STAAR TEST

1. STAAR TEST Class of 2015 and beyond

2. What is STAAR? It is replacing the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is the new state assessment for students in grades 3-12.

3. How is it different from TAKS? • STAAR will test content students studied that year, as opposed to testing content studied in multiple years. • Scores will affect graduation plans. • STAAR EOC’s (End of Course Exams) will test the following courses: • English I, II, III • Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II • Biology, Chemistry, Physics • World Geography, World History, US History

4. Who is impacted? The Class of 2015 and beyond

5. Scoring of STAAR The state has established three performance levels: • Minimum • Passing Standard • College Readiness The state has not yet announced the scores that correspond with the three performance levels – expected in February

6. Graduation In order to graduate, students will be required to have satisfactory performance on all STAAR EOC tests and have a minimum cumulative total in the four core areas of English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Science and Social Studies.

7. Scoring Students must reach at least the minimum score For each subject, adding the score for all three tests must be equal to or greater than the passing standard times the number of tests. NOT PASSING MINIMUM SCORE PASSING STANDARD COLLEGE READINESS

8. Examples For example, if the minimum score is 900 and 1000 was determined as the passing standard, a student would have to get a total score of 3000 to meet the Total Score Requirement for Math.

9. Examples However, they must meet the minimum score regardless of their total score. In this example the student would not have met the Total Score Requirement for Math.

10. Additional Passing Standards • Recommended Graduation Plan: • Total Score Requirement for all 12 EOC exams • Passing Standard for Algebra II & English III • Distinguished Graduation Plan: • Total Score Requirement for all 12 EOC exams • College Readiness Standard for Algebra II & English III • Minimum Graduation Plan: • Total Score Requirement for each subject taken (8 to 12 tests) • Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics are NOT required unless the student takes the course

11. Retesting Students will be allowed to retest any EOC exam regardless of whether they have passed or not. Only the highest score will be used.

12. STAAR & Semester Grades The state requires that the STAAR EOC score account for 15% of a student’s final grade in the course. If a student retests but is not currently in the course the test will not be averaged into any grade.

13. ALGEBRA I – 8TH Grade (2011) TEA is considering the following: • Students would not be required to take that particular EOC assessment. Their cumulative score for that content area would decrease. • Students could choose to take that particular EOC assessment. If they take the assessment, the score they receive would only be used in their cumulative score if it benefited the student.

14. Special Education Students • TEA is eliminating the separate accommodated form and building in specific accommodations • STAAR Modified and STAAR Alternate will be options for most courses, but not all higher level courses • All students taking modified or alternative courses will be on the Minimum Graduation Plan

15. TEA – In Development • Scores needed to pass STAAR • Retesting schedules and guidelines • How final grades will be calculated given the state requirement that 15% of each student’s final grade be determined by their STAAR EOC score • Specifics regarding special education modifications • Other testing (PSAT, PLAN, SAT, ACT, AP) be used in place of EOC requirements

16. Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. ~ Joshua J. Marine