Is STAR a good reading assessment instrument for a K-8 schoo

I don’t know about STAR- but I can understand the desire to have another instrument besides the Iowa tests. Are you looking for individualized measures or group measures, Mary?

One of the tried and true group assessments is the Gates McGinitie. It comes in several versions so that you can pretest in the fall, test again at midyear and then again in June. It gives a grade level and percentile rank and I found,when I was using it as a classroom teacher, that it lined up reasonably well with the more detailed measures that I gave to individuals who were having problems. It is a reasonably good global progress measure that isn’t too time consuming, and it has been around forever. You don’t get a lot of detail on specific weaknesses, but group measures aren’t designed to do that anyway.

Robin

I have been using STAR for three years now. I like it. It is quick and seems to be in agreement with alternate reading test I have given. I like it better then Gates, although I have used both for the same student. STAR starts off with three examples before the test begins. I stay with the student until I am assured that they understand how to answer the questions. Once I am satisfied, I leave them alone. Most of my students read four or five grade levels below their current grade. Ex: 6th grader reads on a 2ed grade level. STAR is a good tool for a benchmark. It is a tool. The questions get harder. The computer times each question. If they don’t or can’t answer, the program will drop down a level. It continues to do this until a pattern is established then it will end. You have to log on with a password for the student to start and when finished you have to log off. I can test several students at the same time and get individual reports on each one. STAR came with Accelerated Reader programs. I don’t know if you can buy it separate. Most of my students when tested had eye problems. I teach in an Alternative setting for middle school. Many students have IEP’s and the ones that don’t probably should. Hope this helps.

I also like the STAR for what it is. It is simple and can be used more than once a year to measure progress. It is not, nor should be used as a diagnosis tool. It gives you an independent measure of how your interventions are proceeding.

This was our first year with full implementation of the Reading Renaissance program, and I absolutely loved it. The STAR test was an extremely helpful tool, although somewhat expensive. I believe it costs about $1200, but the good thing is it can be used up to four times a year per student, so it is a great monitoring tool. Email me if you have further questions.

Do not know about STAR. However the Peabody Individualized Achievement Test (known a PIAT) is good. Sections are: Reading
Comprehension, Reading Recognition, Math, Spelling, and Written Language.
It is easily given and easily scored. It yields grade level achievement scores.
It may repeated the following year. Last years posttest becomes the next
years pretest. Thus, it yields scores needed for IEP’s.

Mr experience with STAR is that it does not give an accurate picture of a child’s reading ability. It tests for comprehension only and the questions are factual and picky. I personally do not do well on them!! Some students find themselves not reading for enjoyment because they are reading for the test. I like to use the Developmental Reading Assessment, Johns Basic Reading Inventory and Curriculm Based Measurements with running records to get a good read on my students. I pick and choose the assessment to fit the need. These assessments are relatively inexpensive compared to STAR/Accelerated Reader and they tell you tons more!!

I just found you questions about reading assessment. I am the Basic Skills teacher and I am responsible for the testing of the entire school. This is what I do. It take the entire class into the computer lab(library time, our librarian teaches computer) during their scheduled lab time. The librarian stays in the lab while I test the kids. I strongly recommend Star Reading for the following reasons.

1. The results are instant, you don’t have to wait for the following year to get the results.
2. You can group your kids immediately.
3. We also use it for a guide to Accelerated Reader level
4.There are many reports for teachers, administrators and parents.
5. It is cost effective, the initial expense may seem high but you don’t have to buy test booklets every time that you want to test.
6. We test during the first week of school to use for placement. We can see if the children grew or regressed over the summer.
7. We test the last week of the each quarter to check growth, and to report
8. You can do a longitudinal study because the database allows you to compare a child against himself. You can find the level or growth of a particular grade level, and then plug in the same kids the next year and compare to see how much they have grown each year. I believe that this is the only program that allows you to compare the same kids to themselves. Most often this year’s 3rd graders are compared to last years 3rd graders and that is not valid because you are not comparing the same kids.The data that you can collect is amazing.
8. Our teachers love it, so do parents and administrators

I hope that this is not too late for you