2004 STAR Apportionment
The 2004 STAR Apportionment Information Reports were mailed to school district superintendents and independent charter school administrators the week of October 11. Superintendents and independent charter school administrators must certify and return the reports before the California Department of Education (CDE) can process the district or charter school’s apportionment. If the district or charter school has not returned all 2004 testing materials, CDE may request that the superintendent or charter school administrator investigate and report why all materials were not returned before releasing the apportionment funds.
Designation of 2004-05 District STAR Coordinator
The “Superintendent’s Designation of District STAR Coordinator 2004-05 School Year” forms were due to the STAR Technical Assistance Center (STAR TAC) by September 30. “Charter School Testing Program Designation, 2004-05 School Year” forms were also due to the STAR TAC by September 30. The school district or charter school will be unable to order STAR testing materials for spring 2005 until the form is returned. Please call STAR TAC at (800) 955-2954 to verify if the school district/charter school’s form was returned or to request a form to complete and return.
Ordering 2004-05 Testing Materials
School districts received information and forms for ordering SABE/2 materials for spring 2005 testing the first week of October. SABE/2 orders are due to CTB/McGraw-Hill (CTB) by November 12. Do not place an order for SABE/2 materials unless the school district currently has Spanish-speaking English learners who will be taking the SABE/2. The school district may place an order later if new students enroll who are to be tested.
ETS will send the designated district STAR coordinator information for ordering California Standards Test (CST), CAT/6 Survey (grades three and seven only), and CAPA materials during late October. District STAR coordinators will again use the STAR Management System Ordering Module to place orders. This module will calculate the 21-day testing window for each test administration within the school district. District STAR coordinators will enter the first and last day of school and all noninstructional weekdays into the system to have the testing window(s) calculated. CST, CAT/6 Survey, and CAPA orders will be due by December 1.
End-of-Course Math and Science Tests
CDE continues to receive many calls about what end-of-course
math and science tests students should take. Except for the California
General Mathematics and Summative High School Mathematics Standards
Tests, students are to take a math or science test only for the
course they complete during the school year. The school year is
defined as the period from the end of the 2004 summer session/intersession
and the end of the 2004- 05 school year. If students are taking
a multiyear math course, (i.e. a two or three-year Algebra I course),
the end-of-course test is to be taken only during the last semester
of the
course (end of year two or year three).
Mathematics
- A current ninth grade student who took the General Mathematics Standards Test as an eighth grader and will not complete an Algebra I or Integrated Mathematics 1 course during ninth grade is required to retake the General Mathematics Standards Test.
- A student who completed Algebra II or Integrated Mathematics 3 in eighth or ninth grade and took the Summative High School Mathematics Standards Test the following year will continue to take the Summative High School Mathematics Test every year through grade eleven.
- A student was completing a course, took the appropriate test, subsequently failed the course, and is retaking the course during the 2004-05 school year.
Science
- A student completed a science course and took the appropriate science standards test. The student will complete an Advanced Placement course in the same discipline during the 2004-05 school year. The student is required to retake the test.
- A student completed a science course and took the appropriate science standards test, (i.e., biology). The student will complete a related more specific course during the 2004-05 school year that is aligned with the biology content standards, (i.e., physiology). The student may retake the biology test.
- A student was completing a course, took the appropriate test, subsequently failed the course, and is retaking the course during the 2004-05 school year.
Grade 4 and 7 Writing Tests
The State Board of Education (SBE) discussed the possibility of suspending scoring of the grade 4 and 7 writing tests for spring 2005. After the discussion, funding became available to score the tests. Therefore, the writing tests will be administered on March 1 and 2 or April 26 and 27 as originally scheduled.
There are no performance levels or passing scores for the writing tests. These tests are one of six reporting clusters for the grade 4 and 7 California English-Language Arts Standards Tests, and they contribute eight points to the 83 point tests (75 multiple-choice questions plus a possible 8 points for the writing cluster). Like all reporting clusters, no comparisons should be made between the reporting cluster scores from year-to-year. While the total tests are equated and the scaled scores control for differences in the difficulty level of the tests from year-to-year, there is no equating for the reporting clusters. Changes in reporting cluster scores from year-to-year may result from differences in the difficulty of the reporting cluster questions or the type of writing rather than from changes in student achievement.
A writing task force met on October 28 and 29 and began discussion on improving the writing assessments. The discussion focused on the writing tests that will be administered during spring 2006. Information about any new formats will be included in updates as information becomes available.
The California Report for Teachers
School districts will receive packages containing The California Report for Teachers for 2004 to forward to schools during December. The reports prepared for individual teachers will be in sealed envelopes and are to be delivered to and opened only by the addressee. If a teacher is no longer at a school, principals/administrators are asked to return the envelope to the district STAR coordinator. If the teacher is still employed by the school district, the envelope may be forwarded to the teacher’s new location. If the teacher has retired or left the school district, the report should be destroyed.
Early Assessment Program (EAP) Results of Readiness for College English and Mathematics
Districts have received the 2004 EAP results for current seniors. The reports are to be given to the students. The EAP labels may be placed in the college test section of students’ cumulative records.
The 2004 results for students who are admitted to a CSU campus for fall 2005 will be forwarded to the CSU System during January 2005. A new state law provision, effective January 1, 2005, allows students to authorize releasing test results to postsecondary educational institutions. This means that students who complete the optional EAP English-language arts and/or mathematics questions will be able to authorize having the EAP results forwarded to the CSU System.
Grade eleven students will be able to mark their 2006 answer documents to authorize ETS to forward their EAP results to the CSU System.
All juniors are eligible to complete the 2005 EAP for English. Juniors who will be taking the California Algebra II or Summative High School Mathematics Standards Tests are eligible to complete the 2005 EAP for mathematics. Juniors who will complete an Integrated Mathematics 3 course at the end of the 2004-05 school year are not eligible to participate in the EAP for mathematics. The multiple-choice portions of the EAP will be administered during the 21-day STAR Program testing window. Districts will receive information about administering the essay portion of the EAP for English in a future update.
Below-Level Testing
The CDE is expecting to receive information related to below-level testing from the United States Department of Education (USDE) by late November. The USDE has indicated that the state may not be allowed to count students tested below-level as participating when No Child Left Behind (NCLB) participation rates are calculated. CDE will send updated information to district STAR coordinators as soon as it is available. When placing orders for 2004-05 testing materials, district STAR coordinators should expect that the district and school overages will include sufficient quantities of test materials to cover below-level testing. If additional materials are required for any school, coordinators will be able to place supplemental orders during January.
2005 Golden State Seal Merit Diploma
CDE provided school districts with a packet of information and forms to help schools identify seniors who will qualify to receive the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and to order diploma insignias for eligible 2005 graduates. Since all tests used to qualify for the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma are administered prior to senior year, schools currently have all test results needed to identify eligible students. Counselors or other staff members are to determine student eligibility using specified results from designated California Standards Tests administered from 2002-04 and, if needed, results from Golden State Examinations (GSEs) taken through spring 2003. The packet was mailed to school district superintendents/charter school administrators and e-mailed to district STAR coordinators earlier this month. It is also available on the CDE Web site.
