STAR Types and Purpose 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the acronym STAR stand for in the context of California's testing program?
- Standardized Testing and Reporting (Correct answer)
- State Testing and Academic Review
- Student Testing and Achievement Results
- Standards-Based Testing and Rating
Correct answer: Standardized Testing and Reporting
STAR stands for Standardized Testing and Reporting, reflecting its dual role in measuring and communicating student performance.
Question 2: Which subject areas were assessed by the California Standards Tests (CST) at the elementary level?
- English Language Arts and Mathematics only
- English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and History–Social Science (Correct answer)
- Science and History–Social Science only
- English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Physical Education
Correct 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.
Question 3: How did the STAR program use the concept of 'Adequate Yearly Progress' (AYP)?
- AYP was reported on individual student report cards
- AYP determined whether schools met federal NCLB accountability targets based partly on STAR data (Correct answer)
- AYP set the passing score for CAHSEE
- AYP ranked districts by total testing participation
Correct 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.
Question 4: A student scoring in the 'Proficient' band on a CST has demonstrated:
- Minimal understanding of grade-level standards
- Partial mastery of standards with support needed
- Solid understanding of grade-level academic content standards (Correct answer)
- Exceptional mastery exceeding grade-level expectations
Correct answer: Solid understanding of grade-level academic content standards
Proficient indicates solid academic performance and a good understanding of the grade-level content standards.
Question 5: Which type of STAR test provided information about a student's performance relative to other test-takers nationwide?
- California Standards Test (CST)
- California Modified Assessment (CMA)
- Stanford Achievement Test Series (Correct answer)
- California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
Correct answer: Stanford Achievement Test Series
The Stanford Achievement Test Series is a norm-referenced instrument that compares individual scores to a national norming sample.
Question 6: Why were STAR tests considered 'summative' assessments?
- They were given at the start of the year to guide instruction
- They were administered at the end of the school year to evaluate overall learning (Correct answer)
- They were continuous assessments embedded in daily lessons
- They replaced teacher-assigned end-of-unit tests
Correct 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.
Question 7: In the STAR framework, criterion-referenced tests like the CST measure student performance against:
- The average score of all students in the district
- A fixed set of grade-level content standards (Correct answer)
- The student's own prior-year score
- National percentile rankings
Correct answer: A fixed set of grade-level content standards
Criterion-referenced tests compare performance to defined learning standards, not to other students' scores.
STAR Types and Purpose 3
What does the acronym STAR stand for in the context of California's testing program?