Transcript ELA Update: TEKS and TAKS

STATE OF TEXAS ASSESSMENTS OF
ACADEMIC READINESS (STAAR)
Grades 3−8 Reading
Grades 4 and 7 Writing
English I, II, and III
Victoria Young
Director of Reading, Writing, and
Social Studies Assessments
Texas Education Agency
STAAR Reading
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STAAR reading assessments will emphasize
students’ ability
to “go beyond” a literal understanding of
what they read
to make connections within and across
texts (“across texts” begins at grade 4 on
STAAR but needs to begin much earlier
instructionally)
to think critically/inferentially about different
types of texts
STAAR Reading
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STAAR reading assessments will emphasize
students’ ability
to understand how to use text evidence to
confirm the validity of their ideas (new on
STAAR—understanding how text evidence
works with poetry, drama, and persuasive
pieces; e.g., text evidence for drama
includes both dialogue and stage directions)
Student Success in Reading
and on STAAR
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Students must be provided in-depth instruction
in all genres represented by the ELA/R TEKS
Students must learn to analyze both fiction and
expository genres—the readiness genres—at
elementary, middle, and high school
Instruction must emphasize critical/ inferential
thinking rather than isolated skills
Students must be able to make connections
between different genres and strands (and be
able to “see” the thematic links)
Student Success in Reading
and on STAAR
5
Students must understand the relationship
between reading strategies and making
meaning.
Students must learn to use reading strategies
judiciously, especially given the 4-hour time
limit.
STAAR Written Composition
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Students will write two one-page essays (26 lines
maximum) addressing different types of writing
Grade 4−personal narrative and expository
Grade 7−personal narrative (with extension) and
expository
English I−literary and expository
English II−expository and persuasive
English III−persuasive and analytical
Essays will be weighted equally
No “gatekeeper” (automatic fail of the writing test
for a 1)
STAAR Writing Prompts
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Expository, persuasive, and analytical
prompts contain a stimulus and are
scaffolded:
Read, Think, Write, Be Sure to −
STAAR Writing Prompts—Scaffolding
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Read: A short synopsis of some kind or a
quotation
Think: The synopsis or quotation generalized
and reworded
Write: An even more focused rewording
Be Sure to: 4−5 bullets here (stating a clear
thesis, organizing your writing, developing it,
choosing words carefully, proofreading)
STAAR Analytical Essay
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A combination of expository writing and
interpretation of one aspect of a literary or
expository text
Analytical prompts contain a literary or
informational text (approximately 350−450
words), which students must analyze
Score based on the student’s ability to
interpret the text and support it with
relevant textual evidence (15C) AND
quality of the writing (criteria under
expository writing in 15A)
STAAR Personal Narrative
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Personal narrative prompts contain a stimulus
and are scaffolded, though less so than other
prompts.
Grade 4—SE 17(A) write about important personal
experiences
Grade 7—16(A) write a personal narrative that has
a clearly defined focus and communicates the
importance of or reasons for actions and/or
consequences
Personal narratives must be based on students’
real experiences—they cannot be fictional!
(Literary writing: 16[A] at grade 4 and 15[A] at
grade 7.)
STAAR Literary Writing
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Literary prompts (English I) also contain a
stimulus and are scaffolded.
English I Knowledge and Skill Statement:
Students write literary texts to express their ideas
and feelings about real or imagined people,
events, and ideas.
STAAR based on SE 14(A): write an engaging
story with a well-developed conflict and
resolution, interesting and believable characters,
and a range of literary strategies (e.g., dialogue,
suspense) and devices to enhance the plot
Literary responses can be real or fictional!
STAAR English I Literary
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Look at the photograph.
PHOTOGRAPH
Write a story about ____________. Be sure that your
story is focused and complete and that it has an
interesting plot and engaging characters.
STAAR Writing—What We’ve
Learned So Far
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Trends we noted across grades and courses
during the scoring of the 2011 STAAR field tests
Form/purpose match. Many students scored 1s
and 2s because their overall organizational
structure and form did not match the purpose
for writing or were weakly matched. Some
students started out in the right form but then
“drifted” into another purpose:
TAKS personal narrative instead of
expository or persuasive
fantasy rather than personal narrative
expository rather than persuasive
STAAR Writing—What We’ve
Learned So Far
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Trends we noted across grades and courses from
the 2011 field tests
Thesis. Having a central idea/controlling
idea/thesis is essential in writing a focused and
coherent expository, persuasive, or analytical
piece. Personal narratives/literary pieces also
need narrow focus.
The effect of one page. High scores require an
economical use of space: tight, specific, logical
development—no wasted words. Short, effective
introduction and conclusion also a must. Bottom
line: Both planning and revision are absolutely
essential since students don’t have the space to
“write their way into” a better piece.
STAAR Writing—What We’ve
Learned So Far
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Trends we noted across grades and courses from
the 2011 field tests
Synthesizing across the Read, Think, Write.
Some students scored 1s and 2s because they
could not move from the stimulus (the “Read”)
to the generalization (the “Think”) to the
charge (the “Write about”). Students who did
not synthesize information across the prompt
tended to have these problems:
getting stuck in the stimulus
ignoring the charge and writing only about
the “Think” statement
In a Nutshell—Lower Score Range
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Typical problems we noted in papers falling in the
lower score range (1s and 2s)
Wrong organizational structure/form for purpose
Weak, evolving, or nonexistent thesis
Wasted space: repetition, wordiness, extraneous
details or examples, looping/meandering,
meaningless introductions and conclusions
Inclusion of too many different ideas for 1 page
General/vague/imprecise use of language or
inappropriate tone for purpose
Essay poorly crafted
Weak conventions
In a Nutshell—Higher Score Range
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Typical strengths we noted in papers falling in
higher score range (3s and 4s)
Strong match between structure/form and
purpose
Explicit thesis
“Narrow and deep” development—no wasted
words or space
Think quality over quantity!
Introduction and conclusion short but effective
Specific use of language and appropriate tone for
purpose
Essay well crafted
Strong conventions
What’s Coming
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New STAAR Content Resources Webpage with
assessed curriculum
definitions of readiness and supporting standards
test blueprints
test design schematics
sample reading selections and questions
sample writing passages and questions
writing and reading rubrics
“mini” scoring guides
Test questions and rubrics posted
by September 29th.
CONTACT INFORMATION
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Victoria Young
Director of Reading, Writing, and Social
Studies Assessments
Texas Education Agency
512-463-9536
[email protected]