The Student Assessment Division of the Texas Education Agency is responsible for the development and administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) and the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS). The Texas Assessment program includes more than just the STAAR summative tests. Assessment tools and resources provide educators and parents meaningful information to support strong teaching and guide students to their full potential. Without assessments, it’s hard to measure how well all Texas students are learning and understanding subjects and course material throughout their educational experience. For many Texas students, assessments also help measure how well they are mastering the English language.

The links below provide the official Student Assessment Testing Calendars for Marshall ISD:

• Marshall Early Childhood Assessment Calendar

• Elementary School Assessment Calendar

• Marshall Junior High Assessment Calendar

• Marshall High School Assessment Calendar

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR®, is the state testing program that was implemented in the 2011-2012 school year. The Texas Education Agency (TEA), in collaboration with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and Texas educators, developed the STAAR program in response to requirements set forth by the 80th and 81st Texas legislatures. STAAR is an assessment program designed to measure the extent to which students have learned and are able to apply the knowledge and skills defined in the state-mandated curriculum standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Every STAAR question is directly aligned to the TEKS currently implemented for the grade/subject or course being assessed. The STAAR program includes STAAR and STAAR Spanish. There are large print, braille, paper and online versions of STAAR with and without designated supports.

STAAR assessments are administered for: Grades 3-8 Mathematics; Grades 3-8 Reading; Grades 4 and 7 Writing; Grades 5 and 8 Science; Grade 8 Social Studies; Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History. Also, districts may choose to administer the optional STAAR Algebra II and English III end-of-course (EOC) assessments to their students.

Dates for the PSAT tests are listed annually [CLICK HERE for 2020-2021 testing schedule]. Home-schooled students who live near an MISD campus and would like to take the test, should contact Crystal Stephens, MISD Testing Coordinator, at 903-927-8759 or via e-mail at stephenscl@marshallisd.com. MISD does not administer state-funded tests to students who attend home schools, private schools or charter schools. If a parent wishes for their student in these schools to take the test, they may contact the Texas Education Agency directly at 512-463-9734 to coordinate it. 

TEA designed the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) and TELPAS Alternate to assess the progress that limited English proficient (LEP) students, also referred to as English learners (ELs), make in learning the English language.

TELPAS assesses the English language proficiency of K-12 ELs in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing. English language proficiency assessments in grades K-12 are federally required to evaluate the progress that ELs make in becoming proficient in the use of academic English. TELPAS assesses the ELPS, which districts are required to implement as an integral part or each foundation and enrichment subject of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state-required curriculum.

House Bill (HB) 3906 was one of several bills addressing public education that was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The bill addresses several components related to assessments and administration that expands input from educators, provides more flexibility at the campus level for test administration, and more. For more information and to familiarize yourself with this legislation, click here.