State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness

What is STAAR? The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is a more rigorous standardized testing program that will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for elementary, middle school and high school students.

How is the STAAR different from TAKS? For all students in grades 3 through 12, the new STAAR program will emphasize “readiness” standards, which are the knowledge and skills that are considered most important for future success in the next grade or subject area and for college or career. Key Points for all students grade 3 – 12 include: ★ Increases in test difficulty with a focus on college/career readiness ★ Increases in the number of test items ★ Imposes a new, four-hour time limit on tests ★ Increases the number of open-ended questions on math and science assessments ★ In grades 3-8, tests are in the same grades and subjects as TAKS ★ In fourth grade, two essays are required over two days ★ In seventh grade, three essays are required over two days ★ In English l, II and III, three essays are required over two days ★ EOC assessment score will be worth 15% of the final grade for the course (15% requirement waived for school year only)

Who will take the STAAR End-of-Course Exam and how will it be counted for the course grade and for graduation? ★ Students entering the ninth grade in (the graduating class of 2015) and beyond, must meet STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) requirements in order to graduate. ★ With the new STAAR program, the four TAKS Exit-Level tests will be replaced with fifteen end-of-course (EOC) assessments. ★ All students will take the STAAR/EOC as they complete the corresponding course. ★ A student who receives special education services, will take STAAR/EOC. The Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee will determine the appropriate test and the manner in which the 15 percent rule will apply.

Any student in the school year and beyond who is enrolled in a high school course that has a related EOC assessment is required to test, including students who are earning credit through: ★ 8th graders taking Algebra I ★ AP/IB courses ★ Correspondence courses ★ Credit by exam ★ Dual credit courses Additional Requirements for EOC Assessments

To calculate a student’s final course grade in a course with an EOC assessment, the following components will be used: COURSE GRADE 85% EOC ASSESSMENT SCORE 15% FINAL COURSE GRADE 100% *15% requirement waived for school year only. The first and second semester grades are averaged together and are worth 85% of the final course grade. Calculation of Final Course Grade with EOC Score*

How will EOC affect Course Credit, Grade Point Average, and Class Rank? ★ The final course grade will be used to determine credit earned in a course with an EOC assessment. ★ Students may retake any EOC assessment for the purpose of gaining course credit. ★ The EOC assessment score will not be used to calculate grade point average and class rank. What happens if you pass the Final Course Grade, but fail the EOC assessment? ★ If a student earns a 70 or above for the final course grade, but does not earn the required minimum score on the EOC assessment, the student must retake the test. ★ However, the student is not required to retake the course as a condition of retaking the EOC assessment for that course. ★ The district will provide accelerated instruction to each student who fails to perform satisfactorily on an EOC assessment.

MinimumRecommendedDistinguished Take EOC assessments for courses enrolled (8-15 tests) Meet cumulative score requirement Take all 15 EOC assessments Meet cumulative score requirement Achieve Level II: Satisfactory Performance on Algebra II and English III Take all 15 EOC assessments Meet cumulative score requirement Achieve Level III: Advanced Performance on Algebra II and English III What are EOC testing requirements for each Graduation Plan?

What do you need to graduate? The requirements to graduate will vary among the Minimum, Recommended and Distinguished graduation plans. Satisfactory Academic Performance (Level II) on the EOC assessments will be considered passing. UNSATISFACTORY LEVEL I SATISFACTORY LEVEL II ADVANCED LEVEL III Performance in this category indicates that students are inadequately prepared for the next grade or course. Performance in this category indicates that students are sufficiently prepared for the next grade or course. Performance in this category indicates that students are well prepared for the next grade or course. For Algebra II and English III, this level of performance also indicates students’ college readiness. Must retake EOCScores meeting the minimum requirement, while unsatisfactory, may still count for cumulative score Recommended Graduation Plan: Must achieve Level II scores on Algebra II and English III EOC tests Distinguished Graduation Plan: Must achieve Level III scores on Algebra II and English III EOC tests MINIMUM Note: See next slide for cumulative score information

★ A student must achieve a minimum score on an EOC assessment for it to count toward graduation requirements. ★ TEA has set minimum, satisfactory (passing), and advanced standards for EOC assessments, phasing in over a 4 year period. (See later slide)  The phase-in scores used are based on when a student takes his/her first STAAR EOC assessment in that content area, and then will apply to all subsequent EOC assessments in that content area. ★ Students not meeting the minimum score must retake the assessment at the next available opportunity. ★ In addition, in order to graduate a student must meet a cumulative score on all of the EOC assessments taken in each content area: English (Reading & Writing), Math, Science and Social Studies. ★ Students who have met the minimum score on an EOC assessment may retake the assessment to increase the overall cumulative score needed for their particular graduation plan. Graduation Requirements

CUMULATIVE SCORE REQUIREMENTS ★ In each content area, the scores for all three EOC tests will be added together.  English Language Arts will add together scores for the three reading and three writing assessments ★ The cumulative score must be equal to or greater than the passing standard multiplied by the number of tests. On the next slide, for example purposes only, the passing standard is assumed to be 1000, and therefore the cumulative score would be 3000 per content area. Other assumed scores: Level 1 (Minimum Standard) Level 2 (Satisfactory Standard) Level 3 (Advanced Standard)

MathEnglish (Reading & Writing) ScienceSocial Studies * Refer to numbered statements below for additional information on specific scores. Algebra I 800 (6) English I Reading 1000 (2) English I Writing 1000 (2) Biology 900 (6) World Geography 1100 (2) Geometry 1200 (2) English II Reading 1000 (2) English II Writing 1000 (2) Chemistry 900 (6) World History 1000 (2) Algebra II 1000 (2) English III Reading 400 (4) English III Writing 300 (4) Physics 1000 (2) US History 1000 (2) Cumulative Score * (1) 3000 (3) 4000 out of 6000 (4) 2800 (5) 3100 (3) (1)In the above example, the required cumulative score for each subject would have to be at least 3000 for the student to graduate. (2)Meets the assumed passing standard of at least 1000 and counts toward the cumulative score. (3)The student would have met the cumulative score for Math and Social Studies. (4)The student would need to retest on the English III Reading and Writing EOC assessments because both scores falls below the minimum and do not count toward the cumulative score (3000 for Reading and 3000 for Writing). (5) The student would need to retest on any one or more of the three Science EOC assessments to meet the cumulative score requirement of 3000 for Science. (6)In the example, a score of 800 or 900 does not meet the satisfactory (passing) standard; however, it meets the minimum and will count in the cumulative total for the subject. CUMULATIVE SCORE EXAMPLE:

EOC Minimum and Level Standards Phased in over a 4 year period Explanation of Phased in Scores: For a student in 9 th Grade who took the English I Reading EOC in the Spring of 2012, their minimum score would be 1813 and their Level II score would be For the subsequent English Reading II & III EOCs for this student, their level II score would remain 1875, and their minimum score would remain at the “Phase-in 1 Minimum” level, 1806 for English II Reading and 1808 for English III Reading.

Where can I go to get additional information on STAAR?