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Assessment Details

STAR (Supplementary Test of Achievement in Reading), 2nd edition
Assessment Area English-Reading
Year level 3-9
NZ origin? Yes
Standardised? Yes , norms established in Term One, 2011. Standardised administration.
Administration to individual or group? Either , but commonly used with groups
What does it assess? The aspects of reading – learning the code of written language, making meaning of texts (for Years 3 to 9), and thinking critically about texts (for Years 7 to 9). Each test assesses a range of reading skills that correspond closely to the main components of reading skill outlined in The Literacy Learning Progressions (Ministry of Education, 2010).
Purpose To supplement the assessments that teachers make about their students' progress and achievement in reading.
Validity Items have been rigorously tested for validity.
Reliability There is evidence of a very high level of test/retest consistency.
What measures does it give? Test scores convert to scale scores. They can be compared against national norms and converted into stanines. Progress of individuals and groups can be tracked longitudinally. There are 10 tests, each designed for a particular year level and time of year. National norms are set from students tested in Term 1. Consequently, if a student is tested in Term 4, then stanines for the following year reference group should be used.
How long does it take to administer? Timed: Years 3–6, 30 minutes; Years 7–9, 40 minutes. (These times include test administration.)
How much training is needed? Thorough read of the Teacher Manual. The manual was revised in 2014 in response to teacher requests.
Scoring and data analysis Using the student report forms (on the back of the student test booklets) and the answer key booklets, teachers produce student reports that map performance on different parts of the test against national norms. There is an online reporting and analysis service. The service is available by subscription and provides a range of reports at the student, class, test, sub-test, and cohort levels. To use the service, schools enter answer sheet information through an online portal. See www.NZCERMarking.org.nz for more information and costing.
Does it provide 'what next' strategies? Yes , advice is given on interpreting results for diagnosis and better teaching. The knowledge and skills students draw on in each sub-test are described at the back of the Teacher Manual.
Is it available in te reo Maori? No
Cost? Sample costs June 2017, including GST: Teacher Manual $22 Test booklets (pack 10) $13.00 Starter kit (Years 3-6) $60
Author, date of publication and publisher Elley, W., Ferral, H., and Watson, V., 2011 Published by NZCER.
Availability

Available from NZCER.

Further Information

There are 10 tests, each designed for a particular year level and time of year. However they can be used at different year levels when selected appropriately. The tests are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, with 3 tests (A, B, and C) spread over each of the years 3–4, 5–6, and 7–8. There is one test for year 9. Teachers can target particular students and administer a combination of the A, B, and C tests of these year level groupings as the instructions are the same.
The test is administered and reported as a series of sub-tests, four for years 3 to 6 students, and six for years 7 to 9. The sub-tests assess different aspects of reading ability: word recognition, sentence comprehension, paragraph comprehension, and vocabulary range, and for years 7 to 9 only, the language of advertising and reading in different text types.
Students write their answers on the test booklets. There are no separate answer sheets.