Victoria Young Director of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies Assessments

1. STATE OF TEXAS ASSESSMENTS OF ACADEMIC READINESS (STAAR)Grades 3−8 ReadingGrades 4 and 7 WritingEnglish I, II, and III Victoria Young Director of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies Assessments Texas Education Agency Version 2

2. STAAR Reading • STAAR reading assessments will emphasize students’ ability • to “go beyond” a literal understanding of what they read • to 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

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. Student Success in Readingand on STAAR • Students must understand the relationship between reading test-taking strategies and making meaning. • Students must learn to use reading test-taking strategies judiciously, especially given the 4-hour time limit.

6. 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)

7. STAAR Writing Prompts • Expository, persuasive, and analytical prompts contain a stimulus and are scaffolded: Read, Think, Write, Be Sure to −

8. 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)

9. STAAR Grade 4 Expository Scaffolding READ the information in the box below. 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.

10. STAAR Grade 4 Expository Scaffolding Be sure to— • clearly state your central idea • organize your writing • develop your writing in detail • choose your words carefully • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentences

11. STAAR Grade 7 Expository Scaffolding 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.

12. STAAR Grade 7 Expository Scaffolding 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 effectively • choose your words carefully • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentences

13. STAAR English II Persuasive Scaffolding READ the following quotation. 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.

14. STAAR English II Persuasive Scaffolding 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 support for your argument • choose your words carefully • edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and sentences

15. 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)

16. 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.)

17. 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!

18. STAAR Personal Narrative Prompt Grade 4 Look at the picture below. It takes talent to balance a basketball on your finger. Write about a time when you discovered that you were good at something.

19. STAAR Grade 7 Personal Narrative Scaffolding Look at the picture below. 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.

20. 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.

21. STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far • Trends we noted across grades 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

22. STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far • Trends we noted across grades 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: • personal narrative instead of expository • fantasy instead of personal narrative • expository instead of personal narrative

23. STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far • Trends we noted across grades from the 2011 field tests • Central or controlling idea: Essential in writing a focused and coherent expository piece as well as a focused and coherent persuasive or analytical piece in high school • Personal narratives also need a narrow focus.

24. STAAR Writing—What We’ve Learned So Far • Trends we noted across grades from the 2011 field tests 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 • Bottom line: Both planning and revision are absolutely essential since students don’t have the space to “write their way into” a better piece. Students will have 2½ blank pages per prompt in the test booklet for planning purposes.

25. How Not to Begin a Composition People view things differently and see it in their own way. They also have different opinions, and each person thinks no one is right but themselves. Quotations are thought through very differently from everyone else. It all depends on the way you think and how you view things in life. (This introduction takes up the first 5 of the 26 lines.)

26. In a Nutshell—Lower Score Range Typical Problems in Lower-Scoring Responses • Wrong organizational structure/form for purpose • Weak, evolving, or nonexistent central idea/controlling idea • Wasted space: repetition, wordiness, looping/meandering, meaningless introductions and conclusions, development that does not contribute (e.g., the “bed-to-bed” approach) • 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

27. In a Nutshell—Higher Score Range • Typical Strengths in Higher-Scoring Responses • Strong match between structure/form and purpose • Explicit central or controlling idea and sustained focus • “Narrow and deep” development with no wasted words or space Think QualityoverQuantity! • Introduction and conclusion short but effective • Specific use of language and appropriate tone for purpose • Essay well crafted • Strong conventions (Remember: “Strong” doesn’t mean “Perfect”!)

28. Adjacent Scoring for STAAR TAKS compositions were scored using the “perfect agreement” model. Two readers read each paper, and if the scores did not agree, a third reader (and sometimes a fourth) read the paper to determine the final score. STAAR compositions will be scored using the “adjacent scoring” model. Perfect agreement does not have to be reached. With this method, districts will receive a more accurate description of each student’s writing performance.

29. Adjacent Scoring for STAAR

30. CONTACT INFORMATION Victoria Young Director of Reading, Writing, and Social Studies Assessments Texas Education Agency 512-463-9536 victoria.young@tea.state.tx.us

32. In the Shoes of Struggling Writers We must recognize that writing coherent paragraphs and essays involves engaging in a number of activities simultaneously.

33. Struggling Writers (cont.) • Formation of letters: whether students use manuscript, cursive, or word processor, part of the brain is engaged with this process. • Spelling of words: even if students are not penalized for spelling, they must still sound out and spell the words they choose so the reader can understand what is being written.

34. Struggling Writers (cont.) • Formation of sentences:students must write coherent sentences, including mechanics (i.e., grammar, punctuation, usage) and structure (i.e., sentence quality and variety). • Paragraph structure:students must apply what they have learned regarding introductory, supporting, and concluding sentences/paragraphs.

35. Struggling Writers (cont.) Content: a topic chosen from students’ own experiences is the most simple and direct content; eventually, students must write about topics assigned by content or teachers. Audience:students must determine the purpose of the assignment, the intended audience, and the approach to be taken in order to match written piece with that audience.

36. Struggling Writers (cont.) For a struggling writer, the amount of memory devoted to tasks that a competent writer has already automatized prevents appropriate, typical dedication to the more cognitive acts: idea generation and organization. If a part of your mind is taken, for example, with spelling and handwriting, it becomes difficult to create coherent text for your audience.

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40. Released Tests Examples of Read, Think, Write Writing Format • New York Board of Regents • State of Virginia