Spring 2022 AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment ParentConnect Guide

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    Table of Contents

    What is AK STAR?

    Understanding Student-level Results: Scores, Achievement Levels and Reporting Categories

    Table 1: Achievement Levels

    Table 2: Scale Score and Standard Measure of Error (SEM)

    Table 3: Reporting Categories

    Where do I access my child’s AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment results in Parent Connect?

    Sample Parent Connect AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Report

    Special Circumstances Codes

     

     

    What is AK STAR?

    The Alaska System of Academic Readiness, AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment, are statewide summative assessments required by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) and administered each spring.

    • AK STAR
      • math and English language arts (ELA)
      • grades 3-9
    • Alaska Science Assessment
      • science
      • grades 5, 8 and 10

    The purpose of a large-scale summative assessment is to provide an opportunity to evaluate grade-level student learning at the end of a school year to inform parents, educators, policy makers, the community and businesses on how schools and districts are performing.  In addition, the assessments provide information to support school improvement and ensure equity in education.  For more information, please see the following DEED resources:

     

    Understanding Student-level Results: Scores, Achievement Levels and Reporting Categories

    For English language arts, mathematics and science, each student will receive an overall score that is aligned to one of four achievement levels: Proficient (P), Advanced (A), Approaching Proficient (AP) and Needs Support (NS) (see Table 1).  In addition, information on groups of standards, called reporting categories, will also be provided as part of the score reporting process.

    Additional AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment score reporting information and support resources, including Family Guides, are provided by the State of Alaska Department of Education:

    • AK STAR, ELA and math - 
    • Alaska Science Assessment, science - 

     

     

    Table 1: Achievement Levels

    Achievement Level

    Description 

    Proficient 

    Advanced (A) 

    Student meets the standards and demonstrates mastery of the knowledge and skills on a range of complex grade level content.  

    Proficient (P) 

    Student meets the standards and demonstrates mastery of the knowledge and skills of most grade level content.  

    Non-Proficient 

    Approaching Proficient (AP) 

    Student partially meets the standards and may have gaps in knowledge and skills but is approaching mastery of some grade level content.  

    Needs Support (NS) 

    Student may partially meet the standards but needs support to master the knowledge and skills of current grade level content.  

     

    Table 2: Scale Score and Standard Measure of Error (SEM)

    Scale Score

    The AK STAR scale score is the middle, four-digit number (three-digit in AK science), that provides a common measure for expressing student performance across different forms of a test.  Scale scores cannot be compared across content areas since each is scaled separately; therefore, the scale scores for one content area cannot be compared to another content area.

    Standard Measure of Error (SEM)

    The AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) provides information about the level of confidence that a student would achieve the same scale score if that student tested again on an equivalent form of the test.  The SEM consists of the right-hand and left-hand numbers on the student’s score report in Q that represent the expected range of scores the student would receive if tested under similar circumstances.

     

     

    AK STAR - ELA Performance Levels

     

     

    Needs Support

    Approaching Proficient

    Proficient

    Advanced

    Grade 3

    1400 - 1561

    1562 - 1581

    1582 - 1598

    1599 – 1720

    Grade 4

    1410 – 1571

    1572 – 1593

    1594 – 1611

    1612 – 1750

    Grade 5

    1420 – 1570

    1571 – 1595

    1596 – 1629

    1630 – 1780

    Grade 6

    1430 – 1573

    1574 – 1604

    1605 – 1656

    1657 – 1800

    Grade 7

    1440 – 1597

    1598 – 1617

    1618 – 1653

    1654 – 1820

    Grade 8

    1450 – 1594

    1595 – 1621

    1622 – 1651

    1652 – 1840

    Grade 9

    1450 – 1599

    1600 – 1628

    1629 – 1673

    1674 – 1850

     

     

    AK STAR - Mathematics Performance Levels

     

     

    Needs Support

    Approaching Proficient

    Proficient

    Advanced

    Grade 3

    1400 – 1512

    1513 – 1527

    1528 – 1547

    1548 – 1720

    Grade 4

    1410 – 1525

    1526 – 1541

    1542 – 1554

    1555 – 1750

    Grade 5

    1420 – 1530

    1531 – 1543

    1544 – 1576

    1577 – 1780

    Grade 6

    1430 – 1542

    1543 – 1565

    1566 – 1593

    1594 – 1800

    Grade 7

    1440 – 1551

    1552 – 1584

    1585 – 1631

    1632 – 1820

    Grade 8

    1450 – 1586

    1587 – 1609

    1610 – 1643

    1644 – 1840

    Grade 9

    1450 – 1577

    1578 – 1604

    1605 – 1646

    1647 - 1850

     

     

    Alaska Science Assessment - Science Performance Levels

     

     

    Needs Support

    Approaching Proficient

    Proficient

    Advanced

    Grade 5

    400–579

    580–615

    616–672

    673–800

    Grade 8

    400–585

    586–612

    613–655

    656–800

    Grade 10

    400–570

    571–600

    601–641

    642–800
               

     

    Table 3: Reporting Categories

    Reporting Categories star rating descriptions

    Student performance in Reporting Categories support teachers, students and families in identifying instructional areas of strength and weakness.  Student performance in each reporting category is displayed as one, two or three stars to show a comparison to students who performed at the proficient level. This provides relative information about the student’s performance in each reporting category.  Please reference the .

     

    Due to test length and timing constraints, there is not a sufficient number of items in each reporting category to enable a separate scale score or achievement level to be reported.  Additional support with applying Reporting Category data is located in the and .

     

    Where do I access my child’s AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment results in Parent Connect?

    AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment results are located in the Assessment Results section of Parent Connect. Select the “+“ sign to expand the section.

     

     

     

    Sample Parent Connect AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Report

    The following sample report shows what AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment results look like in Parent Connect. The example is labeled with the letters, A through E and numbers 1 through 3. The letters and numbers correspond to specific information about AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment results, which is provided on the following pages. Please contact your child’s principal, teacher or counselor for more support with AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment results.

     

     

    AK STAR Q ParentConnect Sample Report


     

     

    1. Test

    This is the assessment name, either AK STAR (ELA and mathematics) or AK Science

     

    1. Date Taken

    This is the date the spring window opens.  Students take tests during the five-week window.

     

    1. Grade

    This is the student’s grade level on test day.

     

    1. Sub Test - This is the list of results provided for each content area
      1. Content (ELA, Math or Science) Area Score with color code (see Tables 1 and 2, above)
      2. Content (ELA, Math or Science) Area Achievement Level with color code (see Tables 1 and 2, above)
      3. Reporting Category 1 (see Table 3, above)
      4. Reporting Category 2 (see Table 3, above)
      5. Reporting Category 3, science only (see Table 3, above)

     

    1. Score - This is displayed based on the Sub Test result
      1. Content (ELA, Math or Science) Area Score with color code (see Tables 1 and 2, above)
      2. Content (ELA, Math or Science) Area Achievement Level with color code (see Tables 1 and 2, above)
      3. Reporting Category 1 (see Table 3, above)
      4. Reporting Category 2 (see Table 3, above)
      5. Reporting Category 3, science only (see Table 3, above)

     

    Special Circumstance Codes

    The following Special Circumstances codes designate reasons why a student did not receive a score and will be displayed on the Student Testing History in place of a score or an achievement level:

     

    AK STAR (ELA and math)

    UTT = absent

    INV = invalid

    PAR = parent refusal

    STR = student refusal

    NOA = not attempted

     

    Alaska Science Assessment (science)

    ABS = absent

    INV = invalid

    PRF = parent refusal

    SRF = student refusal

    NOA = not attempted

     

    For a printable PDF version click .