assessment & Accountability

The Texas Assessment Program is a statewide testing program that includes the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®), STAAR Alternate 2, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), and TELPAS Alternate. The Texas Assessment Program is designed to measure the extent to which a student has learned and is able to apply the defined knowledge and skills at each tested grade or the extent to which a student has developed English language proficiency. These required assessments were created to fulfill both federal and state requirements.

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®) is a standardized academic achievement test designed to measure the extent to which a student has learned and is able to apply the defined knowledge and skills in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) at each tested grade, subject, and course. Every STAAR question is directly aligned to the TEKS currently in effect for the grade and subject or course being assessed.

STAAR helps to ensure that Texas students are competitive with other students both nationally and internationally. Another important function of STAAR is gauging how well schools and teachers prepare their students academically. In addition, STAAR fulfills the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires that all students be assessed in specific grades and subjects throughout their academic careers.

STAAR is an online assessment in mathematics, reading language arts (RLA), science, and social studies for students in grades 3–8 and high school and online tests in Spanish for students in grades 3–5.

All students enrolled in Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools in grades 3–8 and specific high school courses are required by both federal and state law to participate in STAAR.