Welcome to Assessment


The Academic Accountability department oversees all training, administration, and reporting for state-mandated and standardized assessments such as STAAR and NWEA MAP.  Our team also assists department administrators in organizing the training, proctoring, and reporting of other assessments such as ASLAI and TSIA2.  In accordance with TSD’s strategic planning goals, we collaborate with department administrators in the planning and implementation of systematic practices for data collection, data analysis, and goal-setting.  We ensure timely upload of local, state, and national assessment data into our data systems and provide updated reports to principals and the school board on our accountability progress.

Classroom Assessments: 

Teachers at TSD use a variety of assessment tools to help measure student progress.  Formative and summative assessments are given to help monitor student progress with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).  Contact your child’s teacher to find out more information about the tools and assessments used in the classroom.

Assessments for Accountability:

NWEA MAP: Northwest Education Association’s Measure of Academic Progress

 

MAP Growth icon imageTexas School for the Deaf has been using the NWEA MAP as our Texas Education Agency (TEA) accountability assessment since the 2017-2018 school year.  Students in Elementary, Middle School and High School take MAP three times a year in the areas of reading and mathematics.  


MAP is aligned with the TX State Standards TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) and is a computer adaptive test in which the computer adjusts the difficulty of questions based on student responses.  This allows each student to take a unique test designed to identify what they currently know, and what they are ready to learn next.  

In accordance with our MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with TEA, student reading and mathematics scores in grades 3 - 11 will be submitted for accountability purposes (note: students in 12th grade who are taking math and english courses will still take MAP in order to provide teachers with data to support instruction).

SELA: Special Education Language Acquisition

House Bill 548 of the 86th Texas Legislature (2019) requires districts to assess and report the language acquisition of students aged birth-8 years old who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) or deafblind (DB). The data collected from this annual testing will provide valuable insight into the language acquisition, education, and intervention for these students and will be used to improve services for students who are DHH or DB in the state. The data does not have any bearing on the students’ special education eligibility, grades, or promotion to the next grade level. 

To meet this requirement, the Texas School for the Deaf's Early Learning Center will use the Visual Communication and Sign Language (VCSL) Checklist, while the Elementary program will be using  ASL-VT (ASL Vocabulary Test) with students in kindergarten through age 8.  The VCSL is a standardized, comprehensive checklist used to assist in tracking young children's sign language development from birth to age 5.  The ASL-VT measures expressive and productive signed vocabulary knowledge.  Results from the VCSL and ASL-VT will be reported to the state.

State-Mandated Assessments:

 
STAAR:  State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness
STAAR icon image

Students are tested on the STAAR in grades 3 - High School EOC (End of Course) assessments.  Qualifying students with the most significant cognitive disabilities take STAAR Alt. 2.  All students taking a STAAR assessment are assessed in specific content areas at different grade levels. 

Each student in grades 3 - 8 are assessed in reading and mathematics. In addition to this, students in 5th and 8th are assessed in science, and 8th-grade students are assessed in social studies.

At High School, specific assessments are given which correlate with students enrolled coursework.  The five required End of Course (EOC) exams included are:  English I and English II (which include Reading and Writing), Algebra I, Biology and US History.   

STAAR assessments are designed to assess student mastery of the TEKS.  Students receive a scaled score that is linked to a proficiency level.  For more information regarding the STAAR, please visit texasassessment.gov.

Please refer to other links to the right of this page, including the 2021-2022 Assessment Information, and Assessment Calendars (also posted on each department's website) for more information regarding additional assessments given throughout the year.
 
In addition to your child's teacher(s) and department principals, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding assessments.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Tamara Copeland-Samaripa 
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Coordinator
737-242-7978 (VP)
 
Raul Lozano, Jr. 
Student Assessment Specialist
512-410-1161 (VP)
Federal Report Cards
 
 
 
image reads federal report cards
Texas School for the Deaf is sharing this information about the district (TSD) and the State as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
 
Federal Report Cards for the state and the district are now available on TSD’s website and are also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/Finance_and_Grants/Grants/Federal_Report_Card/.
 
Please keep in mind that although, we receive federal Title 1 funds, we do not use the state assessment (STAAR) to measure TSD’s accountability. We us Measuring Academic Progress (MAP) scores for that purpose. If you have any questions about TSD’s assessment program, please contact our TSD MTSS Coordinator at [email protected].
 
Click the following link for more information: