A parent’s guide to Star Assessments
Q: What are Star Assessments?
A: Star Assessments are short tests that provide teachers with learning data. Star tests are computer adaptive, which means they adjust to each answer your child provides. This helps teachers get the best data to help your child in the shortest amount of testing time (about one-third of the time other tests take).
Your child may take a Star test for early literacy, math, reading, or other subjects of their teacher’s choice.
Q: What do teachers do with Star Assessments?
A: Teachers analyze the data they get from Star Assessments to learn what students already know and what they are ready to learn next, to monitor student growth, and to determine which students may need additional help. Star Assessments are heavily researched and scientifically proven to help teachers guide each student on his or her unique path to mastery.
Q: What do Star Assessments do for my child?
A: By pinpointing exactly what your child knows, teachers can personalize your child’s practice to keep them growing. Plus, short test times ensure your child spends more time learning and less time testing.
Q: Can we use Star Assessments at home?
A: No, Star Assessments are only used at school by teachers to gain insight to guide instruction. However, your child’s teacher may send home reports of your child’s Star results and growth.
Q: How can I help my child with their Star Assessments?
A: The best way to help your child with Star Assessments is to help them understand why they are taking the test: So their teacher knows exactly how to help them learn! For anxious children, it may be important to tell them that they cannot fail a Star test—as long as they do their best, the data generated from the test will help their teacher teach them more great things!
Q: Where do I go if I have questions?
A: Your child’s teacher is the best source of additional information about your child’s progress with Star Assessments. Renaissance is committed to protecting student privacy and will not share data with anyone outside your child’s authorized school staff.
Star Assessments’ Parent Reports
Here are some samples of the parent reports available in Star Assessments. Use these reports to share progress with parents during parent-teacher conferences.