State-Required Form
STAAR ALTERNATE 2 PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Student Name___________________________________________________________ Grade ___________Date ___________
Name of District Personnel Completing Form________________________________ Position_________________________
Step I: Review the Eligibility Criteria for STAAR Alternate 2
Prior to reviewing the eligibility criteria for STAAR Alternate 2, the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee must
understand all assessment options, including the characteristics of each assessment and the potential implications of each assessment
choice. STAAR Alternate 2 is a statewide assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. STAAR Alternate 2
may only be considered if the student’s disability includes intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior deficits that primarily and
significantly affect the student’s ability to plan, comprehend, reason, and apply social and practical skills in everyday life.
If STAAR Alternate 2 is being considered, the ARD committee must review the five criteria below and select Yes or No if applicable
to the student. To be eligible to participate in STAAR Alternate 2, the answer to all five of the questions below must be Yes. If the
answer to any one of the questions is No, the student is not eligible to participate in STAAR Alternate 2 and must participate in
STAAR. Each Yes answer requires a justification that contains evidence that the student meets the criterion.
1. Does the student have a significant cognitive disability? Yes No
• A determination of significant cognitive disability is made by the ARD
committee and must be based on the student’s most recent full and
individual evaluation (FIE) conducted by the multidisciplinary team that
includes a licensed specialist in school psychology (LSSP), educational
diagnostician, or other appropriately certified or licensed practitioner
with experience and training in the area of the disability. AND
• Results from the FIE must indicate a deficit in the student’s ability to plan,
comprehend, and reason. FIE results must also indicate adaptive behavior
deficits that limit a student’s ability to apply social and practical skills such
as personal care, social problem-solving skills, dressing and eating, using
money, and other functional skills across life domains. It is unlikely to see
these types of results in an FIE of a student with a high-incidence
disability only, such as a specific learning disability or speech impairment.
Enter justification that must include data
from the FIE as evidenced by intellectual
and adaptive evaluation information:
2. Does the student require specialized, extensive supports to access the grade-level curriculum Yes No
and environment?
• Federal regulations mandate that all students have access to grade-level
curriculum. A student with a significant cognitive disability requires
extensive, repeated, specialized supports and materials beyond the
support typical peers require. The student uses substantially modified
materials to access information in alternate ways to acquire, maintain,
generalize, demonstrate and transfer skills across all settings. AND
• A student with a significant cognitive disability demonstrates adaptive
behaviors that are significantly impaired. This most likely will impact the
student’s ability to live independently and will require specialized
supports for the student to function safely in daily life across all life
domains, not just the school environment.
Enter justification that must include data
from the student’s individualized
education program (IEP), progress
monitoring, and/or the FIE:
3. Does the student require intensive, individualized instruction in all instructional settings? Yes No
• A student with a significant cognitive disability requires a highly
specialized, individualized curriculum linked to functional and academic
IEP goals and objectives. AND
• A student with a significant cognitive disability requires classroom
assessments administered in alternate or non-traditional methods to
demonstrate acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of discrete
skills across academic settings. AND
• A student with a significant cognitive disability requires individualized
instruction that is neither temporary nor limited to specific content areas.
Enter justification that must include data
from the student’s IEP, progress
monitoring, and/or the FIE:
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