Resources and strategies to use Amplify ELP in preparation for STAAR.
Test preparation should occur outside core instructional time, though the Texas Essentials Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) addressed in core instruction do support working toward mastery of state standards connected to assessments. Amplify Texas ELP will build knowledge in and across grade levels, providing students with rich cross-curricular topics that are often found on state assessments. Writing in response to text is a fundamental design of Amplify Texas ELP and is an expectation of students as early as first grade.
Teachers could preview the question styles within each lesson to ensure students are practicing with the variety of question types on STAAR. Lessons include assessment points such as Exit Passes, daily formative assessments, and essential questions and prompts that are aligned to the TEKS. We encourage teachers to review and modify the lesson assessments in comparison to the STAAR Released Test Question available from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Student Assessment site.
Additionally, TEA has information on the addition of new, non-multiple-choice questions through cross-curricular passages and the use of evidence-based writing to better align to how students are learning in the classroom at TEA - STAAR Redesign.