The STAAR Test: What You Need to Know and How Edulastic Practice Tests Boost Your Chances of Success

Exam time comes with a lot of pressure and it could get worse if you’re not well prepared. However, a STAAR test doesn’t need to be stressful if students have done adequate online practice. With sufficient online practice, students get exposed to test questions thus giving them a better understanding of how to tackle questions during the main assessment.

STAAR is an acronym for The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. STAAR is State testing program that was launched in Spring 2012 to replace TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) which had been in use for several years. Core subjects tested in STAAR include Writing, Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. Grade 3-12 students in Texas public schools take STAAR tests that were designed by the TEA (Texas Education Agency) working in partnership with Texas educators and THECB (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).

These are standardized tests administered in both public and secondary schools to assess achievements students have made. The purpose of the STAAR test is to measure what students have learnt and how they are able to apply their skills and knowledge as specified in the TEKS (Texas Essential, Texas state curriculum standard. Every question tested in STAAR is aligned to TEKS standards for every subject and grade being accessed.

Once a child reaches third grade, they start taking different kinds of STAAR tests depending on the grade. In the lower grades, STAAR tests and assessments mainly focus on writing, reading and mathematics. At fifth grade, the Texas assessments involve Writing, Science and Social Studies. At the high school level, students sit for EOC (end-of-course) exams that cover five subjects: English I, English II, Biology, Algebra I and U.S History. Students have to pass the five tests to be cleared for graduation.

STAAR assignments are classified into paper based tests and computer tests offered online. There is a paper based STAAR Grade 3-8 test and an online version of the same assessment. Texas star test help students to get used to the online testing environment and the technologies involved. STAAR A is a specialized online test that allows students with disabilities to sit for their tests online. STAAR Alternate 2 is designed for children with cognitive disabilities in special education programs. STAAR L is a modified for English language learners whose test questions are simplified to make it easier for candidates to read.

Unlike TAKS where assessments took an entire day and students were allowed to take breaks, STAAR tests take around 4-5 hours, depending on the type of test and subject. For instance, grade 3-5 students take about two hours to complete their tests while grade 6-8 take about three hours. In some cases, the tests last between 4-5 hours. STAAR end-of-year courses take 4 hours except English I, English II and English III that last for 5 hours.

In grade 3, students are tested in reading and math, while fourth graders take reading, writing and math tests. At fifth grade, subjects tested include math, science and reading. Special emphasis is placed on math and reading test since they determine if students can proceed to the next grade.

Since there are many types of STAAR tests, exam dates vary depending on the grade and subject. For instance, most STAAR End-of-course tests take place in December and June while other tests take place between April and May.

In grade 6, math and reading are tested while grade 7 students take reading, writing and math tests. Grade 8 tests involve more subjects: math, reading, science and social studies. After passing grade 8 STAAR test, a student is allowed to proceed to grade 9. High school students take English I, English II, biology and U.S. history. High school STAAR tests are administered in spring, but unsuccessful students get another chance to retake the tests in summer.

Edulastic provides students with an ideal platform that enables them to prepare for STAAR tests. At their own convenience, students can come to the platform and do practice tests in order to prepare themselves for exams. There are numerous resources online to help students practice and interact with questions and formats that will appear in the real exam.

Some of the key skills students can learn from a staar test include perfection of keyboard skills. This is critical because online tests require thorough knowledge of keyboard commands to perform various tasks such as drag and drop and filling information into tables. Understanding keyboard commands and practicing will help develop these skills.

Online tests consist of technology-enhanced questions that require specialized navigation skills. For example, students need to practice using online calculations and creating equations and numerical answers with the keypad entry box.

The computer-based STAAR test is administered via different tech devices such as computers, ipads and tablets. In preparation for the main exam, students should have as much time as possible to do practice tests using the same device that will be used in the exam. This will enable them get used to the gadgets and understand basic troubleshooting skills.

Edulastic resources and assessments for STAAR test definitely boost confidence levels of students preparing to undertake various STAAR assessments at various grades.

There are several topics that need to be covered during the course of the year. However common ones for English include basic reading and writing. For mathematics, subject areas include algebraic relationships, conversion factors, formulas, data analysis. Social studies topics are North America geography, U.S. government and citizenship, civil war and basic economic principles.

For high school students, math topics include exponential functions, linear and quadratic functions. Biology subject areas include genetic principles, relationship between living organisms and the environment and theory of evolution.

Resources

• https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/
• https://study.com/academy/popular/what-is-the-staar-test.html
• https://www.mytexaspublicschool.org/Documents/april-may2012-testing.aspx
• https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness_(STAAR)/STAAR_Online_Testing_Platform/