Types and Purpose Flashcards
7 cards from real STAR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Types and Purpose flashcards as text
What does the acronym STAR stand for in the context of California's testing program?
Answer: Standardized Testing and Reporting
STAR stands for Standardized Testing and Reporting, reflecting its dual role in measuring and communicating student performance.
Which subject areas were assessed by the California Standards Tests (CST) at the elementary level?
Answer: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and History–Social Science
CSTs assessed English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and History–Social Science, though not every subject was tested at every grade level.
How did the STAR program use the concept of 'Adequate Yearly Progress' (AYP)?
Answer: AYP determined whether schools met federal NCLB accountability targets based partly on STAR data
AYP was a federal No Child Left Behind requirement, and California used STAR proficiency data to determine whether schools and districts met annual AYP targets.
A student scoring in the 'Proficient' band on a CST has demonstrated:
Answer: Solid understanding of grade-level academic content standards
Proficient indicates solid academic performance and a good understanding of the grade-level content standards.
Which type of STAR test provided information about a student's performance relative to other test-takers nationwide?
Answer: Stanford Achievement Test Series
The Stanford Achievement Test Series is a norm-referenced instrument that compares individual scores to a national norming sample.
Why were STAR tests considered 'summative' assessments?
Answer: They were administered at the end of the school year to evaluate overall learning
Summative assessments evaluate cumulative learning at the end of an instructional period, which STAR tests did by measuring year-end achievement.
In the STAR framework, criterion-referenced tests like the CST measure student performance against:
Answer: A fixed set of grade-level content standards
Criterion-referenced tests compare performance to defined learning standards, not to other students' scores.