AMITY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 5
Bethany
Orange
Woodbridge
25 Newton Road, Woodbridge Connecticut 06525
Dr. E. Marie McPadden
Director of Curriculum & Staff Development
(203) 397-4812
marie.mcpadden@reg5.k12.ct.us
Implementation of STAR Assessments for Reading & Mathematics Grades 7-10
This past spring, the Connecticut State Department of Education awarded Amity Regional School
District No. 5 an Assessment Reduction Grant in the amount of $9,800 to facilitate a review of
common and standardized assessments used across the curriculum. The goal of this grant was to
determine assessments that provide effective information to inform instructional practices, to
reduce the overall number of assessments that are currently administered, and to coordinate
sharing the information with the K-6 member districts of Bethany, Orange, and Woodbridge
(BOWA) in an effort to better align grades K-12.
Prior to the formation of the Assessment Reduction Grant Committee, the Universal Assessment
Committee worked diligently to identify and recommend one standardized online assessment for
reading and mathematics that would be administered to students in grades 7-10. Following
presentations and webinars for four nationally recognized assessments, committee members
chose one based on the needs unique to Amity students. In consultation with the BOWA districts,
there was a consensual decision that one universal assessment would be the most efficient and
effective way to assess all students thereby reducing the need for additional assessments. The
Standardized Test for Reading Assessment (STAR) was the computer-adaptive online assessment
identified to be administered to students 2-3 times per year. STAR includes a mathematics
assessment and a progress monitoring tool for ongoing monitoring of student progress. As a result
of these features, the recommendation to use STAR as the universal assessment was made to the
Assessment Reduction Grant Committee and accepted unanimously. This program will help
reduce the number of assessments currently administered.
Both the STAR reading and mathematics assessments take approximately 20-30 minutes each to
administer. Student reports will be shared with parents following the testing. The reports will
detail what skills your child has mastered and what he/she needs to learn next. This information
will support teachers in providing personalized learning by identifying students in need of
specific skill development and/or remedial services, as well as identifying those students who
have demonstrated mastery of learning. As a result, more targeted and personalized instruction
will occur by use of the data in planning for all students.
Parents will be invited to participate in Parent University to be scheduled during early October,
2015. Parent University will provide parents with an opportunity to better understand how to
interpret their child’s assessment report.
We are excited that, for the first time ever, BOWA districts will be implementing the same
universal assessment across the four districts. It is our hope that this actionable data will support
all stakeholders working together – teachers, parents, administrators, and students – toward one
common goal of student success.