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Lawmakers press DEED on AK STAR timing; agency says results typically released to districts in September
Summary
Senators raised concerns that AK STAR results reach districts too late for local course placement; DEED said results typically arrive to the department in August, are validated and released to districts in September, and that expediting written-response scoring could speed some returns at additional cost.
Senators on the subcommittee pressed Department of Education and Early Development officials about the timeliness of AK STAR assessment results during the March 25 briefing on data dashboards.
Senator Young asked what percentage of Alaska students take AK STAR and requested breakdowns by grade band and delivery model (neighborhood schools, charters, correspondence). Monica (self‑identified as Director of Innovation and Education Excellence) told senators DEED typically receives results in August and, after validation, releases them to school districts in September. "We typically get our results in August, but then we have to validate them. So they're usually released to school districts in September," she said.
Why it matters: senators said September delivery is late for some local needs, including course placement decisions that occur before the new school year. Senator Young asked whether parts of scoring that do not require handwritten review could be returned sooner; Monica said DEED has discussed expediting scoring with its vendor and that some elements could be returned a couple of months earlier, but that faster turnaround carries additional cost and may not fully solve classroom-timing constraints.
What DEED will do: DEED agreed to follow up with more detailed timing and requested materials, including grade-level breakdowns and participation rates, and to review contracts and options for expediting vendor scoring where feasible. The department did not commit to a specific earlier delivery date but said it would provide further information to senators.
