STAR: Early Literacy (SEL) |
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Cost |
Technology, Human Resources, and Accommodations for Special Needs |
Service & Support |
Purpose & Other Implementation Information |
Usage & Reporting |
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Cost per student for year 1: $7.89 per student based on 200 students (including a $0.39 per student fee). The one-time fee for STAR Early Literacy is $1,499.00. It includes STAR Early Literacy software, software/technical manual, installation guide, testing instructions, and remote installation and setup. Cost for subsequent years: $0.39 per student per year ($100 minimum). It includes software upgrades, updates, expert technical support, district-wide management, and reporting access. Other pricing models are available. |
Computer access is required, with headphones (preferred) or speakers for sound. Testers will require less than 1 hour of training. Paraprofessionals can administer the test. Accommodations: SEL may be used with students with special or remedial needs beyond the third grade if the student’s skill level is consistent with the domains featured on the assessment. The keyboard and the mouse are the default input devices. STAR Early Literacy does not require students be computer literate or be able to operate the mouse. Computer-literate students should have no advantage over those with limited computer skills, including those with physical disabilities that prevent use of the mouse or complex combinations of keystrokes. Alternate input devices that plug into a mouse port can be used to control the pointer and choose answers. Graphics, audio instruction, and other features are provided as standard components of the assessment. |
Renaissance Learning, Inc. Field tested training manuals are available and should provide all implementation information. Ongoing technical support is available from the Renaissance Learning technical support staff. |
STAR Early Literacy is a computer-adaptive assessment of early literacy skills (seven domains and 41 skills) that can be administered to individuals or groups of students in grades K to 3 in approximately 10 minutes. The tool provides information on student reading readiness skills in seven domains, including:
The difficulty of items is adjusted automatically to reflect the skill level of all students, including students with special needs. An item calibration study was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 32,493 students. The test was subsequently normed using a nationally representative sample of 9,038 students from 50 States |
STAR Early Literacy takes approximately 10 minutes to administer the test. Scoring is automated and does not require any additional time. SEL uses a proprietary, Rasch-based, 1-parameter logistic response model to calculate scores. Scores in seven domains and in 41 specific skill sets are also available, including scaled scores, domain scores, and skill scores. The proficiency estimates are based on established statistical relationships between overall performance and each specific domain and skill set. Standard scores and developmental benchmarks (i.e. emergent, transitional, or probable reader) are available. Reports generated automatically by SEL can include all of these scores. Vertical scaling allows students’ progress to be monitored across grades rather than just within a grade, and a student’s most recent performance can be compared with the results of previous assessments in order to monitor progress. Each score may be represented graphically on a score scale divided into the literacy categories of emergent, transitional, or probable reader. Scaled scores can be graphed to show a growth curve. The number of alternate forms is virtually unlimited because SEL is a computer-adaptive assessment. |