Completing 2006 Testing
Public Release of 2006 STAR Results
The 2006 STAR results for schools, school districts, counties, and the state was released to the public on August 15 on the STAR Web site.
Explaining 2006 Internet Reports to the Public Assistance Packet
The STAR Program: Explaining 2006 Internet Reports to the Public packet is posted on the STAR Resources Web page. The purpose of this packet is to provide information and materials for county offices of education, school districts, and schools to use to: (1) access summary results on the Internet and (2) respond to questions from the public as they arise. The packet features an outline of the STAR Program tests taken by students in spring 2006, fact sheets about those tests, an overview of the Internet reports, sample Internet reports, directions for downloading the research files, a glossary of related terms and acronyms, and Web site resources.
Explaining 2006 Test Results to Parents and Guardians Assistance Packet
The STAR Student Reports: Explaining 2006 Test Results to Parents and Guardians assistance packet is posted on the STAR Resources Web page. The packet is designed to help local staffs answer questions parents and guardians may have about the 2006 STAR Program and their students’ results. Assistance provided includes general information about tests in the STAR Program, newsletter inserts, sample principal letters, and parent/guardian brochures. Spanish versions for most of the materials provided in English will be posted, when they are completed.
2006 Reports
School districts should have received all 2006 summary reports and STAR Student Reports by August 8. Please notify the district’s STAR Technical Assistance Center (STAR TAC) representative by September 8, if any district or school reports are missing. You may contact STAR TAC at 800-955-2954 or by e-mail at star@ets.org. District STAR coordinators are responsible for mailing the color copies of the STAR Student Reports to parents or guardians within 20 working days from date of delivery to the district. District coordinators are to forward the school boxes to the schools immediately or as soon as staff is available at the schools to receive the reports. School districts will receive the California Reports for Teachers during late September or early October.
2006 Post-Test Guide
The 2006 Post-Test Guide Technical Information for Star District and Test Site Coordinators and Research Specialists (2006 Post-Test Guide) provides information to STAR coordinators on how to interpret and communicate STAR results. The guide will be posted in the document library on the STAR Test Web site (Outside Source) by August 14. The guide will also be distributed at the post-test workshops being held in various locations throughout the state in August and September. A post-test Web cast will also be held on August 30. Information on workshops and Web casts is available on the STAR Test Web site (Outside Source).
2006 STAR Student Data File Layout Posted
The 2006 STAR Student Data File Layout is available in the document library on the STAR Test Web site (Outside Source).
Request for Verification of 2006 Test Scores
Parents or guardians may request the hand-scoring of their student’s multiple-choice tests and/or the rescoring of the writing component of the Grade 4 or Grade 7 California English-Language Arts Standards Test. Educational Testing Service (ETS) must receive any hand-scoring/rescoring requests by October 13. Information about the process and costs for requesting a rescore of 2006 test scores is available in the 2006 Post-Test Guide.
2006 Optional Demographic Data Corrections
School districts have the option of correcting student demographic data for the spring 2006 California Standards Tests and California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CST–CAT/6 Survey) and California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). Information about the process and charges for doing data corrections is included in the 2006 Post-Test Guide. District STAR coordinators must submit the data correction request form to ETS by October 13, and all corrections must be submitted to ETS by October 31. For questions about the effect of data corrections on Academic Performance Index (API) or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations, contact the CDE’s Academic Accountability Unit (AAU), at 916-319-0863. Information about correctable and non-correctable data will be sent in an e-mail from AAU to county and district accountability coordinators in late August.
CST Results Used for Golden State Seal Merit Diploma
District STAR coordinators are reminded that CST results are used to identify eligible pupils for the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and that state law requires school districts to identify students who are eligible to receive the diploma; order diploma insignias; and affix the insignias to students’ high school diplomas. Information about the requirements and forms to collect eligibility information and order insignias are available on the STAR Web page. Please share this information with principals, administrators, counselors, and credit clerks at schools awarding high school diplomas and staff in district curriculum offices.
Planning for 2007
2007 Designation Forms and STAR Management System
The Superintendent’s Designation of District STAR Coordinator 2006-07 School Year form is due to STAR TAC by September 22. The Charter School STAR Program Designation 2006-07 School Year form is also due to STAR TAC by September 22. The 2007 Test Administration Setup module of the STAR Management System is now available. This module allows district STAR coordinators to establish and finalize spring 2007 testing schedules. District STAR coordinators may access the 2007 Test Administration Setup module only if STAR TAC has received the applicable designation form and 2007 STAR Test (including field tests) Security Agreement for District and Test Site Coordinators. The forms are posted on the STAR Testing Web site (Outside Source). Coordinators will not be able to order testing materials until they have set up the spring 2007 test administration periods, and STAR TAC has verified the administration periods. Questions about the STAR Management System may be directed to STAR TAC.
Grade Two Testing Continues
All students in grade two are required to take the applicable STAR tests during spring 2007. The change in the STAR Program law that eliminated grade two testing will not go into effect until the 2007-08 school year. Watch for updates on grade two testing requirements.
Testing Spanish-speaking English Learners
Spanish-speaking English learners enrolled in grades two through eleven who either receive instruction in Spanish or have been in school in the United States fewer than 12 months at the time of testing will be required to take the Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS) or the Aprenda 3 in addition to taking the CST and CAT/6 Survey (grades 3 and 7 only). In spring 2007, the STS will be administered to these students in grades 2, 3, and 4 and the Aprenda 3 will be administered to these students in grades 5 through 11.
Spanish-speaking English Learners (see criteria above)
Tests to be Taken in 2007
CSTs and STS
- Grade 2
- Grade 3*
- Grade 4
CSTs and Aprenda 3
- Grade 5
- Grade 6
- Grade 7*
- Grade 8
- Grade 9
- Grade 10
- Grade 11
* Grades 3 and 7 take the CAT/6 Survey also
- STS in Grades 2, 3, and 4
The STS is ordered from ETS through the STAR Ordering module of the STAR Management System. The STS for grades 2, 3, and 4 are being field tested during September 2006 and will be operational during spring 2007. These tests are standards-based tests (not designated primary language tests like the Aprenda 3) and must be administered during the 21-day window for the standards-based tests within the STAR Program. During the 21-day window, school districts are to administer CSTs, CAT/6 Survey, STS (grades 2, 3, and 4), and CAPA. District STAR coordinators may schedule the STS before or after the CSTs.
- Aprenda 3 in Grades 5 – 11
The Aprenda 3 is ordered through the Harcourt Customer Support Center. The Aprenda 3 is the current designated primary language test for the STAR Program. The 2007 window for administering the Aprenda 3 is from March 15 through May 14. It is recommended that district STAR coordinators schedule a five to ten day period to administer the Aprenda 3. School districts that complete Aprenda 3 testing after May 7 may administer make-up tests between May 15 and May 25.
Algebra I CST Available for Grade 7
Beginning in spring 2007, students in grade seven who will complete an algebra I course that meets the high school algebra graduation requirement may take the end-of-course California Algebra I Standards Test. These are students who will go on to take geometry or algebra II in grade eight. Students who completed algebra I in grade six who are taking geometry or algebra II in grade seven may also take the California Algebra I Standards Test.
Testing Students in Nonpublic Nonsectarian Schools
District STAR coordinators are responsible for ensuring that all students enrolled in a nonpublic nonsectarian school (NPS) based on individualized education program (IEP) team recommendations who are in grades two through eleven, or between the ages of seven and sixteen if they are in ungraded programs, are tested and that an answer document is submitted with the district’s scorable materials. There are two major changes related to this requirement that affect the spring 2007 test administration:
- A change in California Education Code Section 56366(a)(8)(B) specifies that beginning with the 2006-07 school year testing cycle, each NPS shall determine its STAR testing period and notify the district of residence of a pupil enrolled in the school of its testing period. The district of residence shall order testing materials for its pupils that have been placed in the NPS. This means that district STAR coordinators need to obtain the testing period dates for every NPS in which the district has enrolled students and to set up test administration periods in the Test Administration Setup module of the STAR Management System that comply with the testing periods for these schools. District STAR coordinators continue to be responsible for ordering all materials, sending them to each NPS receiving the materials back from the schools, and submitting the scorable documents under School and Grade Identification (SGID) sheets with a school code of 0000001 in Box 1 of the district’s scorable materials.
- Each NPS has been assigned a unique school code. The school code for the NPS in which each student is enrolled must be entered on student answer documents.
Use of 0000001 School Code
District STAR coordinators are reminded that the 0000001 school code is to be used only to order materials for a NPS and to submit the answer documents for students enrolled in these schools for scoring.
Statewide Student Identifiers (SSID)
A Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) is required for all students. Local educational agencies must acquire new SSIDs for new students and maintain SSIDs for all existing students. School districts are responsible for obtaining SSIDs for all students in the district, including students assigned to a NPS based on IEP team recommendations and students receiving their core instruction at a district school under the supervision of the district. County Office of Education and State Special Schools are responsible for obtaining and maintaining SSIDs for students who receive their core instruction under the supervision of a County Office School or State Special School.
Required Fields for STAR Pre-ID
Information that school districts are required to provide for all students in either pre-ID files or on student answer documents is specified in California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 861. There is no information collected through pre-ID files or on answer documents that is not required to comply with the Title 5 regulations. There will be a STAR 2007 Pre-ID Web cast on November 8. Information on workshops and Web casts is available on the ETS Web site (Outside Source).
The data provided in the STAR 2007 pre-ID file will be edited and data error reports will be sent notifying the district of the option of correcting the file before the pre-ID cut-off date or hand-gridding the information on the answer documents. The pre-ID files will be processed with minimal information that includes school, district, grade, and student name if ETS is notified by the district that missing information will be hand gridded. Please see the Demographic Fields to be Gridded on Answer Documents form and the terms and conditions specified in the Pre-ID Instructions for Spring 2007 Administration to be posted in August on the ETS Web site (Outside Source). Data files will again be edited for completeness of all data necessary for accurate subgroup reporting at the time when student answer documents are processed for scoring. If all necessary data are not complete at that time, scoring will be delayed and school districts will have a portion of their STAR apportionment funding withheld to complete the missing data. CDE will withhold $1.25 from the district apportionment for each student for whom the test contractor has to request the following missing data for the CST answer document or CAPA answer document.
- Primary Ethnicity
- CBEDS Enrollment—school
- CBEDS Enrollment—district
- Student’s English Proficiency
- Primary Disability Code (enter ‘000’ for students with no disability)
- National School Lunch Program
The funds withheld will be paid to the contractor to process the 2007 corrected data a second time in order to produce and report test results for the district. After receiving the 2007 test result reports, optional demographic data corrections may be requested by school districts at their expense for use for API or AYP purposes. This is a separate process from the missing demographic data process detailed above.
