1. STAAR Overview Desert Hills Elementary School 2014-2015

2. STAAR Testing 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 Texas Education Agency, 2015

3. What does the STAAR test? Teachers are required to teach the TEKS or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, They are a set of skills that the state of Texas has determined are essential for each student to learn, Each grade level has a very specific set of TEKS for each content area, STAAR tests the TEKS at a high level of understanding or “rigor.”

4. Performance Labels There will be two cut scores, identifying three performance categories Level III: Advanced Academic Performance Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance Texas Education Agency, 2015

5. Policy Definition of Level III: Advanced Academic Performance Performance in this category indicates that students Are well prepared for the next grade or course Demonstrate the ability to think critically Demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar Have a high likelihood of success in next grade or course with little or no academic intervention Texas Education Agency, 2015

6. Policy Definition of Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance Performance in this category indicates that students Are sufficiently prepared for the next grade or course Generally demonstrate the ability to think critically Generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts Have a reasonable likelihood of success in the next grade or course May need short-term, targeted academic intervention Texas Education Agency, 2015

7. Policy Definition of Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance Performance in this category indicates that students Are inadequately prepared for the next grade or course Do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills Are unlikely to succeed in next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention Texas Education Agency, 2015

8. High School EOC High School At high school, 12 end-of-course (EOC) assessments are used Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, English III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history. The STAAR tests taken in 11th grade are called Exit Level STAAR. Students must pass the Exit Level STAAR in English language arts, math, science, and social studies in order to graduate. Students who do not pass the eleventh grade Exit Level STAAR have multiple chances to retake the test(s). Texas Education Agency, 2015

9. Performance Labels Texas Education Agency, 2015

10. Student Success on STAAR Teach both readiness and supporting skills Develop coherent instructional programs that integrate the scaffolding/building blocks necessary for students to do on-grade-level work Emphasize critical/inferential thinking, problem solving, and application rather than isolated skills Teach expository reading across the curriculum Texas Education Agency, 2015

11. Student Success on STAAR Teach students the academic vocabulary unique to each content area Reinforce the connections between different content areas (math and science, reading and writing, reading and science, reading and social studies, writing and science, writing and social studies) Use benchmarks that have instructional value Teach students to use test-taking strategies judiciously, especially given the 4-hour time limit Texas Education Agency, 2015

12. Testing Day format Teachers will post time remaining on the board to remind students of the time limit, Please do not send students with snacks, If you send student with lunch, make sure that it does not have to be microwaved, Students can request to go to bathroom on their own, but time counts against 4 hours, Students will read books when done. Texas Education Agency, 2015

13. Testing Dates March 30 th - 4 th and 5 th grade Writing and Math March 31th- 4 th and 5 th Writing and Reading April 21 st - 3 rd and 4 th Math April 24 th - Make- up day May 12 th - 5 th grade reading retest June 23 rd - 5 th grade reading retest

14. How Can Parents Help? Make sure that students read at least 30 minutes daily! Read with your children! Get plenty of sleep. A tired child cannot stay focused for hours on end. Make sure that your child does their homework and they show their work/use their strategies on all work. Eat a healthy breakfast. Communicate with your child’s teacher! Celebrate when the testing is complete and again when you get the scores.

15. Parent Resources Overview of STAAR: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/ Parent Resources: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/parents/ http://www.texassuccess.org Think Through Math and IStation Reading