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2005 STAR Testing
Contractors for the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program cannot send testing materials to districts, county offices of education, or charter schools testing independently if a 2005 district STAR coordinator has not been designated and/or the designated district STAR coordinator has not returned the required STAR Security Agreement to the contractor. Educational Testing Service (ETS) must receive a signed STAR Security Agreement before shipping California Standards Tests (CSTs), California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey), and California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) materials. CTB/McGraw-Hill must receive a signed STAR Security Agreement before shipping Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2) materials. Charter school administrators are also required to submit a form designating if the school is testing as part of its authorizing agency or as an independent entity. Contact ETS at 800-955-2954 if there are any questions about whether the required district STAR coordinator designation form, charter school designation form, or STAR Security Agreements were submitted. Contact CTB/McGraw Hill at 888-282-0525 if there are any questions about submitting the STAR Security Agreement for SABE/2.
District STAR coordinators are reminded to check the STAR Management System for information about pre-ID deadlines for their district's multiple-choice test administration periods.
2005 STAR Pre-Test Workshops
ETS and CTB/McGraw-Hill held pre-test workshops throughout the state during January and February to familiarize district STAR coordinators with their role in handling STAR materials and in training test site coordinators to conduct testing consistently. ETS workshop materials and information to access a Webcast of a workshop held in San Diego are available at the ETS Web site (Outside Source).
2005 STAR Documents Posted
The following documents are posted at the ETS Web site (Outside Source):
- 2005 STAR District and Test Site Coordinator Manual
- California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) Examiner's Manual
This version has been edited to remove secure information.
- Directions for Administration (DFA) for the California Standards Tests (CSTs), and California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey)
This version of the Grade 2 DFA has been edited to remove secure information.
- Sample CST and CAT/6 Survey answer documents
- CAPA version assignments and the list of manipulatives required for each version
SABE/2 STAR Test Coordinator's Manual
The posted DFAs may be printed and given to test examiners at any time prior to testing. The printed DFAs that will be delivered with the test booklets, and answer documents should be treated as secure documents and distributed and collected with the testing materials each day of testing.
2005 STAR Materials Shipped to Districts
ETS shipped the 2005 Standardized Testing and Reporting District and Test Site Coordinator Manual to district STAR coordinators the first week of February. The shipment included an envelope for the district coordinator that contains an errata sheet and replacement pages for the manual, a copy of the manual, and black line masters of sample questions from the student test booklets to use to make transparencies for teachers who will administer the tests using American Sign Language. The shipment also included manuals to distribute to each STAR test site coordinator in the district.
ETS produced two 2005 STAR videos: one for test examiners and proctors and the second for test site coordinators. The two videos are on a single videocassette. ETS shipped the videos to district STAR coordinators the second week of February. The district coordinator should have received a sufficient number of videos to distribute a copy to each STAR test site coordinator.
2005 and 2006 Grade Four and Seven Writing Test Dates
The spring 2005 writing component of the Grade Four and Seven California English-Language Arts Standards Test was administered on March 1 for all schools, programs, and tracks in session on that date. The test will be administered on April 26 for schools, programs, and tracks not in session on March 1.
During spring 2006, the writing component will be administered on March 7 for all schools, programs, and tracks in session on that date and on May 2 for schools, programs, and tracks not in session on March 7.
Grade 4 and 7 Writing Test Dates
| Year | Date | Make-Up Date |
|---|---|---|
2005 |
March 1 April 26 |
March 2 April 27 |
2006 |
March 7 May 2 |
March 8 May 3 |
Teacher Guide for the 2004 California Writing Standards Tests in Grades Four and Seven
The Teacher Guide for the 2004 California Writing Standards Tests in Grades Four and Seven was posted at the CDE Web site in February. This guide contains the writing prompts administered on the 2004 writing tests, sample student responses illustrating student work at each score point, the scoring rubrics used to score the student responses, and teacher commentaries illustrating how the rubrics were applied by scorers. Teacher guides for California Writing Standards Tests from 2001 through 2003 are posted at the Web site as well.
Released Test Questions
New documents containing the released test questions from the 2004 administration of the California Standards Tests in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science were posted to the STAR Program Web site the end of December. The documents, listed by subject and grade, include both the 2003 and 2004 released test questions, as well as the academic content standards addressed. In addition, the administration year for each question is identified in a table located on the last page of each document. These documents may be accessed on the CDE Web site.
Golden State Seal Merit Diploma
Districts may continue to request Golden State Seal Merit Diploma insignias to place on the diplomas of qualifying seniors graduating in 2005. The California Department of Education will begin mailing requested Golden State Seal Merit Diploma insignias in April. Requests received after April 1 will be processed and mailed in the order they are received. Information about the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, including eligibility requirements and the Insignia Request Form, is posted on the CDE Web site.
More Information
For more information and/or questions regarding the STAR Program, contact CDE at STAR@cde.ca.gov or at 916-445-8765.
