The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) Alternate 2 fulfills federal requirements of both the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ESSA requires that all students be assessed in specific grades and subjects throughout their academic career, whereas IDEA requires that students with disabilities have access to the same standards as their non-disabled peers and be included in statewide assessments.

STAAR Alternate 2 is a standardized, item-based assessment administered individually to each eligible student enrolled in grades 3–8 and end-of-course (EOC) subjects. STAAR Alternate 2 is administered to eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities who are receiving special education services in the following grades and subjects:

• grades 3–8 reading

• grades 3–8 mathematics

• grades 5 and 8 science

• grade 8 social studies

• grades 4 and 7 writing

• Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History