Here is the latest info on the new tool that TEA has been talking about–they do not list it as a designated support but rather an accommodation or way of providing assistance for Basic Transcribe and Spelling Assistance. Tt is an accommodation that must be selected for the student during an ARD, 504, LPAC, or RTI committee meeting.
Starting with the December 2020 STAAR administration, a new Speech-to-Text (STT) tool will be available online for students who meet the eligibility criteria. Students should practice using this new STT tool prior to testing to become familiar with its functionality. An online testing tutorial and mini-practice tests for STT will be available through the STAAR Online Testing Platform by October 16, 2020. The tutorial will demonstrate how to use the new STT tool. The mini-practice tests provide an opportunity for students to practice using the new STT tool in English and Spanish on tests that have been specifically developed for this purpose.
This tool will only be available online with the exams that are writing based. This includes 4th and 7th Writing STAAR, English 1 and English 2 EOCs.
In addition to the tutorial and mini-practice tests, a new standalone web-based text-entry tool provides access to STT. Districts can access the standalone tool using a Chrome, Windows, or Mac operating system and the latest version of the Chrome browser. It is recommended that districts do not use iOS to access this new tool. The standalone tool does not mirror the same testing environment students will experience during the STAAR administration; however, it will allow classroom practice without accessing the STAAR secure browser application. Students will be able to use this tool for classroom activities and will be able to print work from the standalone web-based text-entry tool to turn assignments into their teachers.