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S. T. A. R. S.

S. - School-based
T. - Teacher-led
A. - Assessment &
R. - Reporting
S. - System

What is S.T.A.R.S.?

S.T.A.R.S. is a statewide system implemented to improve student academic achievement. Across the state individual school districts are required to develop assessment plans and instruments to determine student achievement in the areas of language arts, math, science and social studies using state academic standards as guidelines. Assessment results indicating the number of students achieving at the proficient level are reported to the state annually in June and a statewide report card is issued in November. Districts are also required to submit portfolios outlining the process used to establish standards and objectives for student learning and the development of assessments used to determine student achievement of those same objectives.

How does S.T.A.R.S. work in Fremont Public Schools?

S. School-based: Groups of teachers have met and established academic standards and objectives for language arts, math, science and social studies using the state standards as guidelines. These locally developed and state approved standards have established what Fremont students need to know and be able to do at each grade level or in each secondary course.

T. Teacher-led: Using our locally developed standards, teacher groups developed Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Maps (specific lesson plans) to insure that all students have an opportunity to learn the concepts and skills required to demonstrate proficiency of the standards, regardless of where they attend school or whom they have as a teacher.

A. Assessment: Teacher groups also created assessment instruments (Criterion Reference Tests or CRTs) to test students' level of proficiency on those same grade level or course standards. These assessments are given throughout the year. The students' scores are included in their grades. The Nebraska Department of Education requires that ALL students including Special Education and English Language Learners be assessed on grade level.

R. Reporting: Student proficiency levels are reported to the Nebraska Department of Education annually in June. Locally, student scores are analyzed to discover the academic strengths and weaknesses of students and of our curriculum and instruction models. We then use this information to develop school improvement plans and to make changes in our classroom instruction in an effort to increase student learning.

S. System: The Nebraska Department of Education developed this system as a guideline to allow local school districts to maintain local control of their learning environments. The State Standards may have been adopted in their entirety by a district or a district could have developed its own standards. Each individual district also established its own proficiency levels for students and created its own unique assessments. Even though all districts report student proficiency numbers to the Nebraska Department of Education, those numbers are derived from vastly different assessment systems and a variety of "proficiency" definitions. As a result, the individual school district results cannot be compared. The one exception is the state writing assessment given at grades 4, 8 and 11.