District reports mixed gains on STAR 2.0; third grade posts notable improvement

Jessica Steel presented the district’s preliminary STAR 2.0 spring 2025 raw results, explaining that the exam’s new item types and automated scoring (with human moderation on some responses) limit apples‑to‑apples comparisons with pre‑2023 data.

Steel said the district recorded meaningful elementary gains, calling third grade "one of our biggest notable gains," with increases at the approaches, meets and masters levels. Middle‑school results showed variance by grade, and high‑school EOCCs (English I and II) included both small declines and increases at different performance levels. Steel described that 57% of students showed point‑gaining movement under TEA's transition‑table growth model and reiterated the district’s emphasis on lesson‑plan internalization and stronger writing instruction across the curriculum to address constructed‑response demands.

She flagged practical implications for instruction: teachers must internalize HMH lesson plans so planning time can shift to rehearsal and delivery, and schools should continue to build students’ online test skills (text entry, graphing and writing). Trustees and staff discussed the relationship between I‑Ready projections and STAR outcomes and the role of practice on test‑like items to build students’ transfer to higher‑complexity tasks.

Steel closed by recommending continued PD for teachers and leaders, closer alignment of interventions to assessment item types and more attention to writing instruction at all grade levels.