updated Sept. 8, 2009 | Contact Student Assessment | Printing PDFs
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has developed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills–Alternate, or TAKS–Alt, to meet the federal requirements mandated under the No Child Left Behind Act. TAKS–Alt is designed for the purpose of assessing students in grades 3–11 who have significant cognitive disabilities and are receiving special education services. Unlike other statewide assessments in Texas, TAKS–Alt is not a traditional paper or multiple-choice test. Instead, the assessment involves teachers observing students as they complete state-developed assessment tasks that link to the grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum through prerequisite skills. Teachers then evaluate student performance based on the dimensions of the TAKS–Alt rubric and submit the results through an online instrument.
Note: Documents housed on this website are subject to updates and revisions. The date shown on each document will indicate when the document was last revised. If the documents are printed for use, please check to make sure you are referencing the most current version.
This document provides phone numbers and email addresses to access support with TAKS–Alt policies, the online system for evaluation, and online training modules.
The TAKS–Alt Timeline provides coordinators and teachers with a calendar view of activities related to TAKS–Alt including responsibilities coordinators and teachers should fulfill each month. Additionally, notification of scheduled TETNs, committee meetings and studies are included. This document is updated throughout each school year.
The Test Administrator (Teacher) Checklist provides a step-by-step guide of responsibilities teachers must fulfill for administering the TAKS–Alt assessment. The checklist starts with the mandatory teacher training and moves through each step until the student’s assessment has been submitted and the documentation form filed according to district policy. The checklist is a high level view of teacher requirements from which the TAKS–Alt Test Administrator Manual was structured.
The TEKS knowledge and skills statements and student expectations for each objective tested in TAKS are summarized into essence statements that are used to link the grade-level expectations to the prerequisite skills. These statements also serve to help teachers navigate through the online instrument.
Students being assessed on TAKS–Alt perform standardized assessment tasks that are observed and evaluated by teachers. The tasks have been developed by the state and cannot be revised. For each essence statement, three tasks have been provided at varying levels of complexity. Level 3 is the most complex task, Level 2 is of moderate complexity, and Level 1 is the least complex. Teachers determine which level of complexity is most appropriate for their students. Each assessment task includes three state-developed predetermined criteria that the student must perform to be given credit for successfully completing the task. The predetermined criteria are standardized by the state and cannot be revised in any way. Assessment tasks can be individualized for students by adding presentation supports, choosing appropriate materials, and selecting response modes that allow the student to demonstrate what has been learned. One assessment task for each of four essence statements per subject should be evaluated.
The links below open Microsoft Word documents. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can download Word Viewer from the Microsoft website.
| Science |
| Grade |
Level 3 |
Level 2 |
Level 1 |
| 5 |
Obj. 1 (3.4,4.4,5.4)
Obj. 2 (4.6)
Obj. 3 (3.6)
Obj. 4 (4.6) |
Obj. 1 (3.4,4.4,5.4)
Obj. 2 (4.6)
Obj. 3 (3.6)
Obj. 4 (4.6) |
Obj. 1 (3.4,4.4,5.4)
Obj. 2 (4.6)
Obj. 3 (3.6)
Obj. 4 (4.6) |
| 8 |
Obj. 2 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 3 (6.7,7.7,8.9)
Obj. 4 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 5 (8.13) |
Obj. 2 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 3 (6.7,7.7,8.9)
Obj. 4 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 5 (8.13) |
Obj. 2 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 3 (6.7,7.7,8.9)
Obj. 4 (6.8,7.8,8.10)
Obj. 5 (8.13) |
| 10 |
Obj. 1 IPC (3)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 3 Bio (4)
Obj. 5 IPC (4) |
Obj. 1 IPC (3)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 3 Bio (4)
Obj. 5 IPC (4) |
Obj. 1 IPC (3)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 3 Bio (4)
Obj. 5 IPC (4) |
| 11 |
Obj. 1 Bio (1)&IPC (1)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 4 IPC (7)
Obj. 5 IPC (5) |
Obj. 1 Bio (1)&IPC (1)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 4 IPC (7)
Obj. 5 IPC (5) |
Obj. 1 Bio (1)&IPC (1)
Obj. 2 Bio (8)
Obj. 4 IPC (7)
Obj. 5 IPC (5) |
Training modules and additional presentations are provided which discuss instructional and assessment decisions for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
- Module 1 - Overview of the TAKS–Alt Assessment
“Overview of the TAKS–Alt Assessment” explains the features of TAKS–Alt, including the complexity level of the assessment tasks and the steps for administering TAKS–Alt. Module 1 also reviews the role of the ARD committee and the TAKS–Alt participation requirements.
- Module 2 - Implementing the TAKS–Alt Assessment
“Implementing the TAKS–Alt Assessment” explains how to select and provide access to an assessment task through the addition of presentation supports and response modes. Module 2 describes how to conduct and record the observation and document when cues and prompts are given.
- Module 3 - The TAKS–Alt Online Instrument
“The TAKS–Alt Online Instrument” includes information about the TAKS–Alt rubric, the generalization process, maintaining documentation, the automated scoring feature, and the submission process. Module 3 provides instructions for using the online instrument for evaluating student performance.
Module 4 - Beyond the Basics
“Beyond the Basics” clarifies and refines those areas of the TAKS–Alt assessment that teachers identified as being challenging to implement. Module 4 further explains how to choose the appropriate complexity level, provide access to the tasks, plan supports, document the observation, and evaluate student performance. A new template to help organize and plan an assessment task for a specific student is presented and discussed.
Login to the Texas TrainingCenter to view the online training modules.
Presentations from conferences, training sessions, and TETN broadcasts are listed here to keep teachers updated on new information.
Admission, review and dismissal (ARD) committees will use the participation requirements to determine if TAKS–Alt is the appropriate assessment for a student.
After teachers have conducted assessment observations and taken notes on the student's performance, the teacher will evaluate the student's performance based on the dimensions of the TAKS–Alt rubric. Teachers will determine if a student performed the three predetermined criteria, and the level of support needed to support the performance. Any additional assistance needed will be identified as cues or prompts and will affect scoring. If the student earns an opportunity for Generalization of Skill, then an opportunity must be provided in a new context.
The TEKS Vertical Alignment documents provide a complete listing of the TEKS curriculum from pre-kindergarten through exit level for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. These documents provide a total overview of the knowledge and skills statements and align student expectations across the grades. The student expectations provide access points to the general education curriculum by serving as prerequisite skills for TAKS–Alt.
The Curriculum Framework documents list the specific objectives, knowledge and skills statements, and student expectations tested by TAKS in each grade and subject. Each knowledge and skills statement has been summarized into an essence statement that serves as the connection between the grade-level TEKS and the online instrument. The Curriculum Framework documents also provide access points in the form of prerequisite skills that link to the student expectations on the Vertical Alignment documents for each grade and subject.
View archived TAKS–Alt files that are no longer in use.