Now that we've all settled in to the year, have had some district level Response to Intervention training, and tested almost all of the students, I think that I can now expound a little bit on the STAR Reading tests - especially because I was unable to attend our last RTI presentation by Ms. Wells.
When we chose to go with STAR testing for literacy and numeracy, the question we asked we wondered about was the extent to which these tests were valid and reliable. We also wondered about how well they stood up to previous testing programs we'd used in the past, namely the Jerry Johns Basic Reading Inventory and Fountas & Pinnell. Now that we have tested almost all of the students, and can compare the data, I am happy to say that not only does STAR Reading stand up very well, but it is also way easier and quicker to administer to students in the classroom.
Here is the graph that was shared during Ms. Wells' RTI presentation. Note the correlation between Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) and the Instructional Reading Level (IRL) determined through STAR Reading for the random selection of students chosen from one of the classes tested:
When we chose to go with STAR testing for literacy and numeracy, the question we asked we wondered about was the extent to which these tests were valid and reliable. We also wondered about how well they stood up to previous testing programs we'd used in the past, namely the Jerry Johns Basic Reading Inventory and Fountas & Pinnell. Now that we have tested almost all of the students, and can compare the data, I am happy to say that not only does STAR Reading stand up very well, but it is also way easier and quicker to administer to students in the classroom.
Here is the graph that was shared during Ms. Wells' RTI presentation. Note the correlation between Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) and the Instructional Reading Level (IRL) determined through STAR Reading for the random selection of students chosen from one of the classes tested:
So now that we have this data, and teachers have been equipped with how to use the reports within STAR Reading to determine where their students are at in terms of their IRL and ZPD, and that they can group students based on learning needs for targeted group instruction in the classroom, and can continue to administer STAR testing to chart progress over time on their own, we look forward to seeing quality instructional and student performance gains in grades 1-9.
My hope is that I can continue to work with all teachers in the area of STAR Reading to ensure that you know what to do and how to do it for the benefit of students. With that said, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or concerns when it comes to Renaissance and the STAR Reading program.
Have a great day :D
Ryan
My hope is that I can continue to work with all teachers in the area of STAR Reading to ensure that you know what to do and how to do it for the benefit of students. With that said, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or concerns when it comes to Renaissance and the STAR Reading program.
Have a great day :D
Ryan