2. STAAR 7 th Grade Released Question 4 First the student has to decide whether to multiply or divide 24,000 gallons by 40 gallons per minute. If the student multiplies, the units would be gallons squared per minute, which would make no sense. If the students divides 24,000 by 40, the units of gallons cancel and the fraction 24,000/40 reduces giving the answer of 600 minutes.

3. STAAR 7 th Grade Released Question 4 Answer C is 600 minutes, so the student might pick this answer. 600 minutes is too much time since the pool was not full, it was only ¾ full. When the student multiplies 600 minutes by ¾, the correct answer will be 450 minutes, answer choice A.

5. STAAR 8 th Grade Released Question 8 First the student must realize that the roof is the top of the building, and it is made up of two identical rectangles. The rectangle that shows has the dimensions 16 feet by 55 feet. If the student uses 16 feet as the length and 55 feet as the width, the student will realize that these two numbers need to be multiplied together. This gives an area of 880 square feet for the

6. STAAR 8 th Grade Released Question 8 rectangle that shows. This area will then be multiplied by 2 to double the area for the entire roof. The total area for the roof would be 1760 square feet. The number 1760 is answer choice A, so the student might pick this answer. This answer is incorrect because it has not yet been multiplied by the cost of $2.10 per square foot to replace the entire roof.

7. STAAR 8 th Grade Released Question 8 When the 1760 square feet is multiplied by $2.10 per square foot, the square foot units cancel, leaving only the units of $. The correct answer is $3,696, answer choice D. When the problem is set up, it would read 16 ft. X 55 ft. X 2 X $2.10/ft 2

8. State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness STAAR will Provide a more clearly articulated assessment program Focus on fewer skills Address skills in deeper manner

9. Focus on Fewer In general, Readiness Standards Are essential for success in the current grade or course Are important for preparedness for the next grade or course Support college and career readiness Necessitate in-depth instruction Address broad and deep ideas

10. Focus on Fewer In general, Supporting Standards May be introduced in the current grade or course and emphasized in a subsequent year May be emphasized in a previous year and reinforced in the current grade or course May play a role in preparing students for the next grade or course but not a central role May address more narrowly defined ideas

11. Focus on Fewer Readiness Standards Encompass 30–40% of the eligible TEKS Will make up 60–65% of the assessment Supporting Standards Encompass 60–70% of the eligible TEKS Will make up 35–40% of the assessment

13. Deeper Manner More questions with a higher cognitive complexity level to match TEKS Assessing process skills with content skills in mathematics, science, and social studies Greater number of open-ended (griddable) questions on mathematics and science

14. Performance Standards Performance Labels There will be two cut scores, which will identify three performance categories for the general STAAR assessments. The labels for the performance categories are Level III: Advanced Academic Performance Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance

15. STAAR Grade 7 Mathematics Assessment Reporting Category 1:Numbers, Operations, and Quantitative Reasoning TEKS (7.1) and (7.2) Reporting Category 2: Patterns, Relationships, and Algebraic Reasoning TEKS (7.3), (7.4) and (7.5) Reporting Category 3: Geometry and Spatial Reasoning TEKS (7.6), (7.7) and (7.8) Reporting Category 4: Measurement TEK (7.9) Reporting Category 5: Probability and Statistics TEKS (7.10). (7.11) and (7.12) Underlying Processes and Mathematical Tools These skills will not be listed under a separate recording category. Instead, they will be incorporated into at least 75% of the test questions in reporting categories 1–5 and will be identified along with content standards.

17. STAAR Grade 8 Mathematics Assessment Reporting Category 1:Numbers, Operations, and Quantitative Reasoning TEKS (8.1) and (8.2) Reporting Category 2: Patterns, Relationships, and Algebraic Reasoning TEKS (8.3), (8.4) and (8.5) Reporting Category 3: Geometry and Spatial Reasoning TEKS (8.6) and (8.7) Reporting Category 4: Measurement TEK (8.8), (8.9) and (8.10) Reporting Category 5: Probability and Statistics TEKS (8.11). (8.12) and (8.13) Underlying Processes and Mathematical Tools These skills will not be listed under a separate recording category. Instead, they will be incorporated into at least 75% of the test questions in reporting categories 1–5 and will be identified along with content standards.