CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program Bilingual Coordinators Network Meeting Update Dianna Gutiérrez Bilingual Education Consultant November 20, 2008

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 2 Purpose of the STAR Program Provide standardized testing and test reports for all students, schools, districts, and counties Provide schools and districts with information that can be used with other achievement data to make decisions about improving instructional programs Provide information to community members and government officials about the effectiveness of California’s education system

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 3 Students To Be Tested All students in grades two through eleven, including English learners and students with disabilities, enrolled on the first day of STAR testing are required to take these tests. ELs are required to complete a STAR test in English and in addition, eligible Spanish-speaking ELs are required to take a designated primary language test (DPLT) Only students with written parent/guardian requests submitted to the school may be exempted from testing (Education Code Section 60615).

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 4 Test Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications All students may be provided with test variations if regularly used in the classroom Eligible students are permitted to test with accommodations and/or modifications if specified in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan Matrices of Test Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications are available on the CDE Web site at

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 5 Test Variations for English Learners ELs may be provided with additional testing variations if regularly used in the classroom, such as: Test directions translated into the student’s primary language Additional supervised breaks May be tested separately with other ELs Access to translation glossaries/word lists (They cannot include definitions or formulas)

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 6 New for 2009 CAT/6 will no longer be administered CMA now in grades three through eight STS now in grades two through eleven Aprenda 3 will no longer be administered Test results by performance levels will be available for STS [grades two through four] and CMA [grades three through five] Interested applicants are still needed for STS standard setting meetings

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 7 Program Components The STAR Program has four components: -California Standards Tests (CST) -California Modified Assessment (CMA) -California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) -Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS)

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 8 Current Testing Windows CST, CMA, CAPA, and STS - 21-day window comprised of 10 days before after the day on which 85% of all instructional days for the year are completed Writing CMA and CSTs (grades four and seven): March 3 or May 5

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 9 Standards-Based Tests in Spanish (STS) In 2009, the STS will test students in: Required for Spanish-speaking English learners who either: –Receive instruction in their primary language; or –Have been enrolled in a school in the U.S. less than 12 months At the option of the school district, the STS may also be given to any other Spanish-speaking English learner GradesContent Areas Two through elevenReading/language Arts Two through sevenMathematics Seven through elevenAlgebra 1 and Geometry (end-of-course tests)

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 10 STS (cont.) STS is developed in the same manner as the California Standards Tests (CSTs): Development process meets criteria described in Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Items reviewed for alignment to content standards, difficulty, bias and sensitivity, and use of Spanish language. Training of item writers and development of test specifications mirrors CST

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 11 STS (cont.) Assessment Review Panels consist of: Bilingual and biliterate members with mathematics or reading/language arts expertise; Some members serve on both the STS and CST panels to ensure consistency and rigor; and Members who can assist in analyzing content standards Interested applicants are still needed.

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 12 California Modified Assessment (CMA) NCLB Act of 2001 allows states to develop a modified assessment CMA assesses students with IEPs who meet CMA participation criteria approved by the State Board of Education CMA participation criteria are available on the CDE Web site at sp

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 13 CMA (cont.) Modifications are built into the CMA during the development of the test Differences between the CSTs and the CMA include:  Shortened passage length  More graphics  Fewer answer choices (3 compared to 4 on CSTs)  Larger font size  Additional white space Tests are not developed and operational at all grades.

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 14 CMA (cont.) In 2009, the CMA will test students in: IEPs must document which subject areas will be assessed by the CMA and must be revised annually to include CMA participation GradesContent Areas Three through eightEnglish-language Arts Four and sevenWriting Three through sevenMathematics Five and eightScience

JACK O’CONNELL State Superintendent of Public Instruction 15 Contact Information CDE STAR Unit: Telephone: Fax: STAR Information: