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About STAR 2006
The 2006 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program included four
components:
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California Standards Tests (CST)
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California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
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California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey) - grades 3 and 7 only
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Aprenda: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3)
California Standards Tests (CSTs)
The California Standards Tests in English-language arts, mathematics, science,
and history-social science are administered only to students in California
public schools. Except for a writing component that is administered as part of
the grade four and seven English-language arts tests, all questions are
multiple choice. These tests were developed specifically to assess students'
knowledge of the California content standards. The State Board of Education
adopted these standards that specify what all California children are expected
to know and be able to do in each grade or course. The 2006 CSTs were required
for students who were enrolled in the following grades/courses at the time of
testing or who had completed a course during the 2005–06 school year, including
2005 summer school.
| All Students in Grades 2 – 11 |
English-Language Arts |
| All Students in Grades 2 – 9 |
Mathematics |
| All Students in Grades 5, 8, and 10 |
Science |
| Grade 8 – 11 students who completed |
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, or Integrated
Mathematics 1, 2, or 3 |
| Grade 8 and 9 students who did not complete one
of the above math courses during the school year |
General Mathematics |
| Grade 9 and 10 students who completed Algebra II
or Integrated Mathematics 3 during the previous grade and grade 11 students who
completed Algebra II or Integrated Mathematics 3 anytime before 2006 testing
began, including students taking higher mathematics courses or no mathematics
course |
Summative High School Mathematics |
| All Students in Grades 8, 10, and 11 |
History-Social Science |
| Grade 9 – 11 students who completed |
Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or
Integrated/Coordinated Science 1, 2, 3, or 4 |
CST scores are reported as one of five
performance levels from advanced to far
below basic. The scores are used for calculating each school’s Academic
Performance Index (API). Only the results of the California English-Language
Arts and Mathematics Standards Tests are used to determine the progress
elementary and middle schools are making toward meeting the federal No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirement of having all students score
at proficient or above on these tests.
Information about the test score weights that are used for API
calculations are available in the 2005-06 Base API - Information Guide posted at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/index.asp.
For further information about the CST scores, go to
Term and Score Explanations.
English-Language Arts
The grade two and three California English-Language Arts Standards Tests each
have 65 multiple-choice questions. The tests for grades five, six, and eight
through eleven each have 75 multiple-choice questions. During 2006, the grades
four and seven California English-Language Arts Standards Tests included 75
multiple-choice questions plus a writing sample. For the writing component,
students were required to write a response to literature for a story that they were given.
The types of writing used for the writing component of the test change from
year to year and are based on the California Writing Application Content
Standards. Grade four students may be required to write a narrative, a summary
of information, or a response to literature. Grade seven students may be
required to write a fictional narrative, a response to
literature, a persuasive essay, or a summary of information. One reader
scored each student’s paper using a four-point scoring guide and the reader's score was
doubled to produce a writing score of two, four, six, or eight points. The
eight possible writing points are added to the 75 multiple-choice questions, resulting in
a maximum possible score of 83 points for the English-language arts tests at
these two grades.
Mathematics
The California Mathematics Standards Tests are grade-specific for grades two
through seven. Each of these tests has 65 multiple-choice questions. The
California Mathematics Standards Tests for grades eight through eleven also
have 65 multiple-choice questions.
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All students in grades eight and nine who had not yet completed or were not
enrolled in discipline-specific, standards-based math courses or who were
enrolled in the first year of a multi-year Algebra I course were required to
take the General Mathematics CST. This test assesses the California Mathematics
Standards for grades six and seven.
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Students in grades eight through eleven who had completed or were enrolled in
discipline-specific, standards-based math courses took California Mathematics
Standards Tests in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, or Integrated Mathematics
1, 2, or 3.
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Students in grades nine and ten who had completed Algebra II or Integrated
Mathematics 3 during a previous school year and grade eleven students who
completed one of these two courses anytime prior to the beginning of testing
were required to take the Summative High School Mathematics CST. This included
students who were taking higher mathematics courses or no mathematics course.
History-Social Science
Students in grades eight, ten, and eleven took California History-Social
Science Standards Tests. The grade eight test had 75 multiple-choice questions,
and the grade ten and eleven tests each had 60 multiple-choice questions. These
tests assess:
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Grade 8 - a cumulative test of the grade 6 (World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations)
and grade 7 (World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times) standards, as well
as grade 8 United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict
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Grade 10 - World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World
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Grade 11 - United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the
Twentieth Century
Science
The California Science Standards Tests were administered
to all students enrolled in grades five, eight, and ten. The fifth-grade test assesses students’
knowledge of the California Grade Four and Five Science Content Standards. The eighth-grade test assesses the
grade eight science content standards. The Grade 10 California Life Science Standards Test assesses selected
middle school life science and high school biology content standards.
Students in grades nine through eleven who completed a standards-based science course during the 2005 summer session
or the 2005–06 school year took one of the following CSTs:
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Earth Science
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Biology/Life Science
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Chemistry
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Physics
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Integrated/Coordinated Science 1, 2, 3, and 4 (four test forms, each assessing
specific standards for biology/life science, chemistry, earth science, and
physics)
Grade 10 students who completed a standards-based science course took one of the tests listed above
in addition to taking the Grade 10 Life Science Test.
California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
Students with significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CSTs
and CAT/6 Survey even with modifications participated in the STAR Program by taking the CAPA. Alternate
assessments are required by state law and NCLB. The CAPA is an
individually administered performance assessment with all tasks linked to the
California English-Language Arts and Mathematics Content Standards. Special
educators in California identified content
standards on which it is appropriate to assess students with severe cognitive disabilities.
The CAPA is organized into five levels, representing specific grade spans. Most
students eligible for the CAPA take the level corresponding to their enrollment grade.
These students are expected to move through the CAPA levels as they
progress in age. Some students with significant cognitive disabilities are
eligible for Level I. These students remain in Level I and are not expected to
move through the other CAPA levels.
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Students in grades 2 – 11 (those with the most complex,
profound disabilities) |
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Students in grades 2 and 3
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Students in grades 4 and 5
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Students in grades 6 – 8
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Students in grades 9 – 11
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CAPA scores are reported as one of five performance levels from advanced to far
below basic. While the CAPA performance levels have the same labels as those
used for the CSTs, they are defined differently and are based on a different
scale score range.
California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition (CAT/6 Survey)
The California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey) were administered only to students
in grades three and seven. These students were tested in reading,
language, spelling, and mathematics. The purpose of administering the CAT/6 Survey is to determine
how well California students are achieving academically compared to a national sample of students tested
in the same grade at the same time of the school year.
Aprenda: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3)
The Aprenda 3, published by Harcourt Assessment, Inc., is a norm-referenced achievement
test series in Spanish. The tests assess Spanish reading, language, and spelling, as
well as mathematics in Spanish. Spanish-speaking English learners (limited-English proficient students)
who were receiving instruction in Spanish or who had been enrolled in school in the United States less than 12 months
when testing began were required to take the Aprenda 3 in addition to taking the CSTs and the CAT/6 Survey. 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.
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