State Of Texas Assessments Of Academic Readiness (STAAR

State of Texas Assessments ofAcademic Readiness (STAAR )Grades 3 8 ReadingGrades 4 and 7 WritingEnglish I and IISteve WilderManager of ELA AssessmentsStudent Assessment DivisionTexas Education Agency

Legislative Changes for 2015–20162HB 743STAAR grades 3–5 assessments should beredesigned so that 85% of students cancomplete in 2 hours.STAAR grades 6–8 assessments should beredesigned so that 85% of students cancomplete in 3 hours.

Legislative Changes for 2015–20163STAAR grades 4 and 7 writing tests will beredesigned this year.All other 3 through 8 assessments will beredesigned for the spring 2017administrations.

Legislative Changes for 2015–20164 Redesign of STAAR grades 4 and 7 writing tests One-daytest Fewer multiple-choice items One writing prompt

Legislative Changes for 2015–20165 Redesign of STAAR grades 4 and 7 writing tests Releaseof new blueprints, test design schematics, andassessed curriculum documents in fall 2015 Convene standard-setting committees to set newstandards on redesigned tests

Legislative Changes for 2015–20166HB 1164 In2015-2016, this bill requires TEA to plan a study todevelop a writing assessment methodology as analternative to the Grades 4 and 7 writing tests. In 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, this bill requires TEA toimplement a pilot program. Students participating in the pilot program would notbe required to take the grades 4 and 7 writing tests.

Legislative Changes for 2015–20167HB 1164: Alternative Writing Assessment PilotProgram Design Mustassess students’ mastery of TEKS in writing throughtimed writing samples Must assess improvement of a student’s writing skills from thebeginning to the end of the school year Must assess a student’s ability to follow the writing processfrom rough draft to final product Must assess a student’s ability to produce more than onetype of writing style

Legislative Changes for 2015–20168HB 1164: Alternative Writing Assessment PilotProgram Design Willinclude 300 Grade 4 students Will include 300 Grade 7 students Will include a diverse group of students from at least oneurban, one suburban, and one rural district

Student Assessment New Contract9 The Student Assessment Division awarded ETS theprimary testing contract through 2019. ETStook over primary responsibilities on September 1,2015. ETS will be writing items to be shown to teachers atexternal item review meetings next summer. First time students will see ETS items will be in spring of2017.**ELA/Writing and Grade 8 and above mathematics testsonly (For all other tests, ETS has been subcontractorthrough Pearson.)

Changes to the Assessment Program10Questions

STAAR Reading Scores112014 Level II(Phase-in I)2014 Level III2015 Level II(Phase-in I)2015 Level IIIGrade 376177722Grade 474187421Grade 576207824Grade 677157619Grade 775197519Grade 883237823

STAAR Writing Scores122014 Level II(Phase-In I)2014 Level III2015 Level II(Phase-In I)2015 Level IIIGrade 4736707Grade 77067210

STAAR End of Course Scores132014 Level II(Phase-In I)2014 Level III2015 Level II(Phase-In I)2015 Level IIIEnglish I(First-timetesters only)7287110English II(First-timetesters only)737735

Grade 4 Expository Statewide Distributions20142015142014 ExpositorySummed Scores2015 ExpositorySummed Scores1/1 217%1/1 218%1/2 314%1/2 315%2/2 438%2/2 439%2/3 515%2/3 515%3/3 611%3/3 610%3/4 73%3/4 72%4/4 81%4/4 81%

Grade 4 Pers. Narr. Statewide Distributions20142015152014 Personal NarrativeSummed Scores2015 Personal NarrativeSummed Scores1/1 211%1/1 215%1/2 312%1/2 313%2/2 434%2/2 431%2/3 519%2/3 517%3/3 617%3/3 614%3/4 75%3/4 76%4/4 82%4/4 83%

Grade 7 Expository Statewide Distributions20142015162014 ExpositorySummed Scores2015 ExpositorySummed Scores1/1 210%1/1 210%1/2 313%1/2 315%2/2 444%2/2 441%2/3 517%2/3 518%3/3 610%3/3 611%3/4 73%3/4 73%4/4 81%4/4 81%

Grade 7 Pers. Narr. Statewide Distributions20142015172014 Personal NarrativeSummed Scores2015 Personal NarrativeSummed Scores1/1 26%1/1 210%1/2 37%1/2 311%2/2 430%2/2 434%2/3 522%2/3 519%3/3 623%3/3 616%3/4 77%3/4 76%4/4 84%4/4 83%

English I Expository Statewide Distributions20142015 (First-time Testers)182014 ExpositorySummed Scores2015 ExpositorySummed Scores1/1 27%1/1 29%1/2 38%1/2 310%2/2 439%2/2 437%2/3 521%2/3 518%3/3 618%3/3 617%3/4 74%3/4 74%4/4 81%4/4 82%

English II Persuasive Statewide Distributions20142015 (First-time Testers)192014 PersuasiveSummed Scores2015 PersuasiveSummed Scores1/1 27%1/1 28%1/2 39%1/2 310%2/2 432%2/2 433%2/3 521%2/3 520%3/3 620%3/3 619%3/4 76%3/4 76%4/4 83%4/4 83%

STAAR Reading20Students are expected to read for meaning,making connections both within and acrosstexts.Students have the most difficulty reading on a“macro,” or broad, level.

Grade 3 Reading21 #34 What is the best summary of the section titled “Arturo’s Desert Eagle”? A A team built a giant paper airplane. It could fly higher and fartherthan a small paper airplane. A helicopter was used to release the giantpaper airplane into the air. 18% B Arturo Valdenegro won the paper airplane contest after severalrounds of competition. He worked with experts at the museum to build agiant paper airplane. It was called Arturo’s Desert Eagle. 21% C After the contest a team built a giant paper airplane. It was based onthe design of the winning paper airplane. A helicopter released thepaper airplane into the air. After a short flight the paper airplanecrashed into the desert.* 38% D A boy named Arturo Valdenegro won a paper airplane contest.Winning the contest meant that his airplane design would be used tobuild a giant paper airplane. The giant paper airplane was calledArturo’s Desert Eagle. 22%

Grade 4 Reading22 #34 The speaker in the poem and the author of theselection both emphasize the importance of Aselecting the perfect location for building asandcastle 25% B using items from nature to decorate a sandcastle18% C mixing the sand just right before building asandcastle* 41% D finishing the details of a sandcastle in just one day15%

Grade 5 Reading23 #37 What is the best summary of the section titled “A Difficult Journey”? A Jackson and Crocker left San Francisco and after only 15 miles of driving,their rear tire went flat. They were able to use a spare tire for the rest of theday. They had trouble getting accurate directions at times, and bad weatherwas also an obstacle to completing their journey. 34% B Jackson and Crocker encountered many difficulties on their trip. Sometimesthey got lost, their car frequently needed repairs, and they encountered harshweather. They planned well, though, and received help when they needed it.*35% C When Jackson and Crocker left San Francisco, they could not predict whatwould happen to them in the next three months. During their journey they droveon many dirt paths. People helped the two men repair their car when it brokedown from the rough travel. 21% D When Jackson and Crocker drove across the country, the land was difficult tocross. The roads were bumpy, and fields were often muddy. Bad weather madetravel even more difficult and caused the car to break down at times. 10%

Grade 6 Reading24 #9 Which idea is developed throughout the section“A Growing Need for Height”? ACities provide better living environments than ruralareas. 23% B Changing conditions can create unexpecteddemands.* 41% C Opportunities to demonstrate skill are rare. 16% D Laws help maintain the beauty of an environment.19%

Grade 7 Reading25 #43 Read these sentences from the story.For somebody like me, growing up in a basketball-loving family in abasketball-crazed town, you’d think I’d be screeching around the gym,too. (paragraph 3)Being a basketball fan and a citizen of the Basketball Capital ofKansas, I owed it to my fellow seventh graders to support the team.(paragraph 39)Based on these sentences, the reader can infer that Kirby thinks he A has natural talent that he has been unable to demonstrate 20%B is obligated to participate in activities related to basketball* 41%C should make a strong effort to improve his shooting technique 12%D is a disappointment to his family because of his lack of athletic skill 27%

Grade 8 Reading26 #40 What can readers conclude about Halliebased on her father’s description of theirexperience with the crab on the beach? AShe respects the crab’s efforts to avoid beingcaptured.* 53% B She realizes that she needs her father’s help in orderto catch the crab. 13% C She is not very experienced at catching crabs. 4% D She thinks that chasing crabs is an activity thatfamilies should do together. 28%

English I Reading27 #41 The author uses an aside in paragraph 3 to Asupply additional information 31% B provide some humor* 39% C criticize public speakers 5% D give an example 25%

English II Reading28 #48 One theme in the poem involves Athe impulse to connect with nature* 52% B the faithfulness of an animal companion 8% C the desire to control nature 4% D the perceptiveness of wild animals 35%

STAAR Reading29GenreContentGrade 3ExpositoryMain Idea of 2 ParagraphsGrade 4Poetry/ExpositoryCrossover—Similarity of 2Ideas PresentedGrade 5ExpositoryMain Idea of 4 ParagraphsGrade 6ExpositoryAnalysis of Main Idea of 2ParagraphsGrade 7FictionDrawing an InferenceAbout Character from 2Parts of StoryGrade 8Literary NonfictionConclusion about CharacterDevelopmentEnglish IExpositoryAuthor’s CraftEnglish IIPoetryTheme

Conclusions from Reading Data30 Students are having difficulties making connectionswithin and across the selections.Students are not going back to the selections andchecking to make sure their answers are correct.There are indications that students are not actuallyreading the selections before they begin answeringquestions.

Grade 4 Writing (Editing)31 Sentence 23 from “We Need a Rock-Climbing Wall” (23) With proper instruction and supervision, the fourth and fifth gradersat our school would really benefit from the addition of a rock-climbingwall to our playground.#22 What change should be made in sentence 23? A Change proper to propper 31% B Change graders to grader’s 20% C Change from to it would be from 9% D No change should be made in sentence 23.* 39%

Grade 7 Writing (Editing)32 Sentence 20 from “The Bugman Stumbles” (20) I jotted down some notes about the word’s origins along with a couple ofexample sentences, the rest of the paper would be a breeze.#37 What is the correct way to write sentence 20? A I jotted down some notes about the word’s origin along with a couple ofexample sentences. Sure that the rest of the report would be a breeze. 12% B I jotted down some notes about the word’s origin. Which along with a coupleof example sentences meant that the rest of the report would be a breeze. 10% C I jotted down some notes about the word’s origin along with a couple ofexample sentences. The rest of the report would be a breeze.* 40% D The sentence is written correctly in the paper. 37%

English I Writing (Editing)33 Sentence 21 from “The Global Soap Project” (21) Although Uganda is recovering from years of war, the nation is still plaguedby poverty, many workers earn no more than a dollar a day.#20 What is the correct way to write sentence 21? A Although Uganda is recovering from years of war, the nation is still plaguedby poverty. With many workers earning no more than a dollar a day. 16% B Although Uganda is recovering from years of war. The nation is still plaguedby poverty, and many workers earn no more than a dollar a day. 20% C Although Uganda is recovering from years of war, the nation is still plaguedby poverty. Many workers earn no more than a dollar a day.* 41% D The sentence is written correctly in the paper. 23%