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Leveling Up STAAR/EOC Prep with TFAR

by Brittanie Payne
written by Brittanie Payne

I first heard about the Texas Formative Assessment Resource (TFAR) around the end of the fall semester in 2022. Our high school principal had been at a meeting where the STAAR redesign was discussed, after which he shared that we needed to look into TFAR as an option for preparing our students for the new interactive question types. Our district testing coordinator then contacted me, and I began training to learn about TFAR and started to share it with our ECHS teachers and students. Here’s a walkthrough of how I got started:

About TFAR

TFAR was released by TEA in August 2020 in response to HB 3906 which stated that all state assessments would have to be administered online by the 2022-2023 school year. It provides access to the testing platform and was designed to be used for formative assessments throughout the school year. Provided question banks are filled with past STAAR questions, interactive question types from sample packs, and the ability to create your own questions to help students prepare for and get accustomed to these style of questions. 

Getting Started

During the spring of 2023, I met with all of our high school students who were taking EOCs that spring. I went into individual classrooms and pulled multiple classes into our large lecture hall, before leading students through the login process, adjusting their test settings, and a leading a practice mini assessment (10 questions or less) where we talked about all the test features and how to navigate the new interactive question types. 

These sessions were focused more on online testing tips and understanding the test platform than being related to the academic content. These sessions were very beneficial, as they allowed students to access to the real testing platform so they could become more comfortable with it, giving time to students to click all the buttons (and we did click ALL of them to make sure they understood how and why they’d use them). They also allowed students to hear another voice talk through how to answer these new questions, helping them understand why reading all the directions could be incredibly important.  In essence, we gave them time to play in the test platform and ask questions that they previously hadn’t been able to ask, or might not have even known to ask.

Adjusting TFAR for Students Requiring Accommodations

After I led these sessions with students, our lead English teacher asked me to lead a session with our students who received testing accommodations. She wanted those kids to have time to play and ask questions, too. So, we pulled all English 1 and English 2 students who would test that spring into a classroom and I went through all of the testing accommodations with them, as well.  We practiced adjusting the text-to-speech voice and talked about the benefits of adjusting it to meet your needs. We practiced typing in the boxes, and turning spell check on and off. We even discussed how to utilize the online dictionary. 

After these sessions, many of our tested subject teachers created short quizzes in TFAR and utilized them in their own classrooms for additional practice leading up to their assigned testing dates.  When scores came in, we saw amazing growth in our pass rates. 

TFAR in the Elementary Classroom

I’ve led TFAR sessions each year with students at our high school, since the 2022-2023 school year. In that time, some of our teachers (specifically our ELA teachers) have made TFAR a more regular practice in their classrooms, and our English 2 pass rate scores have jumped 17 percentage points. This led us to start using TFAR with some of our elementary students, in hopes of allowing students to practice earlier in their school careers.  

In January 2025, I visited all of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th dyslexia intervention classes, and our 4th and 5th grade basic reading and math classes, where I worked with the campus instructional coach and the campus testing coordinator to ensure that all testing accommodations were turned on and ready for use with the TFAR system. Then, I led these students through a session where we talked through how to use all their testing accommodations on their STAAR tests and they got to practice with me over a few days. 

They were able to practice using content language supports, text-to-speech, word prediction, spelling assistance, and speech-to-text tools. We let them play with the color backgrounds and showed them how to adjust the text-to-speech voice after they started their test, and how to use their headset microphones to better utilize the speech-to-text function. At the end of these sessions, we asked them to share which accommodations they were most excited to use on the day of their tests now that they knew how to use them and knew that they would help. 

Our 4th and 5th grade general ed classroom teachers continued to use TFAR in their classrooms with all students and these students were able to continue to practice with accommodations that looked identical to their tests.  And, when scores came in, we saw growth not only in our overall pass rates, but also in our special education population. 

Integrating TFAR: The Results

Since we started using TFAR in our district, I’ve witnessed more students utilizing all their testing tools and features during their tests. They appear less stressed and more calm on their test days, and are more confident, often approaching their tests with a different level of seriousness and effort than I saw when I was a classroom teacher in this same district. 

Can we attribute all of this success to our use of TFAR?  No, but I do think that we’ve found a way to bring it into our classrooms in a meaningful way that is contributing to our overall success. 

I’m very excited to share more of our journey with TFAR at the 2026 TCEA Convention and Exposition this Jan. 31 through Feb. 4 in San Antonio, TX.  I’ll be sharing a few more details about our process and also how we have started training more of our teachers on TFAR so it can be used more widely across our district. I hope to see you there!

Click here to register for TCEA 2026 to see Brittanie Payne’s presentation, as well as hundreds of others from amazing educators across the TCEA network!

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Explore a program for reading comprehension that goes beyond multiple choice comprehension quizzes: Whooo's Reading!
English Language Arts Reading (ELAR)STAARTEKSWriting

Whooo’s Reading: Beyond Multiple Choice Comprehension Questions

by Shelli Harrel
written by Shelli Harrel

In an educational environment where students have been conditioned to expect multiple-choice assessments, educators are increasingly looking for new ways to gauge student learning. Are you looking for ways to help your students “think outside of the bubbles”? Whooo’s Reading is a program designed to help students improve both their reading comprehension and writing skills while creating a fun alternative to traditional assessments. With each successful completion of a task within the program, students earn coins that can be used to purchase items for their owl avatars. Hence the name, Whooo’s Reading!

Screenshot by the Author of Owl Customization with Coins

How Whooo’s Reading Benefits Students and Teachers

1. Whooo’s Reading Question Types

With the Whooo’s Reading program, students can read a book or text resource and take a quiz to determine their comprehension. Quiz questions are tailored to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) and are a mixture of short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and constructed response questions. 

2. Student Guidance for Constructed Responses

Screenshot by the Author of Constructed Response Guidance

Open-ended response questions allow students to more thoroughly express the details they remember from their reading experience. At the bottom of the screen, users can track their writing progress by watching as the line changes from red to yellow to green. By encouraging students to work toward the green, they gradually learn the importance of including enough information to adequately answer the question at hand. 

3. Immediate Feedback on Student Writing

The program gives feedback on typed responses that allows users the opportunity for self-correction as they work to complete the quizzes. In an effort to encourage students to correct potential mistakes in their writing, they are provided with feedback and the ability to earn additional coins if they make adjustments to their work before continuing with the quiz. At the end of each quiz, students are provided with feedback on the things that they did well and information on areas where they could improve. They are also given examples highlighted from their quiz responses. 

4. Use Any Text Resource 

Unlike similar reading programs, the Whooo’s Reading program can be used with virtually any text resource. By expanding the potential reading resources, students are not limited to specific titles or books. Teachers can also assign online reading resources for students, where they can access the online link and complete a quiz on the material. 

5. Track Student Progress and Vary Assessment Tasks

In addition, Whooo’s Reading offers educators the ability to assign various other assessment tasks to students such as writing essays or completing practice questions/exercises designed to help address specific skills. Both students and teachers also have the ability to construct their own practice questions related to titles that they have read. Educators also have the option of asking students to keep reading logs to gauge their reading progress and students can create book reviews that are visible to their classmates, providing additional encouragement to read new books. 

6. Adjust Reading and Grade Levels as Needed

One of the most beneficial parts of the Whooo’s Reading program is the ability to differentiate the experience for each student. Teachers have the ability to set the reading level and grade level for each individual. By making adjustments to each of these settings, the experience for each student can be more adequately tailored to their specific reading ability. Changing the levels for individuals means that the quiz questions for students will be more in line with their reading ability and thus provide them with an increased chance of successfully completing the quiz. 

7. Customize Assessments and Provide Sentence Stems

Screenshot by the Author of Customization Options

Teachers also have the option to choose the types and number of questions that appear in the reading quizzes, as well as provide students with sentence stems or sentence starters to assist them in successfully answering the constructed response questions. Quiz passing rates can be set by the teacher at a range from 2 to 4. This means that passing standards can be better adjusted based on student needs, with teachers also having the ability to provide student feedback on quiz responses and add credit points to quiz scores if needed. 

8. Accessibility Features 

Screenshot by the Author of Accessibility Features

In addition to these features, Whooo’s Reading also provides text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities. Within the program, settings can be adjusted so that students can click on the speaker icon to have information on the screen read to them. If they have access to a microphone, they can click on the microphone icon, speak their answers, and see their words transcribed on the screen. With these options to tailor the Whooo’s Reading experience for each user, students of all levels have an increased chance for success. 

9. Prep for the STAAR Test

Not only does Whooo’s Reading help students to practice expressing their thoughts by engaging them in more challenging questions than traditional multiple-choice assessments, but it can also help them enhance their writing skills as well. With recent changes to the STAAR (The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests, students are being tasked with answering more constructed response-type questions. This format within the Whooo’s Reading quizzes provides important practice that can help prepare students to have increased success on the state assessments. In addition, teachers have the ability to access and print out students’ quiz information that showcases each question and the student’s responses. This not only gives increased data on student progress but also provides educators with examples of students’ writing for targeted instruction.

Free Premium Features

For the 2023-2024 school year, Whooo’s Reading has offered interested teachers/schools the opportunity to try out all of the premium features of their program for free. I’ve been told by representatives that they will be doing the same for the 2024-2025 school year! During this time, Whooo’s Reading will be working to collect data and make important improvements to the program. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and discover the many ways that this program can benefit your learners!

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Feature Image with 7 ways to make staar test prep easier with TeacherMade
STAARTesting

Seven Ways TeacherMade Can Help You Prepare for STAAR Testing

by Laura Bresko
written by Laura Bresko

Teaching has peaks and valleys, and the end-of-year standardized test review time is a slog. But you don’t have to put yourself or your students through it when you incorporate STAAR test prep activities throughout the year. 

You can welcome the arrival of spring once again when you:

  • integrate STAAR question types into your class routine throughout the year. 
  • pinpoint problem areas daily/weekly to remediate when it matters most.
  • use auto-grading features so you have more time and data to do what you love.

What will be different about STAAR for Spring 2023?

As we all know too well, Texas students will experience a newly redesigned STAAR 2.0 test next month. There will be key changes that students need to be familiar with before taking the test:

  • New question types
  • Cross-curricular reading passages
  • Evidence-based writing
  • Tests administered online

The Texas STAAR will differ from a traditional standardized paper and pencil test. Students will face questions that require them to think differently than multiple choice: multi-select, hot spot, drag and drop, free response questions, and more.

Integrating STAAR Test Prep More Frequently for Shorter Periods

Educators have been running drill camps before the big test for years now. How do you feel about that approach and its effectiveness? If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t feel great about it. Instead, consider incorporating a few of these tips into your normal week so that students familiarize themselves with the test format before the big day. 

Tip 1: Incorporate STAAR review into your daily routine. 

The biggest takeaway for planning test prep is to do smaller amounts of it for longer periods. You can achieve this by incorporating it into your daily class routine. Here are two practical places to include a STAAR activity each day in class:

  • Bell work: You can incorporate review questions in your daily assignments. It’s a great time to focus on 1-2 questions and really dive into how to solve them.
  • Formative assessment: If you’re already planning a formative assessment each day, why not format questions just like the STAAR 2.0 test?

Tip 2: Ask questions in the same format as STAAR. 

Formatting questions you ask in class to be like the ones in STAAR is easier said than done. The STAAR test is online, and many question formats (multi-select, hot spot, dropdowns, etc.) are not always easy to replicate. 

Using a tool like TeacherMade can simplify the process. TeacherMade converts any PDF to an online assignment, and you can add a variety of question types to any assignment. Check out TeacherMade’s toolbar to see some of the question formats you can create for your assignments:

These question formats mirror what your students will see on STAAR. 

Tip 3: Use resources that already exist. 

If you incorporate STAAR-like materials throughout the year, you’re going to need a lot of content. But there’s no good reason to reinvent the wheel – not anymore! 

  1. TEA has all the practice tests you need on its STAAR website. 
  2. TeacherMade has taken the released STAARs from prior years and turned them into STAAR 2.0 tests with 25-30% technology-enhanced item types on every form. Check out our STAAR resources here. 
  3. You have loads of PDFs in your file cabinet that you can easily repurpose into STAAR 2.0 using TeacherMade.
Example TeacherMade STAAR Resource

Tip 4: Save time with auto-grading.

Your students need quick feedback to gain the most meaning from their STAAR review. But more frequent and smaller review activities can lead to a lot of grading. That’s a big burden for classroom teachers who are already overloaded!

Automate your grading using TeacherMade and ease your workload. You can upload any PDF and add an answer key, and you’ll never have to grade another worksheet, formative assessment, or practice test. 

Tip 5: Show progress over time and increase student buy-in.

As students receive quick feedback in TeacherMade, they can see their progress while working on STAAR review. This increases student buy-in to the review process and keeps engagement higher for your reviews. 

You can also create review activities that students can repeat if they need extra review for the test. Use TeacherMade’s reports to assist with this.

Tip 6: Pinpoint STAAR problem areas to save time and save student engagement.

Another way you can increase student motivation and improve your review outcomes is by focusing on areas that need the most help. Stop reviewing everything. This wastes time and causes students to check out mentally. Instead, focus on areas where your students struggle the most. 

When you use TeacherMade data to target your focus, you instantly know the most missed questions on assignments and can easily see if students mastered a concept. Then, you can target what needs to be addressed.

Tip 7: Build test-taking confidence.

Doing smaller reviews over longer periods builds test-taking confidence. Students will feel more engaged with the review material, pay attention to feedback, and become more familiar with the test format. 

This results in students who don’t get distracted by the testing format of STAAR and only focus on the content tasks and doing their best. 

You can create authentic STAAR test prep with TeacherMade.

TeacherMade transforms your Google Slides and PDFs into interactive activities in minutes. 

  • Use what you have. Transform your existing Google Slides, Docs, and other PDFs into interactive activities in minutes. Or construct digital activities from scratch. The choice is yours.
  • Prevent teacher burnout with auto-grading. Regain your nights and weekends. 20+ question types are auto-graded for you. Scores flow straight into your Google Classroom grade book, Canvas, or Schoology! Even student-constructed responses are graded more easily in TeacherMade.
  • Measure what your students know. Students engage more deeply with the curriculum when they get instant feedback via the “Check My Answers” button. Turn learning loss into gains.
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STAARTestingWriting

STAAR Prep: A K-5 Argumentative/Opinion Writing Strategy

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

As we all know here in Texas, every grade level will have an “extended constructed response” on the STAAR test this school year. This response will either be informational or argumentative and will be an “essay.” Let’s take a look at exemplars and rubrics before we dive into an argumentative/opinion writing strategy for the elementary grades.

STAAR Test Example Responses

Here are some exemplars for grades 3 and 5 (for both short and extended constructed responses) provided by TEA (Texas Education Agency). These prompts and exemplars come from the field test, and this document walks you through the scoring. I go over more information about the constructed responses, STAAR test tools, and provide a few resources in Reading Language Arts STAAR Test Resources.

STAAR Argumentative Writing Rubrics

What’s the Difference Between Short and Extended Constructive Responses?

Here are exemplars from the stand-alone field test. The 5th grade prompts and responses are for the same passage, “Steam and Sail”. The responses on the left are short constructed responses (SCR), and the one on the right is an extended constructive response (ECR). The grade 3 response is within the writing domain, not the reading domain. There are no exemplars for grades 3 and 4 to reference for ECR in the scoring guide.

Source: Grades 3–5 Reading Language Arts Constructed Response Scoring Guide

How to Teach Argumentative/Opinion Writing

So, of course, there are lots of ways to teach opinion writing to elementary students. But I’m a huge fan of the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR), and I’m also a huge fan of discussion and verbal practice before beginning the writing process. That said, I’m going to walk through using GRR with some resources for teaching opinion/argumentative writing at the elementary level. This strategy is adaptable and meant to be built on over time, so the example given isn’t necessarily 5th grade, score point 5 level, but it can get students there with practice and some adapting!

Review: Fact vs. Opinion

Whether you’re teaching first grade or fifth grade, it’s always good to start with a review of the difference between fact and opinion. Here are a few resources for this.

Talk Before You Write!

This is what I like to call, the “Speak Cycle.” Students may need to practice one or more of these steps, or the whole cycle, multiple times before moving on to writing. Speaking before writing helps students learn to organize their thoughts, look for text evidence, and also familiarizes them with proper sentence structures for opinion writing before they actually start writing. You might think, “Ok, maybe for lower elementary.” Sure, but even older students benefit from verbal practice before writing! It’s a form of rehearsal and planning.

1. Whole Group: Read the text. Discuss opinions as a class. Highlight the evidence.

Before broaching the topic of supporting evidence for an opinion, read the text and discuss opinions. Then ask students for supporting evidence. It’s much easier to talk about supporting evidence than it is to start writing about it from the get go! Here is an example text that works well for third and fourth grade from Education.com. I recommend starting with short texts and then, as stamina improves, introducing longer texts over time.

Education.com Argumentative/Opinion writing
Article from Education.com

“Today, we’re going to read a text together about ___________. We’re going to discuss our opinions on ___________ based on what we read, and I’m going to highlight facts from the text to help support our opinion.”

[Read the text] [Read the question]

“So, what are our opinions?”

[Student one offers an opinion.]

“Thanks for sharing your opinion! What information in this text led you to think that?”

[Highlight what the student references in the text. Repeat this with other examples.]

“Ok! So, from our reading today, we formed the opinion ______. And we formed that opinion because [read off highlights of the text].”

In this practice, you are showing the students how to identify and highlight supporting evidence in the text, but this is first a verbal exercise. Start with easier texts and move to more difficult texts as students become more autonomous.

You can create your own questions, but here are a few resources that offer texts with questions for opinion writing.

2. Small Group: Read the text. Discuss opinions with a small group. Highlight the evidence together.

This works best if you group students on similar reading levels. Give each student in the group the same short text that’s on their reading level. Read it together, discuss an opinion, and have students highlight the supporting facts with your guidance. Then, have students verbalize their opinions and reference the highlighted text evidence. Students should speak using the same sentence structures you want them to use when writing. Having these up as a visual is great for practice! This is all to get students ready to write.

  • “I think…”
  • “In my opinion,…”
  • “I believe that…”
  • “This is my opinion because…”
  • “According to the text,…”
  • “First, the author states…”
  • “Second, I read that…”
  • Etc.

3. Independently: Students read the text, highlight evidence, and discuss their opinion and supporting evidence with a partner or group.

Have students read a short text, think about their opinion, and highlight facts to support their opinion on their own. Students can discuss an explanation of their opinion and text evidence with a partner, or they can explain it in a small group setting. Students should still be speaking using the same sentence structures you would like them to write with.

It’s Time to Write!

Now that students are familiar with reading, forming an opinion, highlighting evidence to support their opinion, and using sentence structures verbally, it’s time to start writing. But it’s not quite time for them to write independently. First, we will model good writing for them, following a similar process to the speaking cycle.

1. Whole Group: Read the text. Highlight the evidence. Model the writing for the class.

So this step is similar to step one of the speak cycle, but instead of just discussing, you are going to be modeling the writing. Here’s one formula I like to use called, “It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time!,” and I’ve included an example using the video game article from the beginning of this post.

The Bread: The Introduction (2-3 sentences)

  • Write one sentence to state your opinion.
  • Write a second sentence introducing two main facts from the text that support your opinion.

“In my opinion, video games are harmful to kids. Video games can be unhealthy. They can also be too violent.” (Just an example! This is not necessarily reflective of my actual opinion on video games.)

The Peanut Butter: Paragraph 2 (2-3 sentences)

  • Write a few sentences to support the first fact.

“According to the text, video games can be unhealthy if children play them for too long and don’t move around or exercise. This can make kids overweight and have health issue.”

The Jelly: Paragraph 3 (2-3 sentences)

  • Write a few sentences to support the second fact.

“Sometimes, violence can make kids fight, and this can be harmful to friendships. Violence isn’t good for kids’ brains and can lead them to become bullies.”

The Bread: The Conclusion (2-3 sentences)

  • Say your opinion – again.
  • Say why your opinion is true – again.

“I believe that video games can be harmful to kids. Sitting for too long in front of the game can cause health problems and violence can lead to aggressive behavior. It’s better for kids to be active and be more positive and less violent.”

How to Create a Deliciously Argumentative Constructive Response

2. Partnered Writing: Students read the text together, highlight the evidence, and write with a partner.

It’s similar to the whole group exercise, except that students are practicing writing more independently with a writing partner/buddy. In this step, you can offer students graphic organizers or an outline template to help them remember all the elements of their argumentative writing. They can work together to write one essay or they can each write an essay and then review each other’s writing.

3. Independently: Read the text. Highlight the evidence. Write the essay.

At this stage, students are practicing writing on their own. They may or may not need supports like sentence starters, graphic organizers, checklists, and visuals to reference in the room. But the goal is for students to be able to produce writing that expresses their opinion in response to a text and provide text evidence to support that opinion.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

It takes a lot of time and a lot of repetitive practice. As Miguel Guhlin references in his article, Writing Strategies: Insights from a Twitter Chat, discussing, teaching sentence structures/vocabulary, and showing examples isn’t enough. Deliberate, repetitive practice, and time, are key to teaching writing.

Do you have other ideas, strategies, or resources that have worked well for you and your K-5 students when it comes to argumentative/opinion writing? Please share them with us in the chat! We’d love to hear what’s worked in your classroom.

Additional STAAR and TEKS Articles You May Find Useful

Reading Language Arts STAAR Test Resources

STAAR Prep: A K-5 Argumentative/Opinion Writing Strategy

The K-5 ELAR TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

The K-5 Math TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

A Practical Strategy for Teaching Editing Skills

A Powerful and Easy Strategy for Teaching Text Evidence

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STAARTechnology ApplicationsTesting

EasyTech Addresses Revised TA-TEKS and Online Testing Needs

by Rachel Minton
written by Rachel Minton

Texas schools have big changes on the horizon when it comes to digital skills. This year, our Lone Star students will be required to take their statewide assessments online for the first time ever. Then, we’re gearing up to implement revised technology applications standards, or TA-TEKS, that go into effect in 2024. These shifts are likely to drive some of the conversations at TCEA soon. At Learning.com, we’re more than just ready, we’re excited about these changes!

The changes to TA-TEKS are fairly significant. K-8 students will be required not only to know the basics of how to use technology but also to develop broad computer science skills, including computational thinking, coding, computer programming, and online safety. 

“My advice to teachers and school districts is to begin reviewing and studying the standards now so you will be prepared for their implementation in the 2024-2025 school year. These standards will take a much more concerted effort to implement than the ones they are replacing.” 

– Jennifer Bergland, TCEA 

Thankfully, Learning.com already offers robust content in these areas as part of our comprehensive digital literacy curriculum. We’ve long known that for today’s students to succeed in the digital world, they will need to master a broad range of skills. These skills go well beyond the basics of navigating a computer and knowing how to type properly. 

FREE Ebook Download:  The Truth About Digital Literacy 

EasyTech Meets 100% of Current TA-TEKS

Learning.com EasyTech Curriculum

Learning.com’s EasyTech offers a content library of 1,000 lessons, games, videos, and practice exercises by grade. These resources cover everything from online safety and digital citizenship to algorithmic thinking and coding. Because it’s all in one place, it’s a lifesaver for teachers, whether or not they are tech-savvy themselves.

For example, Corpus Christi ISD has been using Learning.com’s EasyTech since 2017. They were looking for a program that would address Technology Application TEKS, E-Rate, and David’s Law. EasyTech turned out to be popular for both students and teachers who had been cobbling together online resources to cover crucial digital skills.

“When Learning.com came along, I was like ‘Hallelujah!’ Learning.com has everything we cover, everything I was searching for online, and more. I love the structure of it, the units, the lesson plans and interactive lessons and discussions.”

–Debra Garcia, technology applications teacher, CCISD

Learning.com was the only program adopted by the state of Texas to meet 100% of current TA-TEKS, and we are committed to maintaining our adoption for the revised standards, as well.

Prep for Online Assessments

Learning.com EasyTech Prep for Online Assessment

This spring, when Texas students take their state test, STAAR, online for the first time, some may stumble based not on their content knowledge but on their computer skills. Research has shown that a student’s comfort level with the testing medium can impact their performance. Of course, every teacher wants their students’ content knowledge to shine through on the STAAR.

Here again, Learning.com has schools covered with our Texas Prep for Online Assessment. This series of lessons provides students with the digital literacy skills they need to succeed in online tests, including computer fundamentals, typing, and word processing. It even includes skills practice, so students experience icons, tools, and navigation similar to what they will see in online assessments this spring.  Best of all, Prep for Online Assessment is included with our EasyTech curriculum.

Visit Learning.com at TCEA 2023

I’ll be at TCEA’s Convention & Exposition in San Antonio from January 30-February 2, talking to educators from Texas and beyond. I hope you’ll stop by our booth #1044 to ask any questions you have about digital literacy and computer science skills for Texas students. There are definitely big changes coming down the pipe, but with 20 years of experience, Learning.com is the perfect partner to help you navigate them like a star!

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ReadingSTAARTestingWriting

Reading Language Arts STAAR Test Resources

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

As Texas teachers are well aware, the Reading Language Arts (RLA) STAAR test has new items for writing on this year’s 2022-2023 test including editing, revising, and constructed response. I highly recommend logging in to the practice test (if you’ve not already) and working through some of these. You can log in as a guest and access many different practice tests at every grade level just by clicking “Sign In.” Also, you may have seen some of the new STAAR resources I’m sharing already, but I’m going to share them here for context. And here is the Accompanying Guide to New Question Type Samples for RLA. All that said, let’s get going!

Click Sign In to log in as a guest for STAAR practice tests.

Student Typing: Stop the Pecking

Ok, so maybe we can’t actually teach typing. But if students can start off the year in a typing program that increases their speed, accuracy, and efficiency (in hopes of forever bidding adieu to the one-finger keyboard pecking) it will inevitably help them on the online STAAR. Learning to type will be beneficial when it comes to completing the new written response answers. Also, students can’t copy and paste text to revise it. They will have to retype it. Here are Seven Keyboarding Tutorials from Miguel Guhlin with some suggestions for typing programs, and here are 25+ Typing Apps from We Are Teachers for you to check out.

The Highlighter: Your Students’ Best Friend

I will tell you, and this is my personal opinion, that the tools on the online STAAR test are not great for elementary students. They are clunky and don’t make it easy for them to annotate text or take notes. And there is no pencil/annotation tool outside of sticky notes to type on. So, there’s that. The easiest tool for them will likely be the highlighter. You can practice using other digital tools with highlighters, like Edji, outside the test to help students prepare to use it on the test itself. I’d also recommend using the practice test with students to familiarize them with tools.

To use the highlighter on the test, students will need to first select all the text they want to be highlighted with their mouse, right-click on top of the text, and choose a highlighter color. Once they click the color, the text will highlight. To reset the text, they can right-click on the highlighted text and choose “Reset Highlighting.”

highlighter tool in STAAR online test

The Highlighter for Editing and Revision Questions

When STAAR test questions refer to specific sentences that have errors, when students are asked to rewrite a specific sentence or sentences, and when they are asked to change a word in a sentence, the highlighter can help them see the sentence as a whole. As you can see, the questions break up sentences with a drop-down menu and don’t restate the sentence(s) for students.

STAAR test sample question for grade 3
Grade 3 example of highlighting text that needs a word replaced.
STAAR test sample question for grade 4
Grade 4 example of highlighting text to correct an error.
STAAR test sample question for grade 5
Grade 5 example of highlighting text that needs to be rewritten.

STAAR Written Response Resources

Short Constructed Response – Reading

Scoring Guides with Exemplar Texts for Responses to Reading

*Updated October 7, 2022

In grades 3-8, students will be asked to write short responses to reading (worth two points) to demonstrate understanding of the content. I’d recommend taking a look at the rubrics and the scoring guides with exemplar texts to see exactly what they are looking for in these responses.

For these questions, I really like the RACES and RAPP strategies which can be applied to shorter or longer writing assignments. They will work well for any grade level and can be adapted! Use color coding when you’re practicing with students to help them recognize and check the different parts of their responses. For example, have students highlight the section restating the question in green, the answer in yellow, the text evidence in orange, etc. Here are some templates for you to download and/or edit to your heart’s content!

Short Constructed Response – Writing

Editing and Revising Sample Items

Also in grades 3-8, will be short and extended constructed responses for writing. Short responses (worth one point) are meant to assess specific skills in editing and revision. Students may be asked to write a new sentence, rewrite a sentence, or make an inline choice (choose a correct response from a drop-down style menu).

Extended Constructed Response – Writing

STAAR Writing Rubrics

*Updated October 18, 2022.

Extended responses (worth up to ten points; five-point rubric scored by two scorers) are more complex and are meant to assess a student’s ability to analyze, explain, and evaluate the information given to them in a text. For the extended response, you can use and/or adapt the RAPP or RACE checklists above to help students practice. But here is a RACERR checklist that I created which has been adapted for extended writing based on the writing rubric:

Get All the Templates!

Additional STAAR Test Redesign Resources

I hope you find this information and these resources helpful. What do you want to know about STAAR testing? What would be helpful to you? Let us know in the comments or send me an email!

Additional STAAR and TEKS Articles You May Find Useful

STAAR Prep: A K-5 Argumentative/Opinion Writing Strategy

STAAR Prep: Spelling Strategies, Resources, and Downloadable Posters

The K-5 ELAR TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

The K-5 Math TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

A Practical Strategy for Teaching Editing Skills

A Powerful and Easy Strategy for Teaching Text Evidence

Attend the Elementary Technology Conference for professional development that is hands-on, engaging, and just for elementary educators.
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Common Core State StandardsCurricular StandardsEnglish Language Arts Reading (ELAR)STAARTEKSTestingWriting

A Practical Strategy for Teaching Editing Skills

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

How many times as a teacher, in any grade level, have you received a proofread writing assignment back from a student with, wait for it…errors? The horror! I think we’ve all been there. A student might spend a lot of time on their writing, but when it comes to proofreading, many will rush, barely take a look, and then hand it in. I’ll admit it, proofreading and editing is probably not the most fun part of the writing process. And I’m an educator turned editor! (Don’t tell my boss.) All kidding aside, it is truly a skill that takes guidance, starting with our youngest learners.

Today I’ll introduce an idea based loosely on something I learned at a Texas Second Grade Teacher Conference. But with all the Googling in the world, I’ve not been able to find the presenter. If it was you, please claim credit in the comments. We will also look at a creative solution for applying this strategy to the online STAAR test (and other online tests).

Adaptability of the Strategy

While I present a basic procedure for using editing marks with elementary students, this strategy can be adapted for any grade level. It can also be used as a support for students who need extra help. Depending on student progress and needs, aspects of the strategy can be dropped or added for students at any time. 

Gradual Release of Responsibility

The end goal, of course, is for students to become independent, authentic, and accurate writers. So let’s take a look at a strategy that can support students in learning to edit with a gradual release of responsibility (GRR). With GRR, you start first by modeling. Then, students practice with teacher guidance. Next, they work with each other collaboratively to practice. And finally, they practice independently.

Fisher and Frey’s (2014) adaption of the Gradual Release of Responsibility (image source)

The Instructional Process  

Step 1: Model the basic editing procedure in a five to 10-minute mini-lesson.

To start with, in second grade, we only checked for beginning capitals, ending punctuation, and did what we called “dot and say.” These are the foundations of this elementary editing process. It is important for students to understand that they are completing this process to find and correct errors. With that in mind, here is the basic procedure to teach students in the very beginning:

  1. Put a blue dot under each word as you read it aloud (dot and say).
  2. As you read, underline the beginning capitals in green three times, and
  3. Circle the ending punctuation in red.

Using an interactive projector, you can model these three steps for the whole class with a few pre-selected sentences. After students have practiced this with guidance, together, and then on their own, you can restart this process and introduce a new mark based on whatever grammar and language mechanics concept you’re working on.

A Note about “Dot and Say”

“Dot and say” really helps students slow down and re-read their writing to check for errors. If something is incorrect or missing, they will start to notice and draw the appropriate editing mark to correct it. I observed a massive improvement in student attention to editing with just this one step. We started with everyone reading aloud (TIP: noise-canceling headphones are amazing!), and then students moved to silent reading when they were ready. 

Example Full-Year Progression for Grade 2 based on the TEKS (download)

Step 2: Provide guided practice in small groups using pre-selected texts with errors.

Once you’ve introduced a new editing mark, it’s time to practice using it together in a small group. During small group, you can do a quick review of the newly introduced mark and provide students with a pre-selected text to practice on. An example that includes the errors you’d like students to find will ensure they can practice exactly what you need them to. 

Step 3: Partner or pair students for collaborative practice using pre-selected texts with errors.

Once they’ve practiced enough in their small group, they can be strategically paired with other students to practice together. Pre-selecting the text to ensure they look for errors you’ve previously introduced is still best. Once students have practiced, coming back together to check their work is a great way to wrap up their collaborative practice time. 

Step 4: Students practice independently, applying marks and editing to their own writing, or a peer’s writing, during writing workshop, and/or at an independent writing center.

I love writing stations. So I incorporated editing practice into my class writing station by providing practice texts for students at various levels, pre-selected by error type. Students also worked independently on editing their own writing or a peer’s writing during our writing workshop. They practiced on their own writing once they were far enough in the writing process to begin editing. 

Step 5: Repeat the process by modeling a new editing mark based on a recently introduced grammar or language mechanic concept.

Whether you are teaching the English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS, Common Core State Standards, or another set of standards, it adds meaning when editing is connected to the grammar and language mechanics concepts you are teaching. As you move through the year, students can learn new editing marks and look for more types of errors based on their growing knowledge of grammar and mechanics.

Editing Marks

Speaking of editing marks, this is an oldie, but it’s my favorite list for editing. Depending on the grade level standards you teach, you can adjust the list and determine which marks you’ll introduce and which marks you won’t. 

Preparing for Online STAAR Testing

Since the STAAR test will be online for everyone in Texas in 2022, and writing will be incorporated for grades 3-8, I explored the available annotation tools. There will not be a pencil tool available for students to use for annotating text on the STAAR. Students will have access to a highlighter tool that enables them to highlight selected text, a note pad for note-taking, and an answer eliminator (strikethrough). You can look at training and practice tests to get familiarized with the online test and how these tools will work. But due to the limited annotation features in the online STAAR, transferring some strategies from paper to online will require some creativity.

How to Use This Strategy for Online STAAR Testing

I recently had my eyes on a thread in the Texas ELA Teachers Facebook group. Teachers were discussing strategies for the online STAAR test. In the thread, Lorin Roberts, a fifth grade teacher, proposed an idea that she and her grade level team came up with while brainstorming ways to help students with upcoming online testing. It’s simple! They cut sheet protectors to slide over the students’ Chromebook screens. Then, students annotate “on top of” the text using skinny dry erase markers. “It doesn’t work for everything, but for those students who need to physically work through the text, it is helpful. Then they erase their markings and move to the next question, “ Lorin said. She and her team have students practice with the sheet protectors during MAP testing and benchmark tests.

Do you have other strategies that work well for editing and proofreading in class and on the STAAR? Share them in the comments below, and thank you for reading.

Additional STAAR and TEKS Articles You May Find Useful

Reading Language Arts STAAR Test Resources

STAAR Prep: A K-5 Argumentative/Opinion Writing Strategy

STAAR Prep: Spelling Strategies, Resources, and Downloadable Posters

The K-5 ELAR TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

The K-5 Math TEKS and Free, Editable Spreadsheets

A Powerful and Easy Strategy for Teaching Text Evidence

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AdvocacyCTO/CIOCybersecurityDigital LiteracyFunding

Texas Legislature and SBOE Make Policy Changes Affecting Ed Tech

by Jennifer Bergland
written by Jennifer Bergland

The Texas Legislature meets every two years for 140 days. It’s a whirlwind of activity, even in the midst of a pandemic. The 87th Legislature ended their regular session on May 31, 2021. I have highlighted below some of the legislation that passed that affects educational technology, as well as a brief update on the Texas State Board of Education and its actions.

Broadband

TCEA has been working on broadband policy since 2013. We are very pleased that many of the things we have been advocating for were enacted into law in this recent session.

Governor Abbott signing HB 5

HB 5 was an omnibus bill that addressed several of the inequities surrounding broadband access. 

  • One key element of the bill established a broadband office that will be housed in the State Comptroller’s office.  
    • The office will be a resource for information regarding the expansion and adoption of broadband service in the state. It will also engage in outreach to help expand broadband service in areas that are currently underserved and unserved. 
    • The office will also create a broadband development program to provide grants, low-interest loans, and other financial incentives to expand broadband across the state. 
  • HB 5 also created a Broadband Development Account that will be used to administer the steps outlined in the bill. 
  • In addition, the bill included provisions that will assist in providing more accurate broadband maps.

HB 3853 allows electric utility companies to sell middle mile wholesale broadband to providers that would sell broadband directly to the customer. 

SB 507 directs TxDOT to adopt rules to allow broadband-only providers to use state highway right-of-ways in the same manner that other utilities currently enjoy. This puts broadband-only providers on par with other utilities that access state highway right-of-ways., thus removing a barrier to the efficient deployment of broadband.

HB 1505 creates a pole replacement program and fund that will help defray the cost of broadband installation.

Online Assessment 

STAAR Test Logo

HB 3261 puts into place the needed support for districts to administer online assessments. The state will administer almost all assessments online beginning in the 2022-23 school year. 

Use of TIMA to Administer Online Assessments

Below are the provisions in HB 3261 that pertain to the Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment: 

  • Requires the Commissioner to estimate how much money school districts need in the TIMA for technology.
  • Requires the SBOE to take into consideration how much districts need for technology (as reported by the Commissioner), as well as how much they need for instructional materials.
  • Deleted the language in the law that required districts to purchase instructional materials before they could spend their TIMA on technology.
  • Requires the SBOE to limit the size of the proclamation to 75% of the TIMA.
  • Adds four allowable expenditures for the TIMA funds.
    • Broadband services (currently allowed in TEA’s rules)
    • Broadband equipment (currently allowed in TEA rules)
    • Technology infrastructure that is necessary to ensure adequate internet connectivity
    • Personnel to train teachers in the administration of online assessment instruments

Grant to Help Fund Broadband Infrastructure

  • HB 3261 creates a grant that will help districts that do not have adequate infrastructure to support the necessary bandwidth required for online assessments.

Online Assessment Provisions

  • The bill also stipulates that no more than 75% of the available points on the assessment can be multiple-choice questions.
  • It also allows districts to administer the test on the first instructional day of the week.
  • HB 3261 prevents TEA from requiring school districts to provide a device with a keyboard for online assessments. This decision is up to the district.
  • The transition plan will begin September 1, 2021.

TIMA

When HB 1525 passed the last day of the legislative session, it enacted a budget rider that had been written in the waning days of the session. Riders convey specific instructions on how agency funds can be collected or spent. Riders may also express legislative intent and be used to provide funds for administrative functions. The HB 1525 rider reduced the amount of the TIMA by $620,690,923. This means that the legislature appropriated only $429,290,923 for the TIMA for the 2022-2023 biennium. This is the lowest amount that has been appropriated for the TIMA since its inception. 

At the June SBOE meeting, the Commissioner addressed the cut to the TIMA funds. He indicated that the cost for this biennium’s proclamation is light ($120 million), which means there are still funds available for districts to spend on technology and staff from their TIMA ($430 million). He also pointed out that the state used up to $800 million of federal CARES Act funding during the 2020-2021 school year for technology. He further suggested that there is funding appropriated in HB 1525 that can be used for technology. He finally reminded the SBOE that Texas school districts have recently received $15 billion in federal funding, for which technology is an allowable expenditure.

TEA’s website indicates that they will load the new TIMA allotments into EMAT sometime in June or July. 

TIMA May Be Used for Conference Fees

There is some good news related to the Technology and Instructional Allotment. TEA will once again allow districts to use their TIMA for professional learning fees, including the registration fees to conferences. This is something they allowed for years and then changed the policy to prohibit the use of TIMA funds for conference fees. We have been petitioning them to change this rule because the law clearly states that the allotment can be used for training personnel on how to use technology and the instructional materials. We received an email this week indicating that they have reverted to their original policy of allowing districts to use their TIMA for conference fees, but not to pay for the travel expenses to attend a conference or professional learning experience. 

Virtual Learning

HB 1468, a bill that would have allowed districts to offer virtual learning for students living within their boundary, was a casualty of the session ending before midnight on May 30. We had hoped that this issue would have been added to the list of issues that could have been discussed in a special session, but so far it has not been added. Senator Taylor, the Senate sponsor for 1468, has indicated a desire to pass this type of legislation during a special session. 

Student Data Privacy

HB 363 by Representative Van Deaver was amended into HB 1525. It requires that a company that has been approved or adopted by TEA and possesses personally identifiable student information must use the unique identifier established by the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) for any account creation, data upload, data transmission, analysis, or reporting to mask all personally identifiable student information. The company must also adhere to a state-required student data sharing agreement that includes the established unique identifier standard.  

TCEA was able to amend the bill to give districts more flexibility. The language that was changed allows districts to add to the list of data that a company can collect on a student. They also have the ability to negotiate with the company to adjust the data sharing agreement. Both of these changes were meant to help meet the district’s specific needs. 

Cybersecurity Training

There were two bills that passed that dealt with cyber security training. HB 1118 requires that any employee who uses a computer for 25% of their duties or more is required to participate in the cybersecurity training. SB 1267 only requires the Cybersecurity Coordinator to take the training and then leaves it up to the district to determine who may also participate in the training. I’ve heard the last bill signed by the Governor takes precedence over the issue when there are two conflicting bills. SB 1267 was signed by the governor after HB 1118, so SB 1267 should be the one that governs who must be trained within the district. On the DIR website, they advise that your district seek legal advice on which bill to follow. They also address these two bills in their FAQs.  

SBOE News

Technology Applications

The SBOE is currently reviewing the K-8 Technology Applications standards. Below is a timeline of the process. 

Anticipated Timeline

  • Summer 2021 – Work groups revise and review the TEKS.
  • Fall 2021 – SBOE discusses and receives initial feedback.
  • Spring 2022 – Public hearing is held and SBOE votes on the first reading and filing authorization. This triggers the 30-day public comment period.
  • Summer 2022 – SBOE adopts the revised Technology Applications standards.
  • School Year 2024-2025 – Revised K-8 Technology Applications are required to be taught.

Additional Resources

Additional information and updates will be provided throughout the review process on the Technology Applications TEKS Review, Kindergarten-Grade 8 web page.

The current K-8 technology applications TEKS are available on the TEA website.

This site provides more detailed information about the legislation that passed in the 87th legislature that affects educational technology.

Photo of Texas State Capitol taken by Dale Honeycutt on Unsplash

Photo of Jar of Money was taken by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

Photo of girl in home library by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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Educational Trends

Ed Tech News Roundup: Tests, Tech, and the Supreme Court

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Howdy, folks! Welcome to another in a series of periodic ed tech news roundups. We hope you enjoy this one, and if you have a story you’d like to see included, let us know.

Summer is a great time not only to recharge your batteries, but plan for the year ahead — all while juggling the responsibilities of summer learning and more. Here are some news stories to keep you up to date.

The Local News

In TCEA’s home state of Texas, test results and funding sources are shaping the school year ahead.

  • Earlier this week, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced the results of this year’s math and English STAAR tests. With learning disrupted due to the coronavirus, consequences for schools and students were lessened this year. [Texas Tribune]
  • You can read TCEA’s response to this year’s scores here.
  • Meanwhile, more than $11 billion in funding has been released for Texas schools through the ESSER program. Learn how you can effectively use that funding here.

The Tech Sector

After months of remote learning worldwide, ways of using ed tech are getting more scrutiny as best practices are being developed established and investments are being made.

  • TechCrunch reviews the big changes and big money in ed tech. [TechCrunch]
  • Philanthropists are also making investments in ed tech, including finding ways to develop social-emotional learning. [EdSurge]

Topping Up Our Batteries

It’s vital for educators to take a breath after so many stressful months. Here’s some insight for those having trouble unwinding.

… And Finally

A question surrounding a student’s behavior made it all the way to the Supreme Court this month, as the court ruled in favor of a student’s free speech rights in the case Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. [Education Week]

Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

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TCEA Responds to Release of STAAR Test Results

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Note: This post was originally published on TCEA.org.

Texas educators provided heroic service to their students and communities over the last 16 months. In dire, ever-changing conditions, they responded with heart and hard work to a challenge that has changed all of our lives — and TCEA commends the remarkable things our dedicated educators continue to do, whether making learning work remotely or in person.

Today’s report from TEA, reviewing a set of results limited to math and reading STAAR tests for 2020-21, underscores the need for improved preparation and the coordination of best practices for learning with technology so that educators can be better prepared for the next challenge than they were for this one. 

Many educators were left with little guidance on implementing technology, constantly changing tools and requirements, and changes to many of the traditional incentives to test preparation. Notably, the consequences of state testing were relaxed, so that many students would not be held back due to test scores, all while students and families alike struggled with issues like limited access to high-speed internet, economic impacts, changes to daily routines, and even the death of loved ones lost to the pandemic.

When the pandemic struck, Texas schools and districts were already under-resourced to understand the ways technology could complement their teaching strategies, whether on campus or online. As health precautions initiated a necessary break from not only in-person schooling, but nearly all in-person interactions, educators were left trying to understand new and changing learning management systems, hunting for professional development that was up to the times, and having almost no time to acclimatize themselves to remote learning environments. During this time, schools implemented remote learning, in which the entire learning process occurs online. Many types of teaching with technology, like virtual learning and blended learning, involve a mix of in-person instruction and support through virtual tools. That means that the challenges faced with the unexpected move to remote learning cannot be understood as a general indictment of learning with technology.

Furthermore, educators were tasked with building positive relationships with students and families who were beset by rapidly-evolving circumstances, all while educators themselves were working through such a tough time themselves.

We’ve clearly seen the importance of social-emotional learning over the course of the pandemic. With loosened requirements, stressed educators, and students struggling with the life-altering changes of a pandemic, teachers and administrators should be praised for building positive relationships with students and helping prevent even greater learning loss.

At TCEA, we put our knowledge and our network into action, sharing free resources for remote learning, hosting successful professional learning events online, and developing dozens of new online, self-paced courses to help teachers gain confidence in research-backed instructional practices for technology use and integration, from effective math teaching to remote and blended learning. 

“In the past 16 months, we’ve seen a remarkable effort by teachers, administrators, parents and guardians, and entire communities all uniting to make learning happen in the most difficult and unexpected circumstances. Educators worked hard, despite these challenges, to prevent learning loss at a time when students and teachers alike were struggling with little time to implement new ways of teaching and learning, little guidance on the best practices of remote learning, and with their own lives turned upside down,” said TCEA executive director Lori Gracey.

“It’s my hope that greater focus and clarity can be brought to the ways we teach with technology. It’s one of many tools educators can use, and one that cannot be ignored. TCEA is working with a purpose to ensure that educators have the confidence they need to use technology to reach every student, no matter the conditions.”

As we look forward, we hope this report illustrates the need for greater resources, collaboration, and coordination when it comes to digital teaching and learning. The kind of remote learning put into place in 2020-21 was a stopgap, and not the thoughtful implementation of tested ideas that should define online learning, much less any kind of educational technology. 

Further, this time has shown us that technology is not going anywhere. In fact, it is growing. If we hope to truly prepare students for their lives after the test, we must understand that remote work is growing, and that technology literacy and skills are vital for our children — and their educators — to be prepared for whatever the future holds.

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