What TEA’s seating chart must show
The 2026-2027 STAAR Test Administrator Manual (page 34) says each chart must include:
- the district and campus names
- the room, a short description of the testing area and an accurate drawing of the seating
- the assessment: year, month, program, grade, subject or course, and date
- the first and last names of the test administrators and monitors
- the first and last name of each student and the seat they were assigned
- the start and stop times of the session
Students moved to another location to keep testing need another chart. A chart not completed properly is a procedural irregularity (page 16), and completed charts go back to the campus coordinator with the times filled in (page 39).
Spacing and staff
TEA sets no distance in feet. Desks must be far enough apart that students cannot see one another’s screens (page 32), and students using speech-to-text sit far enough apart that background noise does not interfere (page 30). At least one trained test administrator per 30 students must be in the room at all times (page 33), so a room of 31 to 60 needs two.
Questions from test coordinators
Does TEA have a STAAR seating chart template?
Yes. TEA posts blank charts (a grid, a perimeter layout and groups of four) with lines for district, campus, room, program and times. They are empty forms. This tool fills one in from your class list and draws your own room.
Can I use student ID numbers instead of names?
The 2026-27 manual asks for each student’s first and last name. TEA’s older blank forms mention an identifier such as a TSDS ID. Use names unless your district coordinator tells you otherwise.
What is the STAAR student to test administrator ratio?
At least one trained test administrator for every 30 students must be in each testing room at all times. A room of 33 needs two. The chart tab shows how many each room needs and flags a room with too few names.
Do I need a new chart when students are consolidated?
Yes. The manual asks for additional seating charts for students moved to another location to keep testing. Add a room for the consolidation room, give those students its group and print its chart.
Does seat order matter for STAAR?
The manual does not set one, so random and alphabetical are both fine. Random is the default here; switch to alphabetical on the Chart tab.
Do I need a testing sign on the door?
The manual says a "Do Not Disturb" testing sign should be posted outside the testing room. The door roster printout has that line above the room name and the list of students.
Sources: TEA 2026-2027 STAAR Test Administrator Manual (pages 16, 30, 32, 33, 34, 39); TEA blank seating charts. Checked October 2026. Your district or the test’s own manual has the final word.