Technical Manual - Renaissance Learning

IntroductionOverviewSTAR Early Literacy Enterprise is a computer-adaptive assessment instrumentdesigned to measure the early literacy skills of beginning readers. STAR EarlyLiteracy Enterprise addresses the need to determine children’s mastery of literacyconcepts that are directly related to their future success as readers. STAR EarlyLiteracy Enterprise assesses proficiency in three broad domains (Word Knowledgeand Skills, Comprehension Strategies and Constructing Meaning, and Numbersand Operations) which include ten key early literacy sub-domains involving 41different sets of skills or concepts. STAR Early Literacy Enterprise was designedexplicitly to be used to assess children in kindergarten through grade 2. However,throughout its research and development, it was administered satisfactorily tochildren from pre-kindergarten through grade 3. In many cases, it will be suitablefor teachers’ use in assessing pre-kindergarten students and/or students in grade3 and beyond.Early childhood education programs abound in this country. Whether federallyfunded Head First, Even Start and Head Start programs, public preschoolsadministered by local school districts, or private programs that are typicallyassociated with parochial schools, the importance of assessing early literacy skillscannot be overstated. The continued ability to assess these skills during the earlyprimary grades will enable teachers to intervene early in the formal learningprocess. Research supports successful early intervention as the single bestpredictor for future academic success, particularly in the critical areas of readingand language acquisition.STAR Early Literacy Enterprise is distinguished from other assessments of earlyliteracy in three ways. First, it is computer-administered, requiring a minimum ofoversight by the teacher; its use of computer graphics, audio instructions, andcomputerized, automatic dictation of instructions and test questions means thatmost children can take the test without teacher assistance. Second, itsadministration is computer-adaptive, which means the content and difficultylevels of the assessment are tailored to each student’s performance. Third, it isbrief; each assessment administers just 27 test items and takes an average ofeleven minutes. Despite its brevity, STAR Early Literacy Enterprise has been shownto correlate highly with a wide range of more time-intensive standardizedmeasures of early literacy, reading, and other learning readiness skills.Unlike many assessments, STAR Early Literacy Enterprise is designed specificallyfor repeated administration throughout the school year. STAR Early LiteracySTAR Early LiteracyTechnical Manual1