 Click the TEA logo above to access the Texas Education Agency website.  Click the STAAR logo above to access the STAAR information website.  | The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) consists of statewide tests in science in grades 5, 8, and 9. Students in grades 10 and 11 are assessed by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for the 2011-2012 school year. The exams in grades 5 and 8 assess student knowledge and skills in science in the areas of scientific investigation and reasoning; matter and energy; force, motion, and energy; Earth and space science; and organisms and environments (life science). The 5th grade STAAR science test includes 44 questions reported in 4 categories: matter and energy; force, motion, and energy; Earth and space science; organisms and environments. The 8th grade STAAR science test includes 54 questions reported in the same 4 categories. Sample items have not yet been provided by the Texas Education Agency; however, the items included on the STAAR exams will test student understanding at a higher level than on past TAKS tests. The 5th and 8th grade STAAR exams will be administered in late April. More information on the STAAR exams can be found on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) website. The STAAR exam administered to 9th graders in 2011-2012 will be specific to the science course in which each 9th grader is enrolled. In Birdville ISD, the majority of freshmen are enrolled in Biology, so most 9th graders will take the Biology end-of-course STAAR exam in May of 2012. For a student to graduate on the Recommended or Distinguished Achievement graduation plan, he or she must earn a satisfactory score on the end-of-course STAAR exams in Biology (54 questions), Chemistry (52 questions), and Physics (50 questions). For a complete description of the STAAR test, visit the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) website. |
