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

2. STAAR Timeline • Spring 2011 • Grades 3–8 reading field test embedded in TAKS • Grades 4 and 7 writing stand-alone field tests in early April • English I–first operational assessment • English II and III–stand-alone field tests • Spring 2012 • First STAAR assessments–all courses/grades • English I counts toward graduation for first-time 9th graders • TAKS ELA tests continue for grade 10 and exit level

3. New Assessment DesignSTAAR 3–8 and High School • Linked to college and career readiness • TEKS eligible for assessment split into two categories • readiness standards, defined as those TEKS considered necessary for success in the current grade/course and important for preparedness in the grade/course that follows • supporting standards, defined as those TEKS which are important to teach but which will receive less emphasis by being assessed across years/administrations

4. English I, II, and III • Advanced high school course readiness measure for English I and II • College and career readiness measure for English III • Scores reported separately for reading and writing • Students retest only in the section they fail

5. Reading Test DesignGrades 3−8 and High School Genre-based • Literary strand: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama (drama beginning at grade 4) • Informational strand: expository and persuasive (persuasive beginning at grade 5) • Fiction and expository reading are considered readiness genres from grade 3 though high school • Literary nonfiction, poetry, drama, and persuasive reading are considered supporting genres • Procedural elements embedded in informational pieces and media literacy embedded in either literary or informational pieces

6. Reading Test DesignGrades 3−8 and High School Test Length • Word count attached to overall test rather than to individual pieces, as in TAKS • Maximum word count increases from grade to grade but is consistent at high school • Number of pieces included on a test can vary from year to year, dependent on length (e.g., at grade 5, 3−4 individual pieces and one pair) • Different numbers of questions attached to different-length pieces

7. Reading Test DesignGrades 3−8 and High School Pairs can mix strands and genres • Literary−Literary (e.g., fiction−poetry, literary nonfiction−drama, fiction−literary nonfiction • Informational−Informational (e.g., expository −expository, expository−persuasive) • Literary −Informational (e.g., fiction−expository, poetry−expository, literary nonfiction−persuasive)

8. Writing Test DesignGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Assessments at grades 4 and 7 administered over two days; writing component of English I, II, and III administered on Day 1 of test (with reading component on Day 2) • Field tests embedded for grade 7 and English I, II, and III • Abbreviated stand-alone field test for grade 4 every three years

9. Revision and EditingGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Revision and editing assessed separately, with increased focus on revision as students become more experienced and skilled writers • For Grade 4, 32% of multiple-choice score from revision and 68% of score from editing • For Grade 7, 40% of multiple-choice score from revision and 60% of score from editing • For English I, II, and III, 50% of multiple-choice score from revision and 50% of score from editing

10. CompositionGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Students will write two one-page compositions 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 analytic • Compositions will be weighted equally • No “gatekeeper” (automatic fail for a 1)

11. Writing Prompts and RubricsGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Prompts contain a stimulus and are scaffolded−Read, Think, Write • A rubric is being developed for each writing type, but three sections are identical • Organization/Progression • Development of Ideas • Use of Language/Conventions

12. Writing RubricsGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Organization/Progression • the degree to which form or structure is appropriate to the purpose and demands of the prompt • the degree to which the writer establishes and sustains focus (affecting unity and coherence of piece) • the degree to which the writer controls progression with transitions and sentence-to-sentence connections and establishes the relationships among ideas

13. Writing RubricsGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Development of Ideas • the degree to which details/examples are specific and well chosen • the degree to which (1) the piece is thoughtful and engaging and (2) the writer demonstrates an understanding of the task

14. Writing RubricsGrades 4 and 7 and High School • Use of Language/Conventions • the degree to which word choice is thoughtful and appropriate to form, purpose, and tone • the degree to which sentences are purposeful, varied, and controlled • the degree to which the writer demonstrates a command of conventions so that the writing is fluent and clear

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