Welcome to our Lemm Annual Parent Information Night. We are glad you are here! Please sign in and have a seat.

What is STAAR??? S tate of T exas A ssessment of A cademic R eadiness STAAR is the state’s student testing program. Over the course of their public school career, students will be tested in the core subject areas–reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The number of tests taken each year will vary from two to four, depending on the grade level. The STAAR tests for elementary and middle school grades will cover the same subjects and grades as the previous testing program, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). At the high school level, 12 (EOC) assessments will replace grade-specific tests.

Elementary Students Will Participate In The Following Assessments Under STAAR: Grade 3 Math and Reading (April 23 and 24 th ) Grade 4 Writing (April 2 nd -3 rd ) Math and Reading (April 23 rd and 24 th ) Grade 5 Math and Reading (April 2 nd and 3 rd ) Science (April 24 th )

Student Performance: Once students have taken a STAAR assessment they will receive a score indicating their performance. Students will fall in to one of the three categories below: Level III: Advanced Academic Performance (used to be called Commended) Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance

Some pretty big changes

Level of Difficulty The STAAR will be more rigorous than previous state tests. It will also contain more test questions at most grade levels Here’s a sample of a 3 rd grade question testing the student’s problem solving skills… It’s the same skill… more rigor! Mr. Garza has three kinds of animals on his farm. He has 6 dogs. He has twice as many cows as dogs. He has 3 times as many sheep as cows. How many sheep does Mr. Garza have on his farm? A school bus had 16 seats. There were 2 children sitting on each seat. At the first bus stop 8 children got off the bus. How many children were left on the bus? Mark your answer.

Time Limits: TEA established a four (4) hour time limit for both STAAR grades 3-8 assessments and STAAR EOC assessments. TEA notes that a four hour time limit should provide sufficient time for the majority of students to complete the test. The rationale for time limits aligns Texas testing practices with other timed state and national assessments, i.e. SAT, ACT and AP examinations. Extended time accommodations for students with unique learning needs will continue to be offered.

Impact on Grade Advancement: The Student Success Initiative (SSI) requires that students in grades 5 and 8 pass both STAAR reading and math exams to be promoted to the next grade. Students will test in April. Any student scoring a Level I will be re-tested on May 14 th and 15th Any students scoring a Level I on the second administration will require a Grade Placement Committee meeting. Parents, teachers and Administration will meet to discuss an accelerated instruction plan before the final testing opportunity. These students will attend mandatory summer tutoring sessions and will have a third and final opportunity to pass on June 25 th and 26 th

What can you do to help? A lot! Reviewing Goals - Help us to keep your child’s focus on their academic goals. When they bring home weekly folders, sit with your child, look through their work and how they are achieving their goals. Be sure to celebrate those successes! Any assignments that fell short of their goals can be reworked to assure that they will do better the next time.

What can you do to help? Read, read, read with your child! Be sure to ask open ended questions such as: 1.Why do you think the character made that decision? 2.What do you think is going to happen and why? 3.How would the story be different if the character had made a different choice? 4.Remember the time this happened to you? How is that the same or different than this story? The trick is to get them thinking and for them to be able to talk about what they are thinking and why.

What can you do to help? Get your child to talk to you! While doing homework or working through the sample problems we gave you, get your child to tell you what the problem is all about and WHY they worked the problem that way. Again…the trick is to get them thinking and for them to be able to talk about what they are thinking and why.

What can you do to help? The weekend before the test. Unfortunately, Easter holiday weekend falls two days before the first administration of the April testing. If the kids come back from a weekend of staying up late and crashing on too many chocolate bunnies, then they will not be able to do their best. Please try to keep things as normal and restful as possible over the holiday so they come back on Monday ready to go!

What can you do to help? The big day! This is so important! Please….. Make sure they get a good night’s sleep. In bed by 8:00 would be perfect!

What can you do to help? The big day! This is so important! Please….. Wake up in plenty of time to have a special protein packed breakfast. Sugared cereal, doughnuts, pop tarts, etc… will only cause them to mentally crash around mid morning. Better options are bacon and eggs or a peanut butter sandwich. If your morning schedule does not allow for this, remember the school breakfast starts at 7:50

What can you do to help? The big day! Get them to school on time! Nothing is worse that starting an important day feeling stressed. If students arrive too late, they will be unable to take the test and will have to make it up later in the week.

What can you do to help? The big day! Send them off with an amazing attitude. They have all worked so hard this year. Now is not the time to be scared… it is the time to be excited to show off what they know! Let them know how proud you are of all they have worked for this year and to give it their very best!

What in the world is a CSR and how do I read it?? The CSR is a Confidential Student Report. It reports how your child did on each test and at what level he or she scored. We received last year’s scores very late ( you just got them a few weeks ago) but you will get the scores from next month’s tests much quicker. (this June) Let’s look at a couple to see how they make sense.

Here ’ s how: Write an encouraging note on the special paper for your child. Fold it and place your student ’ s name and their teachers name on the front. On the day of testing, your student ’ s teacher will deliver the note to your child before the test begins. Thank you in advance for your participation. I want my students, your children, to feel prepared and supported as they take their tests. I know a special note from you will brighten their day. A little encouragement goes a long way! Fourth grade teachers