Going Beyond the
STARRs
Extending Student Understanding
Claudio Vargas and Diana Velez
July 23, 2012
Session Goals
• Use
STAAR Released Items as
instructional tools to further student
understanding of the 5th and 8th
Grade TEKS
• Explore self-assessment and next-step
strategies that help students broaden
their thinking
• Discover ways to use oral discourse and
argumentation to make meaning
Vargas & Velez 2012
Vargas & Velez 2012
Vargas & Velez 2012
Multiple Choice Discussions
• Letter off – A, B, C, and D.
• Go to the corner that represents
your letter
• Discuss the answer with the group.
Agree or Disagree?
Vargas & Velez 2012
Multiple Choice Discussions
• Use evidence (balls) to support
your claims.
• Choose a reporter to state position.
• Any changes? Stay or move to the
corner that you think has the
correct answer.
Vargas & Velez 2012
Argumentation
• How
did your thinking change?
• What helped you to figure it out?
Vargas & Velez 2012
STARR Science Blue Print
• Scientific
Investigation and Reasoning
Skills is not a separate reporting
category. These skills will be
incorporated into at least 40% of the
test questions.
Vargas & Velez 2012
Formative Assessment
• The
use of frequent formative
assessment helps make students’
thinking visible to themselves, their
peers, and their teacher. This provides
feedback that can guide modification
and refinement in thinking.
How People Learn NRC 2000
Vargas & Velez 2012
Formative Assessment
• Given
the goal of learning with
understanding, assessments must tap
understanding rather than merely the
ability to repeat facts or perform
isolated skills.
How People Learn NRC 2000
Vargas & Velez 2012
Reasoning
Question: Which
is correct? Use the
materials to
provide evidence
to support your
answer.
Vargas & Velez 2012
Application
• Take
one STAAR released items and
come up a reasoning question.
Resources:
• Released Items
• STAAR with Reasoning Questions Template
• Next-Step Strategies Folio
• Blooming in Science
Vargas & Velez 2012
Application
• Sample
reasoning questions
Why is this answer correct? (Provide evidence.)
• Explain why each of the other answers is not
correct.
• Identify a possible misconception behind each
of the wrong answers.
• Why is this question important?
• Use a graphic to explain the answer.
• Make up a similar question to this one.
•
Vargas & Velez 2012
Application
Sample – STAAR Reasoning Questions
Q#
4
Lab – Active
investigation
Reasoning Questions
and Next Step Strategy
When?
Building
Series and
parallel
circuits
Which is
as review
correct? Use
of parallel
the materials to circuit
provide
evidence to
support your
answer.
Vargas & Velez 2012
Application
• Share
reasoning questions with your
grade level group.
Vargas & Velez 2012