This blog contains analysis of sample STAR questions. I communicated my concerns to California Department of Education on 4-4-2009 but have received no reply to date. I also contacted California Senator Mark Wyland (5-19-2009) and received an email reply (7-28-2009) pledging his continued search for meaningful reforms in California education.
WordsAhead examined only one strand – Word Analysis – which represent 34 percent of the entire California Standards Test, Grade 2, English-Language Arts, 2009 (STAR-ELA).
WA did not analyze these other STAR-English-Language Arts strands:
- Reading Comprehension (23% of test questions)
- Literary Response and Analysis (9% of test questions)
- Writing Strategies (12% of test questions)
- Written Conventions (22% of test questions)
STAR ensures the appropriateness of sample questions for measuring academic content standards, questions by vetting them in committees of content experts – including teachers and administrators – which makes WA's job of alleging STAR's failure to adhere to principles of fairness and correctness all the more distressing.
FIRST general consideration when testing students:
How can we be sure students know the test's vocabulary?
Directions for sample questions 1-6 are not printed in the test booklet; the test administrator must read bracketed directions aloud to the class. Other language obviously must be independently deciphered by 2nd graders in order for them to understand the test directions.
Here is actual test instruction vocabulary. Have these exact words been taught and practiced? How can we know for sure? If not, why not?
V01 /a/ as, has
V02 /i/ into, inside, important, hit, which, divide(d)
V02 /y/ syllable(s)
V03 /o/ bottle
V04 /e/ the
V05 /ea/ bread, ahead
V06 /a_e/ care(ful), same, scare(d)
V06 /ai/ wait
V06 /ea/ break
V07 /igh/ might
V07 /y/ myself
V07 /ui_e/ guide
V08 /o_e/ tore, broke
V08 /oa/ boat, board
V08 /ow/ grow(th), slow(ly)
V10 /e/ be, begin(n)(ing)
V10 /ea/ hear, team, steal
V11 /a/ card
V12 /ou/ should
V13 /ow/ how, town, vowel
V13 /ou/ sound, spout, sprout
V15 /or/ work
V15 /urr/ hurry
SECOND general consideration when testing students:
What checks-and-balances safeguard the test's correctness?
The reason WordsAhead scored only 6 correct out of 9 questions (66%) on STAR-ELA subtest is because of three questions based on the conventional syllabication rule which splits words (using ABC/visual modality) according to double letter spellings, e.g. mat-ter, big-ger, hot-ter, mud-dy, bet-ter, etc. On-line dictionaries have pronunciation guides to remedy the situation:
The obvious purpose of mastering syllabication is to heighten students' pronunciation acuity, yet this conventional "double-letter rule" DOES NOT prove to be a valid, unless one stutters.
THIRD general consideration when testing students:
Is there a process for reporting errors itemized below?
The most obvious hang-up for students in the STAR test is that they are expected to HEAR speech sounds by LOOKING at alphabet letters, as in these items:
- Questions 1, 5, 6 "Find the word that has the same sound as the underlined letter or letters in the first word."
- Question 8 "Which word has the same vowel sound as bread?"
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Note: Sample test questions use underlining for emphasis, but this blog uses bold. Also, Sound Coding (example: C17-V08-C38-C19) is offered only by WordsAhead, not STAR, with added red color to focus our attention to Vowel Sounds.
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PRACTICE TEST QUESTIONS
1) [Find the word that has the same sound as the bolded letter or letters as the first word.]
board /oar/ C17-V08-C38-C19
A) scared C28-C22-V06-C38-C19
B) card C22-V11-C38-C19
C) boat C17-V08-C18
D) tore C18-V08-C38
STAR's choice is D).
WA recognizes TWO sounds (V08 and C38).
Thus, these instructions are alleged to be misleading.
2RW1.1 = Special vowel spellings for V08 /oa/ and /o_e/
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2) [Find the word that has been divided into syllables correctly.]
A) beg–in–ning
B) begin–ning
C) beg–inn–ing
D) be–gin–ning :: STAR's choice /n–n/
WA alleges that no correct options are shown.The correct pronunciation/syllabication: be–gi–nningConsidering base words, this would be a logical answer: be–ginn–ing
2RW1.3 = Decoding multi-syllable words
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3) [Find the word that has been divided into syllables correctly.]
A) b–ottle
B) bo–ttle
C) bot–tle
D) bott–le
STAR's choice is /t-t/, C).WA alleges that bottle is pronounced C17-V03 • C18-V04-C37.The correct answer ought to be B), not C).
2RW1.2 = Syllabication
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4) [Find the word that has been divided into syllables correctly.]
A) h–urry
B) hurr–y
C) hur–ry
D) hu–rry
STAR's choice is /r-r/ C).WA alleges that hurry is pronounced C32-V15 • V10.The correct answer ought to be B), not C).
2RW1.2 = Syllabication
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5) [Find the word that has the same sound as the underlined letter or letters in the first word.]
might /i/ C33-V07-C18
A) wait C36-V06-C18
B) guide C23-V07-C19
C) hear C32-V10-C38
D) hit C32-V02-C18
STAR's choice is B).WA wants proof vocabulary has been taught and practiced ahead of time.
2RW1.1 = Special vowel spellings for V07 /igh/ and /ui_e/
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6) [Find the word that has the same sound as the bolded letter or letters as the first word.]
growth /ow/ C23-C38-V08-C26
A) town C18-V13-C34
B) broke C17-C38-V08-C22
C) sprout C28-C16-C38-V13-C18
D) spout C28-C16-V13-C18
STAR's choice is B); WA agrees.
2RW1.1 = Special vowel spellings for V08 /ow/ and /o_e/
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7) [Find the word that has been divided into syllables correctly.]
A) slo–wly
B) ins–ide
C) mys–elf
D) care–ful
STAR's choice is D).WA agrees, noticing that there are no double-letters offered.
2RW1.2 = Prefix and suffix recognition
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8) (Student reads independently.) Which word has the same vowel sound as bread?
A) ahead V04 • C32-V05-C19
B) steal C28-C18-V10-C37
C) team C18-V10-C33
D) break C17-C38-V06-C22
STAR's choice is A), alleging that option A) contains two vowel sounds.Is a 50% margin for error fair?Option D) only changes the letters /d/ and /k/.Perhaps the instructions should ask for a word that rhymes with bread?
2RW1.1 = Special vowel spelling for V05 /ea/
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9) (Student read the question independently.)
How should the word important be divided into syllables?
A) im–por–tant :: STAR's choice
B) imp–or–tant
C) imp–o–rtant
D) im–port–ant
STAR's choice is A); WA does not dispute.
2RW1.2 = Syllabication
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Is STAR testing important? If so, let's make the experience dramatically better?!
Note: Practice test results cannot be projected to accurately predict actual test results, yet all questions listed above have been used in prior STAR tests and are administered under policies set by the State Board of Education. WA continues to allege that the "science" of current instruction and testing contains error.
This blog examines only one subtest, WORD ANALYSIS.
This blog examines only one subtest, WORD ANALYSIS.
