Making your Students STAARs - A Guide to Preparing for STAAR Assessments
Making your Students STAARs - A Guide to Preparing for STAAR Assessments
Check out the most updated version of this post here!
The STAAR provides a testing program which “emphasizes ‘readiness’ standards,” making it an even more rigorous test than the TAKS test that I took as a student. Because of this, standardized testing season is a stressful time. Whether you're a teacher or a parent, we want to be sure that you feel confident as you prepare your students or children for these assessments. We've compiled the best resources we could get a hold of to help answer any questions you have as you're getting ready.
Testing Materials from the Texas Education Agency
Check out a compiled list of dates for the STAAR assessments.
Assessment Resources for Teachers and Administrators
This link is a go-to page for any teachers and administrators needing additional resources. It features details on test security, administration manuals and materials, and much more.
Use and review these tests with your students. These tests will ensure that students know what types of questions to expect on the assessment. The answer keys are provided as well.
What’s expected of students? Learn how the STAAR performance standards relate to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Know what the numbers mean and how to measure the success of your students? These conversion tables will help you with that!
This document can answer the majority of the questions you may have. Read through it, print it out, and keep it handy.
Tips and Tricks for Success
It’s safe to say that testing means something a little different to everybody. For teachers and administrators, testing procedures and academic understanding come first. For parents and students, trying to calm those testing nerves might be priority number one. In any case, we’ve organized testing tips and tricks for the many different groups who have testing on the brain.
For District Administrators
Check out our 8 Last-Minute Steps Districts can Take to Improve Test Scores.
For Principals and Teachers
Check out our 10 Classroom and School Tips to Improve Test Scores.
For Parents
Send home a test-taking checklist for parents and students to review together, so that come test day, learners feel ready to do their best. Grab one for elementary or secondary students.
For Students
Supporting students through test season often means helping them manage the stress associated with this time of year. Dig into our 6 Tips for Teachers to Help Students Manage Stress.
Practice That Ensures Students Are STAAR Ready
There is something unique about testing of any kind that requires students to recall information they’ve previously learned and apply it to answer the question at hand. If your students don’t have experience with this—whether it’s through low-stakes formative assessment or high-stakes summative tests—they may struggle on test day.
Fortunately, with sustained and regular practice, your students will grow familiar retrieving information and similarly be able to show you what they know by way of assessment so that you can adjust instruction up until test day. Check out the following resources to get started.
5 Proven Ways to Get the Most Out of Practice Testing
The old adage “practice makes perfect” is a familiar turn of phrase for a reason. Ensure that you’re getting the most out of every minute your students are spending on practice testing.
3 Ways Online Practice Can Support Your Test Prep Program
As you are considering different options to ensure that your students have achieved standards proficiency, it’s critical that you have a program that’s aligned to the Texas standards, including College- and Career-Ready Standards, Academic Standards and Performance Indicators (science), and Academic Standards (social studies). Consider this and other benefits of using an online program.
Start your FREE trial of Study Island
Study Island content is built from the TEKS and aligned to the STAAR. A recent study, validated by Marzano Research, confirms that when students spend just 30 minutes a week practicing in Study Island, they achieve significant academic gains. Check out the programs offered in Texas.
As a student, I always dreaded testing and I think it's safe to say my peers did too. No matter how hard or long we prepared for the exams, we always felt like we were going into them blind, unsure of what to expect. At Edmentum, we’re hoping to change this experience for students and teachers.
