STARR test

[loveandcoffee]

Originally Posted by Waterdragon8212

Just as an aside, many, many moons ago, in the 7th grade, I "failed" the writing portion of whatever they called the STARR back in the day despite being an honors/AP student who had won a number of writing competitions. The prompt was "write about playing a game or playing an instrument" and they failed me for being "off topic of the prompt" despite writing about playing an instrument - one which they clearly had never heard of, lol. The stupid guidance counselor tried to make me take a remedial writing course concurrent with my honors English class (which I was acing) and my parents had to get involved in order to get it waived. It was a whole ordeal.

I know the reading portion is typically configured differently (i.e. not free response), but thought I would share my own experience with standardized testing just to say that the test results are not always an indicator of an actual problem . Plus, despite the fact that these tests are supposed to be "easy" for kids who do well in school, even smart kids can have a bad day where they inadvertently skip a question part of the way through and all of the rest of the answers are off as a result.

That happened to me also. I failed the writing portion in 4th grade, the same year I won 3rd place in an essay contest sponsored by Lone Star Gas. Fortunately, my school didn't make a big deal of it and I even earned a commended score on the writing portion in high school. I went on to make a 4 on my AP English exams and have a high enough verbal SAT score that I was able to get out of taking English in college completely. The other STAAR tests were very easy for me because I was in TAG/GT classes, but I've seen how it can impact even those kids if they don't test well. I've always hated STAAR and the insistence on it impacting promotion and this whole thread is exactly why. If your son generally does well in classes and does well on aptitude tests like ITBS and COGAT, he'll be absolutely fine.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by LarryTX

7th grade son is sraight A report card in reading all year this year and last year. NJHS member

2018 STARR reading result says “almost meets standard”

uhhh wtf over

I'm probably and outlier on this kind of stuff so keep that in mind. But I'd not brush this off. Given what you've said it seems most likely your boy had a bad day.


A). Bad Day
1. Was it a bad day due to maybe a stomach ache, hay fever, didn't sleep well etc.
2. Was it a bad day because that particular test more than earlier tests vis a vis reading examines kid's ability to infer information from statements and implications and the old read two concepts and derive a third kind of thing?

I'd pay attention going forward.
1). I would ask his teacher for comment. I'd be looking for something more than pat answers.
2). I would see about other testing that might help understand if this was a one off fluke or if it might indicate an issue.


Good luck.

[LarryTX]

thanks for the feedback

[RemyLebeau]

The STARR test is a joke in that kids can't graduate without pass it, no matter their actual in school grades.

I grew up taking the CAT test (California Achievement Test) and the sole purpose was to help determine what type of class you should be put in the next year. For example, if a student tested high in English and history then they should be placed in a more advanced, faster learning class (if possible). If a student tested low in say math, then maybe place them into a slower more remedial type of class. It literally had nothing to do with kids graduating, just trying to figure out the students strength and weakness and adjusting their learning speed.

All the STARR test does is demand the teacher teach what the state wants taught. Sounds fine on the surface but the state is bought and sold by certain special interest groups, especially in history.

My daughter was like your child, A and B student but every time the STARR test came around, it's "importance" was so rammed down her throat by the school that she hated going to school those days and would freeze up on test days.

I mean, my daughter graduated from high school being fluent in Spanish, Mandarin and French as well as having a high GPA. The languages she learned in school, something I pushed on her. It's a global world and it's never a mistake to learn different languages. I would have preferred her to learn German over French (only due to the business world) but I was overruled.

She "barely" passed the STARR test because of the pressure.

Until the STARR test is used for student placement only, it's a joke akin to putting a band aid to repair a leaking damn.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by RemyLebeau

The STARR test is a joke in that kids can't graduate without pass it, no matter their actual in school grades.

I grew up taking the CAT test (California Achievement Test) and the sole purpose was to help determine what type of class you should be put in the next year. For example, if a student tested high in English and history then they should be placed in a more advanced, faster learning class (if possible). If a student tested low in say math, then maybe place them into a slower more remedial type of class. It literally had nothing to do with kids graduating, just trying to figure out the students strength and weakness and adjusting their learning speed.

All the STARR test does is demand the teacher teach what the state wants taught. Sounds fine on the surface but the state is bought and sold by certain special interest groups, especially in history.

My daughter was like your child, A and B student but every time the STARR test came around, it's "importance" was so rammed down her throat by the school that she hated going to school those days and would freeze up on test days.

I mean, my daughter graduated from high school being fluent in Spanish, Mandarin and French as well as having a high GPA. The languages she learned in school, something I pushed on her. It's a global world and it's never a mistake to learn different languages. I would have preferred her to learn German over French (only due to the business world) but I was overruled.

She "barely" passed the STARR test because of the pressure.

Until the STARR test is used for student placement only, it's a joke akin to putting a band aid to repair a leaking damn.

I disagree. We need broad based testing so that we know where kids are relative to each other.