general purpose

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONTom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Standardized Testing and

Reporting (STAR) Program

Bilingual Coordinators Network Meeting Update

John Boivin, Administrator STAR Program and Assessment Transition Office

March 15, 2012

TOM TORLAKSONState Superintendent of Public Instruction

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General Purpose

• California’s content standards, adopted by the State Board of Education, are the basis for curriculum, assessment, instructional materials, and professional development.

• STAR assesses how well schools are implementing the content standards.


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General Purpose (continued)

• Both state and federal law emphasize that all students should reach proficient or above on the state’s assessment of the adopted content standards. Statewide assessment results are used for:

• Academic Performance Index (API) which measures the performance and progress of schools.

• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) which requires each state to ensure that all schools and districts are making adequate yearly progress.


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General Purpose (continued)

• Provide schools and districts information that can be used with other achievement data to make decisions about improving instructional programs.

• Provide information to community members and government officials about the effectiveness of California’s education system.


Students To Be Tested

• All students in grades two through eleven enrolled on the first day of STAR testing are required to take these tests.

• Only students with written parent/guardian requests may be exempted from testing.

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Program Components• The STAR Program has four

components:– California Standards Tests (CSTs)

• Early Assessment Program (EAP)– California Alternate Performance

Assessment (CAPA)– California Modified Assessment

(CMA)– Standards- based Tests in Spanish

(STS)6


The CST

• The California Standards Tests (CSTs):– Are criterion-referenced tests– Are administered only in California

public schools– Are discrete at each grade

level/course– Are the core of the State Assessment

System

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The CAPA

• California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA):– A performance-based assessment– Based on math, reading/language arts, and

science content standards for California– Used to assess students with significant

cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CSTs (about 1% of the population)

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The CMA

• California Modified Assessment (CMA):– An alternate assessment based on modified

achievement standards– Based on math, reading/language arts, and

science content standards for California– For eligible students with disabilities (SWD)

who have an individualized education program (IEP) and meet the SBE-adopted CMA eligibility criteria (about 2% of the population)

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The STS

• Standards-Based Tests in Spanish (STS):– Required for Spanish-speaking English

learners (ELs) who either:• Receive instruction in their primary language; or • Have been enrolled in a school in the U.S. less

than 12 months

– May also be administered, at the option of the school district, to any other Spanish-speaking ELs

– Not available for non-ELs in dual immersion programs

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Test Variations (English Learners)

• If used regularly in the student’s classroom, an English learner may:– Hear the test questions and ask clarifying

questions in the student’s primary language – Have additional supervised breaks within

the testing day– Test separately with other English learners– Have access to translation glossaries/word

lists (English to primary language)


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Accommodations

• A variation in the assessment environment or process that does not fundamentally alter what the test measures or affect the comparability of scores.

• Examples include extra time beyond the school day to complete the test, Braille transcriptions, etc.


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Modifications

• A modification is any variation in the assessment environment or process that fundamentally alters what the test measures or affects the comparability of scores.

• Examples include using a calculator on the mathematics portion of the test and using a read-aloud on the ELA portion of the test.


Administration Window

• School districts are to test students at 85 percent of instruction.

• Testing window is 25 days—12 days before and 12 days after 85 percent of instruction has taken place.

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Test Results

• 4.7 million students participated in the 2011 STAR program

• 54 percent score proficient or above in English-language arts

• 50 percent score proficient or above in mathematics

• The full results available on the STAR Web page at http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2011/

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Test Results

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Change in Percentage

Change in Percentage

2010–2011 2003–2011

English–Language Arts

All Students 35 36 40 42 43 46 50 52 54 2 19

English Learners

10 10 12 14 15 16 20 21 23 2 13

Mathematics

All Students 35 34 38 41 41 43 46 48 50 2 15

English Learners

20 20 23 25 26 28 32 34 37 3 17

California Standards Test Results, 2003–2011Percentage of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above


Program Resources

• STAR Website

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/

• STAR Information and Sample Questions Website

http://starsamplequestions.org/

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Contact Information

STAR Program and Assessment Transition Office

(916) [email protected]

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general purpose

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