Director of Assessment, Accountability & School Improvement
dalaniz-ramos@laredoisd.org
(956) 273-1700
Welcome to the Laredo Independent School District’s Office of Assessment, Accountability & School Improvement. Our office strives to achieve academic excellence by providing timely and accurate state and federal assessment data and accountability reports to the district and campuses. We work closely with educators to provide staff development on effective assessment administration and to keep them updated on the governing rules and laws set by the state.
Mrs. Delma Alaniz-Ramos
Mission Statement
The Office of Assessment, Accountability & School Improvement liaises between our campuses and outside agencies such as the Texas Education Agency, Region One Educational Service Center, Cambium, and Data Management of Assessment and Curriculum (DMAC) to ensure student success. Our goal is to provide all students with the tools they need to succeed academically and to help our educators understand how to use data to improve instruction.
We believe every student deserves access to quality education, and we are committed to supporting our educators and campuses in their efforts to provide the best possible education for our students. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our assessment, accountability, and school improvement initiatives.
STAAR
STAAR ALT 2
TELPAS
TELPAS ALT
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) is a standardized test that evaluates a student's academic achievement and ability to apply knowledge and skills based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for their grade level, subject, or course. This means that every question on the STAAR is directly aligned with the TEKS currently in effect for the specific grade, subject, or course being assessed.
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) Alternate 2 exists to provide an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards for eligible students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are receiving special education services. It's also good to know that it fulfills the requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Every Student Succeeds Act. STAAR Alternate 2 is a paper assessment in mathematics, reading language arts (RLA), science, and social studies for students in grades 3–8 and high school.
Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) focuses on assessing the progress of emergent bilingual students in learning the English language. TELPAS aligns with the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and fulfills the requirements for assessing these students in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) also has an alternate version. The TELPAS Alternate is designed to help emergent bilingual (EB) students in grades 2–12 with significant cognitive disabilities. TELPAS Alternate is based on alternate proficiency level descriptors and fulfills the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act for assessing the English language proficiency of these students. This assessment holistically evaluates these students in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
The 85th Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 22, which established three domains for measuring the academic performance of districts and campuses: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps. Based on their performance in these domains, districts and campuses will receive an overall rating of A, B, C, D, or F. This helps to ensure accountability and identify areas for improvement.
The three areas considered in the performance domain framework are Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps. The Student Achievement domain evaluates student performance on the STAAR test, College, Career, and Military Readiness, and graduation rates, while the School Progress domain evaluates district and campus performance in areas such as academic growth. The Closing the Gaps domain looks at performance among student groups, such as economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and English learners. By evaluating performance in these areas, the state accountability system aims to provide a comprehensive picture of a district or campus's performance and areas for improvement.
Overview of the 2023 Accountability System
The overall design of the accountability system evaluates performance according to three domains:
Student Achievement evaluates performance across all subjects for all students on both general and alternate assessments; College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators; and graduation rates.
School Progress measures outcomes in two areas: the number of students that grew, or were accelerated, at least one year academically (or are on track) as measured by STAAR results and the achievement of all students relative to campuses with similar economically disadvantaged percentages.
Closing the Gaps uses disaggregated data to demonstrate differentials among racial/ethnic groups, socioeconomic background, and other factors. The indicators included in this domain, as well as the domain’s construction, align the state accountability system with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
