No. 125      Office of the Superintendent

Traditional Calendar Schools: March 29, 2001
Single Track Year Round Calendar Schools: May 10, 2001

Multi-Track Year Round Schools:

Track A: May 10, 2001
Tracks B, C & D: March 29, 2001

This circular provides background information and test administration details for the STAR Writing Assessment.

The STAR Writing Assessment was established by Senate Bill 376 in 1997 and amended by Senate Bill 366 in 1999 as part of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, O’Connell in spring 1999. Writing materials will consist of test booklets and Directions for Administering the California Writing Standards Tests. All test booklets will include the writing prompts, directions for responding to the writing prompts, pages for students to plan and pages to write their responses. Demographic fields are identical to those for the STAR SAT9 multiple-choice tests.

Only responses that are written in the booklets will be scored. No loose papers will be accepted, and booklets with papers taped, stapled, or pasted to the pages will not be scored. Test administration consists of a single, uninterrupted sixty (60) minute time period.

The following is the statewide testing administration schedule for the STAR Writing Assessment.

Traditional Calendar Schools and Multi-Track Year Round Schools Tracks B, C, & D:

Students are to be tested on March 27 with a make-up day on March 28, 2001

Single Track Year-Round Calendar Schools and Multi-Track Year Round Schools Track A:

Students are to be tested on May 8 with a make-up day on May 9, 2001

All students who are enrolled in California Public Schools and who are in Grade 4 or Grade 7 are to be administered a California Writing Standards Test. These students will also take the multiple-choice STAR tests. Students with an IEP or 504 Plan being tested out of level with grade 4 or grade 7 STAR SAT9 multiple-choice tests must also be administered the appropriate grade STAR Writing Assessment.

It is imperative that all instructions in the SDCS annotated Test Site Coordinator's Manual and the Supervisor's Manual are followed carefully. Note particularly those sections that describe testing and security procedures (including procedures for the safekeeping and accounting of all test materials). It is critical that persons administering the test are completely familiar with the directions in the manual for sorting, packaging, sealing, and returning the STAR Writing Assessment to the Testing Unit.

Student writing test results will be matched with multiple-choice results for reporting. It is essential that student names, birth dates and grades be entered identically on both test documents. Lists of students names, birth dates and grades entered on the first test document coded (writing test booklet or multiple-choice answer document) should be used to verify the accuracy of coding on the second document. This applies ONLY to those students using non-barcoded answer documents.

Test materials must be delivered to Annex 10 located at the Eugene Brucker Education Center no later than 5 p.m. on the dates indicated below. (Note: all STAR Writing Assessment testing must be completed on the make-up day listed on page 1 and 2.)

Traditional & Tracks B, C, D March 29 (Thursday)

STYR & Track A May 10 (Thursday) 

Test materials may not be sent by audio-visual delivery or by school mail. Materials must be packaged as described in the annotated Test Site Coordinator’s manual. Scorable and nonscorable materials must be packed separately and marked as "scorable" or "nonscorable". Place the Master File Sheet at the top of box one of the scorable materials. Do NOT seal the boxes.

Schools need to ensure that all directions in this circular, the SDCS annotated Test Site Coordinator’s Manual, and other materials provided by the state are closely followed to ensure correct processing and packaging of STAR Writing Assessment test materials.

• The principal must complete and sign (in two places) the attached Principal’s Certification/Apportionment Form (Attachment B) and return it in the special red envelope (which will be provided by the Testing Unit) along with:

- all completed (and signed) "STAR Writing Inventory Control Form(s) - School"

- all signed, original copies of the "STAR Test Security Affidavits" (one for each person who had access to secure test materials, including the Test Site Coordinator, and custodian)

Please note that the Principal’s Certification/Apportionment form needs exact counts for each grade level tested. The number of students who were exempted from testing or who were opted out of testing by parents is required.

• The Test Site Coordinator is also responsible for delivering and submitting the required documents described above (in the special red envelope provided) to Testing Unit personnel at the same time as the test site materials are delivered. The red envelope with these documents should not be packed in cartons with other test materials. Sites should make a copy of these documents for their files.

These tests are used for assessing individual pupil achievement and program progress. Please explain this to your teachers and encourage them to instruct their pupils to do as well as possible and to observe pupils to ensure that they are following the proper instructions.

If you have any questions regarding information in this circular, call or email Nick Bohl at (619) 725-7064 (nbohl@mail.sandi.net), Denise Ormsbee at (619) 725-7059 (dormsbee@mail.sandi.net), or Bob Raines, the district STAR coordinator at (619) 725-7058 (braines@mail.sandi.net). If you need additional test materials, please send your request to Shirley Sawyer via e-mail (ssawyer@mail.sandi.net) or fax (619) 725-7070.

Attachment

Distribution: Lists B, E, and F