Assessments for Students with Disabilities

The Texas Assessment Program is a statewide testing program that includes State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®), STAAR Spanish, and STAAR Alternate 2. In addition, online embedded supports (i.e., content and language supports, oral administration via text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and spelling assistance) are available on STAAR for eligible students. Information about these embedded supports and other designated supports can be found on the  Accommodation Resources webpage.

Information about the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) and TELPAS Alternate appear on separate web pages.

Students not Receiving Services Under Section 504 or Special Education Services

Students not receiving services under section 504 or special education services are required by Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and assessment graduation requirements in order to receive a Texas high school diploma.

• Students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations.
• STAAR Spanish is available for students receiving instruction in Spanish in grades 3-5.

Students Receiving Services Under Section 504

Students receiving services under section 504 services are required by Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and assessment graduation requirements in order to receive a Texas high school diploma.

Students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations. 

Students Receiving Special Education Services

The admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee makes educational decisions for a student with a disability, including decisions related to state assessments and decisions related to graduation requirements as described in Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1070.

• Students will take STAAR with or without allowable accommodations.
• Review the participation requirements for STAAR Alternate 2 for students with significant cognitive disabilities who access the grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum through prerequisite skills.
• Review the participation requirements for TELPAS Alternate for English learners (ELs) with significant cognitive disabilities. 

English Learners

Students are required by TEC §28.025(c) to meet all curriculum requirements and assessment graduation requirements in order to receive a Texas high school diploma. For students receiving services under section 504 or special education services, the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) is required to work in conjunction with the applicable committee above in making and documenting accommodation decisions.

 Related Resources

Find links to additional resources below:

• Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) Assessment Resources
• TEA’s Curriculum Division 
• TEA’s Division of Federal and State Education Policy 
• TEA Dyslexia Information
• TEA Section 504 Information: (512) 463-9290