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Email to Teachers Regarding STAAR Redesign Training

The purpose of this communication is to inform superintendents and school system administrators about an email that will be sent to teachers on November 14, 2022, regarding STAAR redesign training.  

The ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ (ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ) has been supporting ESCs and school systems in training their teachers about the STAAR redesign. Two new training opportunities are available this month for teachers that have yet to receive training from their ESCs or school systems. An asynchronous module is now available in the Student Assessment , and optional, ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ-led webinars for teachers about the STAAR redesign will be held during the week of November 28.  

ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ will email the message below to all teachers in the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) database on Monday, November 14. Superintendents are encouraged to share the contents of this email with teachers through local communication channels after the 14th in case some teachers’ contact information is not current in the ECOS database. 

ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ Email Content to be Sent to Teachers 

Dear Educator, 

Texas educators played an important role over the past two years in helping to shape the redesigned State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), which will be implemented in Spring 2023. The redesigned STAAR, a result of House Bill (HB) 3906 passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, will align more closely with effective classroom instruction. The redesign includes several components: 

• New types of test questions: New, non-multiple-choice question types are more like the kinds of questions teachers ask in class and give students more ways to show understanding.  
• More cross-curricular reading passages: Reading comprehension test questions reference topics students have learned about in other classes.  
• Evidence-based writing incorporated into reading language arts tests: Combined reading and writing tests better support the interconnected way these subjects are taught and eliminate stand-alone writing tests for grades 4 and 7.  
• Robust accommodations in online tests: The online testing platform provides a full suite of robust accommodations for students with specific learning needs.  
• Tests administered online: Online testing supports all the changes above and will provide faster test results in future years to support accelerated learning. The transition to online testing will be implemented beginning with the December 2022 administration.  

There are multiple opportunities for educators to learn about the STAAR redesign, and all educators are encouraged to participate in at least one opportunity. Educators can receive CPE credit hours for participating in any of the following training opportunities, each of which cover the same STAAR redesign content: 

• An interactive professional development session facilitated by your district or regional education service center (ESC) using ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ-provided materials. 
• Online training modules hosted in the Student Assessment  that can be completed on your own schedule. Please reach out to your district’s testing coordinator if you need access to the learning management system. 
• Live STAAR redesign webinars hosted by ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ from November 28–December 2, 2022, which cover the same information educators will receive in trainings offered by their ESC or district.  

Registration links for ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ webinars are bulleted below: 

Please submit any questions about the training opportunities to the . 

Thank you for all the work you do to support Texas students. 

Sincerely, 

ÁñÁ«ÊÓÆÁ