Gazing at the STAARs

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Gazing at the STAARs

• Getting our kids ready

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The Nations Report Card

• 33 of 4th Graders read
  at proficient level
• 34 of 4th graders read
  at basic level
• 33 of 4th graders read at below basic level
• Fourth grade students performing at the
  Proficient level should be able to integrate and
  interpret texts and apply their understanding of
  the text to draw conclusions and make
  evaluations.

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New vocabulary

• Readiness standards have the following
  characteristics.
• They are essential for success in the current
  grade or course.
• They are important for preparedness for the
  next grade or course.
• They support college and career readiness.
• They necessitate in-depth instruction.
• They address broad and deep ideas.
• Supporting standards have the following
  characteristics.
• Although introduced in the current grade or
  course, they may be emphasized in a subsequent
  year.
• Although reinforced in the current grade or
  course, they may be emphasized in a previous
  year.

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• House Bill 3 defines college readiness as the
  level of preparation a student must attain in
  English language arts and mathematics courses to
  enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an
  entry-level general education course for credit
  in that same content area for a baccalaureate
  degree or associate degree program (Section
  39.024a)

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State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
(STAAR)

• Increased focus, clarity, depth
• Changes in assessed curriculum

Supporting standards 30-40
Readiness standards 60-70
Standards not assessed
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Time Limits TEA will establish a 4-hour time
limit for the STAAR grades 38 assessments for
the 2012 spring test administration. Extended
time accommodations for students with unique
learning needs or circumstances will continue to
be offered.
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Will the dyslexia bundled accommodations continue
to be offered to eligible students taking the
STAAR reading assessments? Two of the three
bundled accommodations will be available for
students with dyslexia and other reading
disabilities on the STAAR reading assessments in
grades 3 through high schoolthe oral reading of
item stems/answer options only and extended
testing time, if needed. These accommodations do
not need to be offered as a bundle the needs of
the student should be considered when determining
which accommodations to use. A proper-nouns list
like the one used in the TAKS assessments will no
longer be provided.
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Blueprints
www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar
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Informational text is a type of nonfiction that
conveys information about the natural or social
world. Informational text differs from
non-fiction in purpose, features and format.

• Text whose primary purpose is to convey
• information about the natural and social
• world.
• text that typically has characteristic features
• such as addressing whole classes of things in
• a timeless way.
• text that comes in many different formats,
• including books, magazines, handouts,
• brochures, CD-ROMs, and the Internet.

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Grade 3 Answer DocumentsStudents taking STAAR
grade 3 reading and mathematics assessments will
now record their responses on a separate answer
document, as is done for other assessments. Grade
3 students will no longer record their answers to
test items in a scorable test booklet.
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No minimum score (e.g. 2) required on composition
for satisfactory performance
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• STAAR v. TAKS

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STAAR v. TAKS

• - increased rigor and depth
• - greater number of more difficult items
• - greater level of cognitive complexity
• - rigor validated against
  nationally-normed exams
  and reviewed every 3 years
• - increased number of items with time limit
• - higher performance standards

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TAKS is Horizontal butSTAAR is built
Vertically

• Learning builds between grades
• Learning DEPENDS on earlier grades
• Intervention areas are easier to identify
• Differentiation is predictable
• Growth measures are built in (score and concept)

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STAAR Performance Standards

• Higher than TAKS
• More steps
• More questions
• Set first for English III and Algebra II
• Linked to college readiness
• Linked by grade level down to 3rd grade

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3 Performance Levels

• Unsatisfactory minimal understanding Tier 2 or
  3
• Satisfactory- adequate and think critically-
  might need short term academic intervention
• Advanced- well prepared for next course-
  demonstrated critical thinking and apply skills
• More than just passing that grade performance
  levels indicate predictive measures

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STAAR What does it mean to assess academic
readiness?

• TAKS
• Did I learn what I was supposed to learn in 4th
  grade?

• STAAR
• Did I learn what I was suppose to learn in 4th
  grade?
• Am I ready for 5th grade?
• And 6th grade?

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STAAR . . . a few noteworthy items
Items tested at a higher cognitive
complexity level Items will match the
complexity level evident in the TEKS Longer
tests, more griddable answers Assessment of
readiness standards in multiple ways
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STAAR . . . a few noteworthy items
Reading Greater emphasis on critical
analysis Increased focus on informational
(expository) text Writing
Assessed in two days (one writing sample per
day) Two essays in writing (personal narrative
and expository) Focus on conciseness
Embedded field test Stand-alone field test
every three years for prompts in
4th grade.
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The challenge ahead

• Increasing accountability standards
• New accountability indicators
• Increased assessment rigor

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Scantron Performance Series

• Given 3 times a year for RtI screener
• The online test has about 50 questions
• Students do not spend unnecessary time on test
  items that are much too difficult or too simple,
  leading to less time testing and more time
  learning.
• The result is a valid and reliable "scaled score"
  that can will provide a reading level.

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What Reading Strategies Can Reading
Teachers Use?