Final Weeks STAAR Preparation Checklist
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) publishes an annual STAAR testing
calendar to help districts, schools, educators, and families prepare for key
assessment dates throughout the academic year. This calendar outlines
designated windows for test administration, scoring, and reporting across all
tested grade levels and subjects. By aligning instructional planning and
support services with these milestones, stakeholders can ensure a smooth and
timely testing experience for students.
Whether you are coordinating district logistics or supporting classroom
readiness, the STAAR calendar serves as a foundational planning tool for Texas
educators.
Final Four to Six Weeks Before STAAR: Review Standards Reports
Review
your class Standards Report to identify TEKS-based learning gaps—especially
within Readiness Standards—across whole-class, group, and individual student
data.
★ Teachers can assign
additional practice activities or lessons via the Standards Report to provide students with
targeted practices in areas where there is opportunity to improve performance.
- Open the Standards Report: Go to the Reports tab in the upper right corner and select Standards Report.
- Select a Course: Click on the course you’d like to review.
- Search for Standards: In the Standards search field, use the dropdown menu to locate the course standards you want to explore.
- Expand the Standards Table: Click the carat next to the Standards heading to
reveal student performance data for each standard.
- Review Standard Details: Hover over a standard to view its STAAR weight and determine whether it’s classified as a Readiness or Supporting standard.
- View Aligned Activities: In the Details column, click View next to the standard you wish to examine. This opens a list of activities aligned to that standard.
- Assign an Activity: Click the activity name in the column header to assign it directly to individual students, groups, or the entire class. This will open the assignment modal for your selected class.
★ As you spot trends among groups of students, create instructional
groups based on similar needs and challenges, and then assign additional
practices to each group to provide additional targeted practice; when reviewing
future reports, filter by instructional group to see progress of student
performances by group.
★ Remind students that they can continue to improve, especially if they
slow down, practice doing multiple reads of passages and questions, utilize
strikethrough to eliminate obvious incorrect responses, consider context clues,
use other available tools and accommodations they have practiced in class.
★ In Math Courses, assign daily Mixed STAAR Review and Practice leading
up to the exam as they focus on reviewing the most tested readiness standards
in Math.
Final Weeks Before STAAR
★ Assign online Practice Test(s) early.
Assessments in Sirius can be assigned more than once.
★ Continue to build stamina, in depth study and review of results from
Practice Tests, including reteaching and additional skill building when
necessary.
★ Practice with actual accommodations students will use on the STAAR
test.
★ Create a list of topics and resources for student review, including
review content to study before the test.
★ According to need and district expectation, assign last minute items
for assessment, including possible reassignment of the Final Practice Test.
★ Continue to support development of strong test-taking skills and
behaviors as they do Final Practice Tests.
★ Provide individual feedback and support as the testing date approaches.
Consider a Final “Dress Rehearsal” Practice Test
RLA programs have one
practice test; all other programs offer two forms (Version A and B) for
multiple sessions; Any assessment can be assigned more than once, especially if
such an assignment can help to build student confidence through familiarity.
★ Remind and review
the use of tools such as highlighting, annotation, sticky notes in their final
preparation; consider reviewing the tools within the new STAAR redesign, if
needed.
★ Require students to
do their practice tests with the accommodations they'll use on STAAR.
★ Encourage students
to use paper and pencil for notes and thinking through problems.
★ Remind students to
take short breaks during practice tests and the actual STAAR test (at least
once every 45 minutes, or every 30 minutes for younger students).
★ Observe students
carefully. Try to spot negative test taking behaviors like working too quickly,
changing answers, jumping among questions.
★ Look for signs of
anxiety, and then take steps to help students manage the things that cause them
stress.
Final Review of Practice Tests
★ Celebrate student effort.
★ Help students analyze test questions (1 hour +) so they can avoid
making the same mistakes on the actual STAAR Test.
★ Remind students of sound test taking strategies.
★ Help students overcome their test anxiety, including reminding them to:
- Focus on answering test questions, not on their feelings or those of other students.
- Monitor their inner dialog (be aware of their "self talk).
- Replace negative thoughts with more helpful thoughts like, "I don't have to be perfect."
- Contract and relax muscles throughout their body.
- Close their eyes and take a couple of slow deep breaths.
- Take breaks: stretch, get a drink, or go to the bathroom.
- Reflect on how they will feel after the test, after doing their best.
- Do a ten minute expressive writing exercise right before they start the STAAR test (assign calming topics).
Final Night Before STAAR
★ Students actively rest, get a good night's sleep, and wake up with a
confident attitude that supports success.
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