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Teaching is a marathon and requires daily focus to get to the finish line. In Texas, that finish line is the TX STAAR test. We’ll walk you through the practice activities and how to use them effectively. (Big hint: train a little each day to reduce burnout.) Have your students peak at the right time with our tools and strategies.
The Texas STAAR Test (or State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness Test) is the state assessment for Texas. It began in the 2012 school year and continues today. Every question is tied to TEKS (or the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills), Texas’s curriculum.
Students begin taking STAAR Test in Texas starting in third grade. The core tests include:
The state used to administer a writing test in grades 4 and 7, but that ended in the 2021-2022 school year. Instead, each subject test will have writing sections.
Students can take alternate STAAR tests if they qualify. This includes Spanish-speaking and SPED populations. Appropriate accommodations need to be in place.
STAAR continues at the high school level with the end-of-course (EOC) exams:
Students must pass these EOC exams to receive high school credit.
You can find all released tests and practice activities from the TEA here.
Here’s how to take the PDFs the TEA gives you and turn them into online auto-grading assignments you can give your students.
Students struggle with the variety of question choices with the Texas STAAR test because of the variety of questions. It’s hard to replicate. But with TeacherMade you can use over 20 different question types!
The 2021 STAAR test has been released. You can view it here.
There are many ways to use the released STAAR test for test prep.
The best way to prepare for a big test is by incorporating the test into your everyday class routine. Don’t throw a full practice test at your students right before the big exam, and hope for the best. Take the time throughout the year to dig into difficult questions. Incorporate practice questions into bellwork and homework each day. Consistent practice will help your students reach their goals.
With TeacherMade, you can create small learning checks and embed them into your Google Slides presentations. It’s the perfect way to incorporate daily reviews for STAAR in the classroom. You don’t lose time transitioning to a review activity.
We know getting students ready for an end-of-the-year test like STAAR is no small undertaking. Here are our tips to prepare students for the Texas STAAR test.
How do you feel about the review period you planned for a few weeks before the test? Did it go well? It’s the time of year when spring drifts in, and your students are not thrilled to be in school. It’s impossible to get through to them.
Stop putting all of your review time at the end of the course—instead, schedule times each week to do a review. A good example is a weekly bell work assignment that pulls some of the STAAR practice test questions.
As you do review each week, you can show progress over time. This is rewarding to students because it shows their growth. They are more likely to buy in to review and work harder to prepare for the test.
Since you’re doing a little at a time, you can focus on problem areas. You will see exactly where students struggle when reviewing for the STAAR test. From there, you can decide which areas need more practice and develop the right assignments for your students. You are focusing on the areas that need the most attention.
One of the best ways to improve test scores in your class is to build test-taking confidence Students with confidence make better-educated guesses, have testing perseverance, and don’t give up! By integrating TeacherMade throughout the year and reviewing concepts with prep now, students will go into standardized tests feeling more confident and prepared. So, don’t worry. You do not have to devote chunks of your time to test prep. You’ve been helping them to have confidence all year long!
Over the year, you have created assignments that assess a greater depth of knowledge! You have asked questions that assess your students’ critical thinking skills and depth of knowledge. TeacherMade makes it easy to ask the exact question on digital interactive activities. Your students are prepared to answer any questions!
You used TeacherMade to simulate online testing environments like read-out-loud buttons, highlighter tools, and various testing types. You’re good, and so are they!
You know where your students are by accessing their grades on TeacherMade since the beginning of the school year. You know what students struggle with the most, and you’ve supported them. You have not lost any time this school year, and your students are prepared!
With TeacherMade, you can develop your own online activities that mirror the TEIs of the STAAR exam. You can even use the practice questions that TEA provides. Every TeacherMade activity is auto-graded so that you can save time.
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