Information About Star Benchmark Assessments for Families
Below are some commonly asked questions about Star benchmark assessments, results, and their usage.
WHAT IS A STAR BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT?
Star Benchmark Assessments are computer-based, adaptive assessments, which means they adjust in difficulty to each answer students provide. This helps teachers get the best data to help students in the shortest amount of testing time. The assessment is also nationally normed, which means scores are compared against the scores of peers who have already taken the same exam. The results provide information on both student achievement as well as their individual growth.
HOW DO THESE ASSESSMENTS BENEFIT OUR STUDENTS?
Teachers analyze this data individually and in teams and make instructional decisions informed by these scores. As a result, students benefit from timely, differentiated instruction that best meets their individual needs. Used in conjunction with local assessments, teacher observations, MCAS results and more, Star helps us best plan for instruction that meets our students’ needs. We use the data from this assessment to help determine how best to support your child to ensure that they develop into an accurate and fluent reader/develop math skills in targeted domains.
WHEN DO STUDENTS COMPLETE THESE ASSESSMENTS?
Students complete Star benchmark assessments each fall, winter, and spring.
WHAT ASSESSMENTS ARE GIVEN?
Students in kindergarten and grade 1 take Star Early Literacy, while students in grades 2-8 complete Star Reading. Students in grades 1-8 take Star Math. High School students also complete Star Reading and Math, depending on current grade level and math or English course.
WHAT DOES EACH ASSESSMENT MEASURE?
- Star Early Literacy (Grades K-1): Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Numeracy, Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency, Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.
- Star Reading (Grades 2-8): Reading Literature and Informational Text, Language, Comprehension, Fluency.
- Star Math (Grade 1-8): Counting, Cardinality, Operations/Algebraic Thinking, Geometry, Expressions/Equations, Number & Operations/Fractions, Functions.
IS THIS SCORE REPORT THE SAME AS A REPORT CARD?
NO. This is not a report card, but rather a report on a moment in time. This assessment represents a snapshot from a moment in time on one day. Students have good and bad days, just like adults. Educators consider Star data along with other data points to inform instruction for individual students.
WHAT IF I’M SURPRISED BY A PARTICULAR AREA OR SKILL?
The assessments don’t perfectly align with our curriculum calendar. By way of a fictitious example, if a grade level doesn’t learn what a circle is until May, it should not be alarming to see “identifying circles” as an underdeveloped skill. If your teacher hasn’t shared this area of concern before, it has likely not yet been taught.
WHY DO THE COLORS APPEAR TO PROVIDE CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION?
The Star report shows student achievement across two scales: the Benchmark score on the top half of the page is norm-referenced, comparing a child’s performance to peers, and the Domain scores below it are criterion-referenced, indicating a child’s performance relative to grade-level standards. Because these are two different ways to measure achievement, the data (and colors) you see in one part of the report may seem to contradict the other. If you’re seeing information about your child that looks contradictory, scan the QR code on the report for more information about how each of these scores is determined.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT STAR?
The assessment tool has an array of informative articles and videos for families. We recommend checking these out:
Star Assessment Family Resource Page
Understanding Benchmark Categories and Domain Scores
Criterion-Referenced and Norm-Referenced Tests
Mastery
Focus Skills Resource Center
Star CBM Family Support
I’D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THESE RESULTS TELL US ABOUT MY CHILD.
Teachers welcome the opportunity to discuss student progress. Please contact your child’s teacher at any time.