STAR Interpreting Core Scoring Metrics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On the STAR assessment, a student scores at the 72nd percentile rank. What does this mean?
- The student answered 72% of questions correctly
- The student scored higher than 72% of the norm group (Correct answer)
- The student is in the 72nd performance level
- The student needs 72 more points to reach proficiency
Correct answer: The student scored higher than 72% of the norm group
A percentile rank of 72 means the student scored higher than 72% of students in the norm group.
Question 2: Which STAR performance level is considered the standard expectation for grade-level mastery?
- Basic
- Below Basic
- Proficient (Correct answer)
- Advanced
Correct answer: Proficient
Proficient is the performance level that indicates a student has met the grade-level standard.
Question 3: A student's Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) score is 50. What does this indicate?
- The student scored below average
- The student scored exactly at the national average (Correct answer)
- The student scored in the top 50% only
- The student achieved a perfect score
Correct answer: The student scored exactly at the national average
An NCE of 50 corresponds to the 50th percentile, meaning the student scored exactly at the national average.
Question 4: A STAR scale score report shows a student's score fell within the 'Basic' band. What action is most appropriate?
- No action needed; Basic is the highest band
- The student requires targeted support to reach Proficiency (Correct answer)
- The student should be placed in advanced coursework
- The score indicates the student is Far Below Basic
Correct answer: The student requires targeted support to reach Proficiency
Basic is below Proficient, so targeted intervention is recommended to help the student reach the grade-level standard.
Question 5: When comparing two students' STAR scores, Student A has a higher scale score but a lower percentile rank than Student B. How is this possible?
- It is impossible; scale scores and percentile ranks always align
- They took different test forms with different scoring scales
- Scale scores and percentile ranks measure different populations (Correct answer)
- Student A must have had more correct answers than Student B
Correct answer: Scale scores and percentile ranks measure different populations
Scale scores reflect performance on a fixed scale, while percentile ranks compare to a norm group, so mismatches can occur across different grade levels or subjects.
Question 6: A grade equivalent (GE) score of 5.3 on a STAR test for a 3rd grader means the student:
- Should be promoted to 5th grade immediately
- Performed as well as a typical 5th grader in the 3rd month on that test content (Correct answer)
- Failed the 3rd grade standards
- Scored in the 53rd percentile
Correct answer: Performed as well as a typical 5th grader in the 3rd month on that test content
A GE of 5.3 means the student's performance equals that of an average 5th grader in the 3rd month of school on the tested skills.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the purpose of a confidence interval shown on a STAR score report?
- It shows the range of scores a student could earn if retested (Correct answer)
- It indicates the teacher's confidence in the student's effort
- It defines the cutoff between performance levels
- It shows whether the student passed or failed
Correct answer: It shows the range of scores a student could earn if retested
A confidence interval represents the range within which a student's true score likely falls, accounting for measurement error.
STAR Interpreting Core Scoring Metrics 2
On the STAR assessment, a student scores at the 72nd percentile rank.
What does this mean?