STAAR

1. STAAR Helping Your Child Shine

2. STAAR Basics • STAAR – State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness • Test of state mandated curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) • STAAR focuses on students’ readiness for success in subsequent grades and, ultimately, for college and career

3. STAAR Basics • Tests students in • Grade 3 – Reading and Mathematics • Grade 4 – Reading, Mathematics and Writing • Grade 5 – Reading, Mathematics and Science • Passing Standards (Accessible via TEA-STAAR Resources if link doesn’t work. Document is named STAAR Performance Labels and Policy Definitions.) • Level III: Advanced Academic Performance • Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance • Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance • Standards will be Phased in through 2016 to allow schools time to adjust instruction

4. STAAR Basics • Student Success Initiative • Students in 5th grade are required to meet the phase-in 1 Level II standard for Reading and Mathematics to be promoted to 6th grade • Students have 3 opportunities to meet the standard with remediation provided • Students must participate in remediation and take the tests in order to be eligible for placement in 6th grade

5. STAAR Basics • Student Success Initiative • 5th grade testing opportunities • April 2nd – Mathematics; April 3rd – Reading • May 14th – Mathematics; May 15th – Reading • June 25th – Mathematics; June 26th – Reading • STAAR results are also considered in placement and promotion decisions for students in 3rd and 4th grades; however satisfactory STAAR performance is not required by law.

6. STAAR Helping Your Child Shine The School’s Role

7. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Provide a safe, positive learning environment • Teach the state mandated curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) using research-based, best practices (Accessible via the Round Rock ISD website if link doesn’t work. Choose “The Teaching and Learning Continuum.”) • RRISD provides the Aligned Round Rock Curriculum (ARRC) which supports staff in teaching the state curriculum • Hire the most highly qualified teachers

8. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Provide quality, on-going professional development • New teacher professional development and mentoring • Summer professional development • Campus professional development aligned with student needs • Staff development days prior to and during school • Just in Time Training by content area each 9 weeks

9. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Structured schedule focusing on student academic, physical, social and emotional development • Class design • Library Services • Counseling Services • Technology Support Services

10. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Support students who are not making adequate progress • Identify students through • Universal screeners – Beginning, Middle and End of Year • District Reading Assessment • Texas Elementary Mathematics Inventory • AimsWeb • Common Assessments • Curriculum Based Assessments • STAAR Ready Assessments • Class Work

11. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Support students who are not making adequate progress • Tier I Teacher Intervention • Communication with parents • Classroom small group and/or individual support • Tier I Grade Level Intervention • Communication with parents • Classroom small group and/or individual support • Coyote Club – provides differentiated small group and/or individual support for ALL students based on their needs and interests

12. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe School’s Role • Support students who are not making adequate progress • Tier I Tutoring • Tier II Response to Intervention (RtI) • Provided to students not making adequate progress with Tier I Interventions based on Progress Monitoring data • Review process initiated by the Classroom Teacher • Continual Parent Communication • Student Support Team reviews student needs and plans intervention • Small group intervention provided by • Interventionist • Classroom or Grade Level Teacher

13. STAAR Helping Your Child Shine The Parent’s Role

14. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Provide a safe, consistent, nurturing home environment • Love • Nutritious Diet • Sleep • Social • Family Values • Fun

15. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Bring your child to School • Attendance every day • Be on time • Don’t pick your child up early • Carefully consider vacation plans • Schedule appointments on school holidays or after school

16. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Emphasize Effort • Time • Persistence – Practice • Patience • Repetition of Success – Practice • Ask “Did you ask a good question today?” Versus “What did you learn today?

17. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Notice success and ask, • “How did you do that?” • I tried hard • I kept trying • I learned something new • “How do you feel about that?”

18. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Resources: • Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay, www.loveandlogic.com • Homework and Kids: A Parent’s Guide by William Haggart and Christine Juhasz • Parent Talk: Words that Empower, Words that Wound by Chick Moorman • Tapping Student Effort by Stephen G. Barkley with contributing editor Terri Bianco • See parent resources in the FCE Library

19. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Support your child in completing homework • Set a regular time and place • Remove distractions • Provide resources • Be positive • Help them make a plan • Make sure they do their own work • Set a good example • Notice and reinforce effort • Let the teacher know if your child is having difficulty doing homework

20. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Reading • Read to your child, with your child, and listen to your child read to you every day • Ask questions – who, what, where, when, why and how? • Encourage children to read the same text repeatedly to increase reading fluency • Build reading endurance

21. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Mathematics • Practice basic mathematics concepts with your child in every day situations • Number Sense – Counting, Skip Counting and Place Value • Patterns • Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division • Money • Measurement • Time • Geometry • Data Analysis – collecting, sorting, organizing and drawing conclusions about data

22. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Writing • Go places and see things with your child, then talk about what has been seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched • Rich talk leads to rich language and writing • Let your child see you writing • Talk with your child about their ideas • When children ask for help with spelling, punctuation and usage, supply that help

23. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Writing • Rejoice in effort, delight in ideas, resist criticism • Help them edit without criticizing • Encourage frequent writing, develop the habit of writing • Encourage your child to write for a variety of purposes and genres – poems, how-tos, personal stories • Help your child see how revision is part of life • Show your child that writing can help them work through problems and find a solution • Read your child’s writing

24. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Science • Go places and see things with your child, then talk about what has been seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched • Develop and encourage curiosity in your child • Encourage scientific safety practices, such as wearing goggles, washing hands and using materials appropriately • Encourage your child to conserve, reuse, and recycle natural resources • Discuss the weather • Get a pet

25. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Science • Encourage children to ask and answer questions, and make inferences and predictions about the world around them both orally and in writing • Help your child learn to use tools to measure accurately • Help your child collect, sort, organize and draw conclusions about data • Have your child draw pictures of their observations • Study famous scientists and inventors • Cook with your child • When traveling, seek out museums and attractions unique to the area

26. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Social Studies • Go places and see things with your child, then talk about what has been experienced • Study famous historical figures • Visit historic sites and museums • Make a time line of family births and special events • Help students develop map skills • Participate in community, state and national celebrations and events with your child • Teach your child about their own family history • Subscribe to news magazines designed for children • Discuss how your family’s religious or cultural values affect the decisions you make as a family

27. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Helping your child with Social Studies • Ask your child’s opinion on community, state and national issues • Watch and discuss news and current events with your child • Engage in a community service project with your child • Speak positively about your job and describe what you do • Teach your child about money • Watch the History Channel

28. Helping Your Child Shine on STAARThe Parent’s Role • Use Technology to encourage your child to learn • Google it • Peruse Teacher websites, Campus websites (For Parents, For Students), and District Websites • Monitor student technology use

29. Thank you for working with us to ensure your child’s success on STAAR and beyond!