District Implications for STAAR

1. District Implications for STAAR Searching for STAAR Answers

2. Does Your District Have a “PLAN”? • Is your plan written down? • Has it been reviewed and approved by the administration? • Has it been communicated properly to staff? • Has it been communicated properly to students? • Has it been communicated properly to parents? • Is it a working document that updated on a regular basis?

3. Navigating the Organizational Management of Testing • Communication • Calendaring • Scheduling • Training

4. Communication • Primary concern in Organizational Management • EARLY and TIMELY notification of testing dates • Accuracy of information • Ease of access to information • Appropriate detail, as needed, by audience • Reminder at key points in calendar • DATE all communications to distinguish updates • Do not ASSUME anyone knows

5. Create a District-wide Communication Plan for STAAR • Create a calendar for publications and assign duties • Create a team/committee • Website • Newsletters • Parent letters • Robo calls • Brochures • Local outlets….newspapers, TV • Community forums….PTA meetings, booster meetings • Power point presentations that campuses may use

6. Calendaring • A major consideration is what we know NOW and what we don’t know YET • Use TEA calendar of events to create a checklist • Include: Test Dates, including “window” ranges, State and District events & assessments, and training and reporting dates

7. Calendar Variations • STAAR-Alt (Special Ed Department) • When does the testing window open/close? • When do you close this window in your district? • STAAR-L (Bilingual/ESL Department) • When does the window open/close? • When does ID of LEP students assessed take place? • Online Testing • When do the computers need to be ready? • When is the Tech staff needed on-site to help with any problems?

8. Scheduling Communicate your testing dates in a variety of ways to use all available resources! • District/Campus websites • Booster Club and parent group newsletters/publications • District/Campus bulletins and newsletters • “Special” district announcement/mailout • Use district Facebook/Twitter accounts • Parent Portals or your district information system

9. Scheduling Develop a local schedule that works for your district! • Entire year at a glance • One test administration at a time • Campus grade ranges Decide who needs to receive calendars and schedules • Campus principals and staff • Central office staff • Special programs • Maintenance • Transportation • Technology • Cafeteria

10. Training • Training should begin early to provide multiple opportunities • Utilize as many Central Office and non-campus instructional staff as possible – build your team! • Train any/all vested groups, custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, others • Use training to INFORM and ENLIGHTEN!

11. STAAR Planning – The Black Hole! • Test Dates • Spring EOC • Summer Retests • Test Materials • Dictionaries • Calculators • Choices to be made • How to apply the 15% • Number of retakes for Class Rank • Retakes for Final Grade on Transcript • Conversion Chart

12. Have you decided which dates to test EOC in the spring? Choices: • Use TEA suggested dates • Allow campuses to select their own dates in the window • District selects district-wide dates for the EOC If the district tests early, can they expect to get reports back earlier? *Pearson will start to release reports online starting May 21ston a first come basis, taking test online will result faster results reporting.

13. Other Considerations • How to apply the 15% • Some districts are applying 85% to the final grade given by the teacher or averaged by the computer then applying the EOC as the other 15%. Semester grades by the teacher would be unaffected. • Number of Retakes for Class Rank • Some are counting only the first time scored for class rank • Retakes for Final course Grade on Transcript • Some districts will calculate EOC retakes into the Final Grade on the AAR as many times as it takes until the student earns course credit. • Conversions • By June 8th, the State will release student results and raw score conversions. Districts must apply district-developed grade conversions to EOC exam score which will impact the final course grade.

14. Other Considerations, cont. • 8th Grade Algebra I – One or two tests? • Some districts are requiring 8th graders to take both for AYP. • Number of End of Year Report Cards? • Some are planning on two for all 9th graders • Some are planning on two 8th graders in Algebra I and Geometry • How will you remediate students for EOC? • Summer school? • How will this information be disseminated after school is out? • Do you have dollars in the budget for this?

15. What are your plans? DISCUSSION

16. MORE RIGOR?

17. TABS Exit Level Math (1982) • One Step: • Fewest barrels

18. TEAMS Exit Level Math (1986) • Two Steps: • Find point on graph • Multiply • 30 pupils x $300 = $9,000

19. TAAS Exit Level Math (1999) • Three Steps: • Find paper • on pie chart • Divide tons of • paper by total • tons: • 72/180 • 3. Convert to 40%

20. Great STAAR-like question • BUT . . . it tests 8.12.C • This would be an 8th grade STAAR question, NOT an exit-level question TAKS Exit Level Math (2002 Field Test) • Five Steps: • Add all votes • 240 + 420 + 180 + 300 + 60 = 1,200 • 2. Determine which student finished 3rd • (Bridget: 240 votes) • 3. Determine Bridget’s %age of votes • 240 / 1,200 = 20% • Know that a pie chart has 360 total degrees • Determine 20% of 360 degrees: • .20 x 360 = 72

21. Five Steps: • The student must know how to apply the • quadratic formula to find the value of the • discrimant • Find quadratic equation on formula chart: • If • there are two real number roots of the equation • and the graph of the parabola crosses the • x-axis at those roots • If • there is a “multiple” or repeated root of the • equation and the vertex of the graph of the • parabola touches the x-axis at that root. • If • the roots of the equation are imaginary numbers • and the graph of the parabola does not • intersect the x-axis STAAR Exit Level Math? (2012)