Assessments

  • WISD wants every student to learn and grow. We help district and campus leaders make good decisions by giving them information so that teachers and students can succeed.

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    51 Northgate Drive
    Waxahachie, TX 75165
    (972) 923-4727

Student Success

      Accelerated Instruction

      • Accelerated Instruction Requirements in Texas

        Schools have requirements for ensuring students achieve learning targets.  Accomplishing this task may impact staffing, scheduling, and increased use of tutors in schools.  Accelerated instruction was addressed by the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature House Bill 4545. Texas law requires all students who do not achieve approaches or higher on the STAAR in grades 3-8 or EOC assessments to be provided accelerated instruction. HB 4545's requirements were recently updated with the passage of House Bill 1416 in the 88th legislature, providing that qualifying students must be:

        • Assigned a TIA-designated teacher for the subsequent school year in the applicable subject area; or
        • Provided supplemental instruction aligned with the research on high-impact tutoring in the TEKS for the applicable grade levels and subject areas in the following manner:
          1. No less than 15 or 30 hours depending on student performance and is provided in the summer or at least once per week in the school year;
          2. Limited to two subjects per year, prioritizing math and RLA; 
          3. Provided in a group of no more than four students, unless the parent or guardian of each student in the group authorizes a larger group; 
          4. Designed to assist the student in achieving satisfactory performance in the applicable grade level and subject area and includes effective instructional materials designed for supplemental instruction;
          5. Provided by a person with training in the applicable instructional materials for the supplemental instruction and provided by one person for the entirety of their accelerated instruction.

        Key Changes in Requirements from HB 1416

        House Bill 1416 updated the accelerated instruction requirements from House Bill 4545 by: 

        • Removing the requirement for Accelerated Learning Committees while requiring an Accelerated Education Plan after a student fails to achieve approaches or higher on two consecutive assessments in the same subject area 
        • Limiting tutoring to 2 subjects and no longer including optional assessment administration
        • Increasing student-to-tutor ratio from 3:1 to 4:1 for tutoring group size  
        • Reducing the minimum time requirement from 30 to 15 for some students 
        • Providing student-to-teacher ratio waivers for use of approved online curriculum (approvals available spring 2024)
        • HB 1416 requires TEA to define requirements for students requiring 30 hours of supplemental instruction through the rulemaking process.
        • TEA will propose rules that will provide that students who fall into the "Low Does Not Meet" category of STAAR performance receive no less than 30 hours of supplemental instruction.
        • The rules will also provide that students in third grade who do not approach grade level or higher will be required to receive 30 hours of supplemental instruction.

        Resources

      Assessments

      • Advanced Placement Exams

      • CIRCLE Testing

      • College Entrance Exams: ACT, SAT, PSAT, and PreACT

      • Credit by Exam

      • Interims

      • Measures of Academic Progress

      • State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness

      • Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

      • Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System

      • Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2

      Digital Testing

      • If students have a school-issued laptop, they are required to bring that device for testing.  If students have a personal device that is Windows-based, they may bring it for testing.  Students will not be able to use Apple devices or any other device that is not Windows-based.  All devices must be fully charged and ready to begin on testing day. 

         

        Getting Laptops Ready for Testing 

      Reminders

        • Avoid scheduling appointments on testing dates, if possible.
        • Students cannot be checked out while testing.  Testing must be completed before leaving.
        • If a testing day is missed, students will be required to test on a subsequent day(s).
        • Students that do not test or do not meet testing requirements will be placed in HB4545 Acceleration classes as required by the state.
        • STAAR Tests are timed 4-hour tests, while English 1 and English 2 are 5 hours.
        • All STAAR Assessments will be taken in person in an online format.
        • It is very important students bring their district-issued devices fully charged on test day
          • If a student is using a personal computer, it can only be a Microsoft-based machine and the student will need to have the device loaded with the testing application.  See librarians prior to test day.
          • It is important that the district-issued devices have been shut down and restarted within 30 days prior to testing to ensure the machine is fully updated.
          • There is a limited number of extra devices.  If students fail to bring theirs, an alternate test day may be necessary.
        • Students can bring a fiction book to read (No Kindles or E-Readers) at the conclusion of testing.
          • Textbooks, non-fiction books, or homework will not be permitted.
        • For test security purposes, personal electronic devices are prohibited.
          • Music devices, cell phones, smart watches, data storage devices, video games, or cameras will NOT be permitted in the testing rooms.
          • Due to the serious nature of such an offense, if a prohibited device is in use during testing hours, the student will have disciplinary consequences and will be reported to the state as a testing irregularity.
          • WISD will not be responsible for lost or damaged phones. 
        • Students are expected to follow the dress code.
        • No pillows, blankets, or pajamas.
        • Students may bring a bottle of water and quiet snacks.  
        • It is recommended to bring a sack lunch.
          • Students needing to purchase lunch will be escorted to the cafeteria and back to the testing location, which reduces the time to eat.
        • We encourage each student to get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, take their time, and do their very best. We have full confidence in each student!

      STAAR Resources

      Testing & Reporting

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