The basic TAKS covers reading in grades 3 through 9; exit-level math and exit-level English language arts in grade 10; writing in grades 4 and 7; science in grades 5, 8, 10 and exit level; and social studies in grades 8, 10 and exit level. Texas administers TAKS in Spanish through grade 5 and in English only for grades 6 and higher.
TAKS-M is an assessment for special-education students for whom TAKS is not appropriate. Special-education students who meet accommodation eligibility requirements may take the accommodated version of the TAKS exam. The accommodated exam is printed in larger font with more white space on the page. The test is designed to have simpler vocabulary and sentence structure and offers fewer answer choices on multiple-choice questions. TAKS-M meets federal No Child Left Behind requirements and covers the same grade-level content that TAKS covers.
TAKS-Alt is for students with significant cognitive disabilities who nevertheless qualify based on TAKS participation requirements. Students don't take TAKS-Alt on paper with a bubble answer sheet; they complete activities designed by their teachers that link to curriculum for their grade level. Students perform activities designed by the teachers, and teachers observe their completion of these activities. TAKS-Alt follows the same format as the basic TAKS assessment and is administered in the same grades and subjects.
The Texas Education Agency publishes an informative booklet for TAKS at each subject and grade level. The booklet includes an overview of the subject matter of the test, a list of the number of items on the test and an explanation of how the items break down into different categories. The TEA also includes sample questions in the booklet, along with the scoring criteria for each test.