REQUIREMENT: Per the State of Texas's requirements for graduation, students must pass 5 End-of-Course (EOC) Exams: Algebra 1, English 1, Biology, English 2, and U.S. History. Students enrolled in the corresponding course will be automatically registered for the exam's administration in late spring. Students who are absent or do not meet the passing standard will be automatically registered for a retake for each administration until they pass (June, December, April/May). Unlike lower grade levels, there is no parent opt-out of high school EOC exams because passing these exams is a requirement for graduation (just as there is no opt-out for a required course such as English). There are some substitute assessments (typically PSAT scores) that may be utilized to meet the requirement by students who have attempted the EOC exam at least once. 

WHERE TO GO: Prior to the exam's administration, students and their parents will receive an email with a link to the test site roster. Click HERE for a campus map to help your child locate their testing site. Exams begin at 9:05 am, so students should report directly to their test site at the start of the day (they do not have to check in with their regular classroom teacher or wait to be called). The attendance clerk will note your child's participation in testing with the code "TST" on their attendance record. 

WHAT TO BRING: Students must bring their fully charged AISD Chromebook and charger with them to the test as all STAAR EOC exams are administered through a secure online platform. They may also want to bring a bottle of water and sack lunch and dress in comfortable layers. Students are invited to bring their graphing calculator to the Algebra 1 EOC exam.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Students receiving special education or 504 services, or who are identified as having limited English proficiency, will be provided the STAAR testing accommodations indicated in their personalized plan. Students with “Oral Administration” as a STAAR accommodation will use either their personal headphones or headphones provided to access the embedded text-to-speech feature on the online system. Should you have any questions about testing accommodations, please reach out to your child's assistant principal or their case manager. 

PRACTICE TESTS: The State’s testing vendor is new, so there are some minor functionality changes in the STAAR EOC testing platform. Students can preview the new functionality and access practice tests HERE. 

QUESTIONS: Please reach out to Bowie's testing coordinator Wendy Escobdeo (wendy.escobedo@austinisd.org) with any questions. 

Go Dawgs!