Program Background  |  STAR Reports

Program Background

The governor signed Senate Bill 376 authorizing the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program in October 1997. The State Board of Education, as required by statute, designated the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Ninth Edition (Stanford 9) as the national norm-referenced achievement tests for the Program. These tests were first administered to students in grades two through eleven in California public schools during spring 1998 and were last administered as part of the STAR Program during spring 2002. School districts were required to administer the tests to all students in grades two through eleven except for:

• Students who were receiving special education services with individualized education programs (IEPs) that specified that the students were to have an alternate assessment, and
• Students whose parents/guardians submitted written requests to exempt the students from testing.

Students in grades two through eleven were tested in reading, language, and mathematics. Students in grades two through eight were also tested in spelling, and students in grades nine through eleven were tested in science and social science. All questions on the tests were multiple choice. The purpose of the Stanford 9 was to compare each student’s achievement of general skills taught throughout the United States to the achievement of a national sample of students tested in the same grade at the same time of the school year.

In 1998, the State Board of Education designated the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2) as the primary language test for the Program. Beginning in spring 1999, Spanish-speaking English learners who were enrolled in California public schools less than 12 months when testing began were required to take the SABE/2, as well as taking the Stanford 9 and the Stanford 9 Augmentation/California Standards Tests (CSTs). Districts were given the option of also testing Spanish-speaking English learners enrolled in California public schools 12 months or more with the SABE/2.

During the 1998–99 school year, multiple-choice questions were developed specifically to assess the California English-Language Arts and Mathematics Content Standards. These questions, initially referred to as the Stanford 9 Augmentation, were administered for the first time during spring 1999. Students received CST scores based on questions selected from the Stanford 9 tests and the California-specific questions. The CSTs then evolved during the next several years.

The purpose of the CSTs is to determine students’ achievement of the California Content Standards for each grade or course. Students’ scores are compared to preset criteria to determine if the students’ performance on the test is advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, or far below basic. The state target is for all students to score at the proficient and advanced levels.

The legislature reauthorized the STAR Program during 2002, and the State Board of Education selected the California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey) to replace the Stanford 9 as the national norm-referenced test for the Program beginning with the spring 2003 test administration. The State Board also authorized the development of the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), an individually administered assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities whose disabilities preclude them from taking the CSTs and CAT/6 Survey even with modifications. The CAPA assesses the California English-Language Arts and Mathematics Content Standards that were identified as appropriate for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The CAPA was first administered during spring 2003.

In August 2004, the governor signed legislation reauthorizing the STAR Program through 2011. The reauthorized program reduced the CAT/6 Survey to grades three and seven.

During 2005, the State Board of Education designated the Aprenda: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3) to replace the SABE/2 as the designated primary language test (DPLT) for the STAR Program. In 2006, Spanish-speaking English learners who were receiving instruction in Spanish were required to take the DPLT as well as English learners who had been enrolled in school in the United States less than 12 months when testing began. Districts had the option of administering the Aprenda 3 to Spanish-speaking English learners who had been enrolled in school in the United States 12 months or more who were not receiving instruction in Spanish. The change was from new state law that became effective on January 1, 2006.

Senate Bill 1448, which reauthorized the STAR Program, included the development of assessments for reading-language arts and mathematics in the state’s dominant primary language. The legislation required that the assessments be aligned to state academic content standards. The Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS) will replace the DPLT as it is developed. The STS is required for the same population of students who take the DPLT. The STS was first administered in the spring of 2007 to students in grades two through four. Tests for grades five through eleven will be administered as they are developed. Students taking the STS are also required to take the CSTs and the CAT/6 Survey.

The 2007 STAR Program included five components:

• California Standards Tests (CSTs)
• Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS)—grades 2, 3, and 4
• California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
• California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey)—grades 3 and 7
• Aprenda: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3)—grades 5 through 11

The CSTs are a major component of California’s accountability system for schools and districts. CST and CAPA results are the major component used for calculating each school’s Academic Performance Index (API). These results are also used for determining if elementary and middle schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in helping all students become proficient on the state’s content standards as required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Schools use CST results to identify seniors eligible for the California Golden State Seal Merit Diploma. The eligibility requirements for the diploma are posted at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/eligibility.asp.

Milestones for the STAR Program