The 2013 STAR Program
(This program is being replaced in 2014. See update here.)
The 2013 STAR Program testing and makeup dates for our district are listed below:
Testing Dates: Makeup Dates:
Grades 2-8: May 6-13 May 14-17
Grades 9-11: April 22-29 April 30 – May 3
The tests of the STAR Program are an important part of the state and federal assessment and accountability systems. These achievement tests target English–language arts and mathematics in grades two through eleven. In addition, tests targeting science and history–social science are given in selected grades. The STAR tests are administered each spring to measure how well students in California’s public schools are achieving the California content standards, adopted by the State Board of Education, that describe what all students in California public schools should know and be able to do in particular subjects at different grade levels.
Educating students is a team effort. Families, guardians, students, schools, and communities benefit when there is a shared responsibility for learning. To fully participate as a part of this team, answers to commonly asked questions about the 2013 STAR Program are provided below.
STAR 2013 Letter to Parents Elem/Middle Schools
STAR 2013 Carta para los Padres de Familia con Estudiantes en Primaria/Secundaria – español
Who participates in the STAR Program?
All students in grades two through eleven in California’s public schools, including students with disabilities and students who are English learners, participate in the STAR Program each spring.
What are the tests of the 2012 STAR Program?
- California Standards Tests (CSTs), which measure students’ achievement of the content standards for English–language arts, mathematics, science, and history–social science. These tests are given in grades two through eleven.
- California Modified Assessment (CMA), which measures students’ achievement of the content standards for English–language arts, mathematics, and science. In 2012, this assessment will be given to students with an individualized education program (IEP) in grades three through eleven who meet the eligibility criteria approved by the State Board of Education.
- California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), which measures students’ achievement of the content standards for English–language arts, mathematics, and science. This assessment is given to students in grades two through eleven who have an IEP and significant cognitive disabilities and are unable to take the CSTs or CMA with accommodations or the CSTs with modifications.
- Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS), which measure students’ achievement of content standards for English–language arts that address reading/language arts and content standards for mathematics. These
assessments are given in Spanish to Spanish-speaking English learners in grades two through eleven.
The STAR testing elements are outlined by grade level in the “At a Glance” tables on the bottom of this webpage.
Must all students participate in STAR Program testing?
Yes. All students must participate unless their families or guardians have submitted to the school a written request to exempt their child from STAR Program testing (Education Code Section 60615). It is highly important that all students take part in the STAR Program. Each school district and school must have at least 95 percent of its students participate in statewide assessments in order to meet federal accountability requirements.
When will parents receive test results?
Most families and guardians will receive their child’s STAR Student Report, which contains their child’s test results, by the end of September. Note that your test results are confidential and are maintained only by the school district.
What information the STAR Student Report include?
The STAR Student Report for the CSTs will show scores and performance levels for each subject on which he or she was tested. It will include scores for the specific content areas within each subject tested as well as a California Reading List (CRL) number. The CRL number, which is based on the CST for English–Language Arts, can be used to access a list of books by reading level. The list is available on the California Department of Education (CDE) California Reading List Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/readinglist.asp.
The STAR Student Report for the CMA for 2012 will show scale scores and performance levels for English–language arts in grades three through nine, for mathematics in grades three through seven, for Algebra I, and for science in grades five, eight, and ten. The STAR Student Report will show percent correct scores for English–language arts for students in grades ten and eleven and for geometry.
The STAR Student Report for the CAPA will show scores and performance levels for English–language arts and mathematics if he or she is in CAPA Level I, II, III, IV, or V and for science if he or she is in grade five, eight, or ten and in Level I, III, IV, or V.
The STAR Student Report for the STS will show scores and performance levels for reading/language arts and mathematics in grades two through seven (except students taking Algebra in grade seven). It will show percent correct scores for reading/language arts in grades eight through eleven and for Algebra I and Geometry in grades seven through eleven. The STAR Student Report for the STS is provided in Spanish.
What are the performance levels?
The five performance levels are: advanced; proficient; basic; below basic; and far below basic. Performance levels of proficient or advanced on the STAR Student Report indicate if a child is meeting or surpassing the state’s target for academic achievement. Performance levels of basic, below basic, or far below basic indicate areas of learning that need improvement. An explanation about all of the information included will accompany the report.
For More Information
If parents have more questions about California’s content standards or the STAR Program tests, please direct them to their child’s teacher, counselor, or school office. You also can find answers to questions about the STAR Program on the CDE STAR Program Resources Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/resources.asp.
The content standards are available on the CDE Content Standards Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/.
Sample Tests Questions are available at: http://starsamplequestions.org/
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STAR 2013 Program at a Glance:
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Middle School—Grades Six Through Eight
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CSTs |
CMA |
CAPA |
STS |
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| Name | California Standards Tests | California Modified Assessment | California Alternate Performance Assessment | Standards-based Tests in Spanish |
| StudentsTested | Students in grades six through eight | Students in grades six through eight with an individualized education program (IEP) who meet the CMA eligibility criteria approved by the State Board of EducationIEP must specify content areas of CMA participation | Students in grades six through eight with an IEP and significant cognitive disabilities and not able to take the CSTs or CMA with accommodations or the CST with modifications | Students who are Spanish-speaking English learners in grades six through eight who are receiving instruction in Spanish or who have been enrolled in a U.S. school less than 12 months (cumulative)At the option of the school district, schools also may use the STS to test Spanish-speaking English learners who will have been in a United States school 12 months or more (cumulative) and who are not receiving instruction in Spanish |
| Subjects | English–language art Mathematics Science (grade eight) History–social science (grade eight) |
English–language arts Mathematics Science (grade eight) |
English–language arts Mathematics Science (grade eight) |
Reading/language arts Mathematics |
| Language | English | English | English | Spanish |
| Content Focus | California’s content standards | California’s content standards | California’s content standards | California’s content standards |
High School—Grades Nine Through Eleven
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CSTs |
CMA |
CAPA |
STS |
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| Name | California Standards Tests | California Modified Assessment | California Alternate Performance Assessment | Standards-based Test in Spanish |
| Students Tested | Students in grades nine through eleven | Students in grades six through eight with an individualized education program (IEP) who meet the CMA eligibility criteria approved by the State Board of Education< IEP must specify content areas of CMA participation | Students in grades nine through eleven with an IEP and significant cognitive disabilities who are not able to take the CSTs even with accommodations or modifications | Students who are Spanish-speaking English learners in grades nine through eleven who are receiving instruction in Spanish or who have been enrolled in a U.S. school less than 12 months (cumulative)At school district’s option, school also may use STS to test Spanish-speaking English learners who will have been in a United States school 12 months or more (cumulative) and are not receiving instruction in Spanish |
| Subjects | English–language arts Mathematics Science Life Science (grade ten)History–social science |
English–language arts Mathematics Science (grade eight) |
English–language arts Mathematics Science (grade ten) |
Reading/language arts Mathematics |
| Language | English | English | English | Spanish |
| Content Focus | California’s content standards | California’s content standards | California’s content standards | California’s content standards |