state of texas assessments of academic readiness (staar) grades 3−8 reading grades 4 and 7 writing...
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STATE OF TEXAS ASSESSMENTS OF ACADEMIC READINESS (STAAR)
Grades 3−8 ReadingGrades 4 and 7 Writing
English I, II, and III
Victoria YoungDirector of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies AssessmentsTexas Education Agency
STAAR Reading
STAAR reading assessments will emphasize students’ ability
to “go beyond” a literal understanding of what they readto make connections within and across texts (“across texts” begins at grade 4 on STAAR but needs to begin much earlier instructionally)to think critically/inferentially about different types of texts
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STAAR Reading
STAAR reading assessments will emphasize students’ ability
to understand how to use text evidence to confirm the validity of their ideas (new on STAAR—understanding how text evidence works with poetry, drama, and persuasive pieces; e.g., text evidence for drama includes both dialogue and stage directions)
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Student Success in Readingand on STAAR
Students must be provided in-depth instruction in all genres represented by the ELA/R TEKS
Students must learn to analyze both fiction and expository genres—the readiness genres—at elementary, middle, and high school
Instruction must emphasize critical/ inferential thinking rather than isolated skills
Students must be able to make connections between different genres and strands (and be able to “see” the thematic links)
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Student Success in Readingand on STAAR
Students must understand the relationship between reading strategies and making meaning.
Students must learn to use reading strategies judiciously, especially given the 4-hour time limit.
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STAAR Written Composition
Students will write two one-page essays (26 lines maximum) addressing different types of writing
Grade 4−personal narrative and expository
Grade 7−personal narrative (with extension) and expository
English I−literary and expository
English II−expository and persuasive
English III−persuasive and analytical
Essays will be weighted equally
No “gatekeeper” (automatic fail of the writing test for a 1)
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STAAR Writing Prompts
Expository, persuasive, and analytical prompts contain a stimulus and are scaffolded:
Read, Think, Write, Be Sure to −
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STAAR Writing Prompts—Scaffolding
Read: A short synopsis of some kind or a quotation
Think: The synopsis or quotation generalized and reworded
Write: An even more focused rewording
Be Sure to: 4−5 bullets here (stating a clear thesis, organizing your writing, developing it, choosing words carefully, proofreading)
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Sample STAAR Grade 4 Expository added by Sue from notes READ: There are people in our lives who are
special to us. Sometimes this person is a teacher or coach, a brother or sister, or even a friend.
THINK about the people you care about. WRITE about one person who has been important
to you. Explain what makes that person special. Be sure to:
Clearly state your central idea. Organize your writing. Develop your writing in detail. Choose your words carefully. Use correct spelling, grammar, and sentences.
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Sample STAAR Grade 7 Expository added by Sue from notes
READ the following quotation: A famous businessman once said, “Players win games;
teams win championships.” THINK carefully about the following statement.
Sometimes you can accomplish good things by yourself but better things with other people.
WRITE an essay explaining whether it is better to work by yourself or with a group.
Be sure to: Clearly state your controlling idea. Organize and develop your explanation carefully. Choose your words carefully. Use correct spelling, grammar, and sentences.
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Sample STAAR EOC II added by Sue from notes
READ Authentic patriotism is not about you, what you believe,
or what you think is right…authentic patriotism is not an opinion. It is an action.—Stephen Kiernan
THINK carefully about the following statement. Some people define themselves by what they believe,
while others allow their actions to speak for them. WRITE an essay stating your position on which is more
important: what a person thinks, or what a person does. Be sure to:
State your position clearly. Use appropriate organization. Provide specific details…. Use correct spelling, grammar, and sentences.
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STAAR Analytical Essay
A combination of expository writing and interpretation of one aspect of a literary or expository text
Analytical prompts contain a literary or informational text (approximately 350−450 words), which students must analyze
Score based on the student’s ability to interpret the text and support it with relevant textual evidence (15C) AND quality of the writing (criteria under expository writing in 15A)
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STAAR Personal Narrative
Personal narrative prompts contain a stimulus and are scaffolded, though less so than other prompts.
Grade 4—SE 17(A) write about important personal experiences
Grade 7—16(A) write a personal narrative that has a clearly defined focus and communicates the importance of or reasons for actions and/or consequences
Personal narratives must be based on students’ real experiences—they cannot be fictional! (Literary writing: 16[A] at grade 4 and 15[A] at grade 7.)
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Example Grade 4 Personal Narrative inserted by Sue
(Look at: A picture of a child balancing a basketball.)
It takes talent to balance a basketball on your finger.
Write about a time when you discovered you were good at something.
Be sure to….
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Example Grade 7 Personal Narrative inserted by Sue
(Look at: A picture of a tree with arrows going different ways)
Sometimes it’s hard to make a decision because there are so many choices.
Write a personal narrative about a time when you had to make a decision. Be sure to write about the choice you made and describe what happened as a result of your decision.
Be sure to….
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Side-by-side: Expository & Personal Narrative
Expository
READ: There are people in our lives who are special to us. Sometimes this person is a teacher or coach, a brother or sister, or even a friend.
THINK about the people you care about.
WRITE about one person who has been important to you. Explain what makes that person special.
Be sure to: Clearly state your central
idea. Organize your writing. Develop your writing in
detail. Choose your words carefully. Use correct spelling,
grammar, and sentences.
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Personal Narrative
(Look at: A picture of a child balancing a basketball.)
It takes talent to balance a basketball on your finger.
Write about a time when you discovered you were good at something.
Be sure to….
STAAR Literary Writing
Literary prompts (English I) also contain a stimulus and are scaffolded.
English I Knowledge and Skill Statement: Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas.
STAAR based on SE 14(A): write an engaging story with a well-developed conflict and resolution, interesting and believable characters, and a range of literary strategies (e.g., dialogue, suspense) and devices to enhance the plot
Literary responses can be real or fictional!
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STAAR English I Literary
Look at the photograph.
PHOTOGRAPH
Write a story about ____________. Be sure that your story is focused and complete and that it has an interesting plot and engaging characters.
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STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far
Trends we noted across grades and courses during the scoring of the 2011 STAAR field tests
Form/purpose match. Many students scored 1s and 2s because their overall organizational structure and form did not match the purpose for writing or were weakly matched. Some students started out in the right form but then “drifted” into another purpose:
TAKS personal narrative instead of expository or persuasive
fantasy rather than personal narrative
expository rather than persuasive
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STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far
Trends we noted across grades and courses from the 2011 field tests
Thesis. Having a central idea/controlling idea/thesis is essential in writing a focused and coherent expository, persuasive, or analytical piece. Personal narratives/literary pieces also need narrow focus.
The effect of one page. High scores require an economical use of space: tight, specific, logical development—no wasted words. Short, effective introduction and conclusion also a must. Bottom line: Both planning and revision are absolutely essential since students don’t have the space to “write their way into” a better piece.
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STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far
Trends we noted across grades and courses from the 2011 field tests
Synthesizing across the Read, Think, Write. Some students scored 1s and 2s because they could not move from the stimulus (the “Read”) to the generalization (the “Think”) to the charge (the “Write about”). Students who did not synthesize information across the prompt tended to have these problems:
getting stuck in the stimulus
ignoring the charge and writing only about the “Think” statement
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In a Nutshell—Lower Score Range
Typical problems we noted in papers falling in the lower score range (1s and 2s)
Wrong organizational structure/form for purpose
Weak, evolving, or nonexistent thesis
Wasted space: repetition, wordiness, extraneous details or examples, looping/meandering, meaningless introductions and conclusions
Inclusion of too many different ideas for 1 page
General/vague/imprecise use of language or inappropriate tone for purpose
Essay poorly crafted
Weak conventions
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In a Nutshell—Higher Score Range23
Typical strengths we noted in papers falling in higher score range (3s and 4s)
Strong match between structure/form and purpose
Explicit thesis
“Narrow and deep” development—no wasted words or space Think quality over quantity!
Introduction and conclusion short but effective
Specific use of language and appropriate tone for purpose
Essay well crafted
Strong conventions
What’s Coming24
New STAAR Content Resources Webpage with
assessed curriculum
definitions of readiness and supporting standards
test blueprints
test design schematics
sample reading selections and questions
sample writing passages and questions
writing and reading rubrics
“mini” scoring guides
Test questions and rubrics posted
by September 29th.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Victoria Young
Director of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies Assessments
Texas Education Agency
512-463-9536
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