Using STAR Early Literacy Enterprise™ Scores to Match Books to Early Readers

Using STAR Early Literacy
Enterprise™ Scores to Match Books
to Early Readers
Renaissance Learning, Inc. offers two computer-adaptive assessments of reading skills: STAR Early
Literacy Enterprise and STAR Reading™.

STAR Early Literacy Enterprise, a criterion-referenced assessment for students in grades
pre-Kindergarten to 3, measures students’ skills in ten content areas essential to reading
readiness. Primary-grade teachers can use the data provided by STAR Early Literacy Enterprise to
monitor students’ reading development and guide planning and instruction.

STAR Reading, a norm-referenced assessment for students in grades 1–12, measures students’
reading comprehension. It provides Grade Equivalent (GE) scores as one measure of reading
achievement. GEs indicate the normal grade placement of students for whom a particular Scaled
Score is typical. For example, a student with a GE score of 1.3 has performed as well on STAR
Reading as a typical first-grade student in the third month of school. For each student assessed,
STAR Reading also provides a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to help teachers match
appropriate books to students. A student’s ZPD represents the range of book readability levels
that is neither too hard nor too easy, and is the level at which optimal learning takes place.
To help teachers match books to early readers, Table 1 (on the next page) displays correspondences
between STAR Early Literacy Scaled Scores and literacy development classifications on the one
hand, and STAR Reading Scaled Scores, GE scores, and ZPD ranges on the other.
This table was developed by linking (equating) STAR Early Literacy and STAR Reading Rasch ability
scores, then converting the linkage results to Scaled Scores of the two assessments.
The linking analysis began by identifying students who took the Enterprise versions of both STAR
Early Literacy and STAR Reading concurrently during the 2012–2013 school year. More than 300,000
students who had taken both tests within 15 days of one another formed the concurrent tests data
set. The linkage work employed linear equating analyses of a random sample of 25,000 matched
pairs of scores from that data set. STAR Early Literacy Enterprise and STAR Reading measure related
constructs, and were highly correlated (r = 0.71) in the concurrent data set.
STAR Reading GE scores in Table 1 are based on 2014 norming data for the Enterprise version of the
test, and therefore the Scaled Score ranges corresponding to the GE scores have changed
somewhat compared to earlier published versions of the table. STAR Reading ZPD ranges are
determined by the GE scores; the correspondence between GE scores and ZPD ranges is unrelated
to the new norms, and has not changed.
The primary purpose of Table 1 is to provide a link between STAR Early Literacy Scaled Scores and
STAR Reading GE scores, and thus to ZPD ranges, in order to facilitate matching readers to books in
Accelerated Reader. It can also be used to identify STAR Early Literacy and STAR Reading Scaled
Scores that are approximately equivalent. However, those tests are not the same test, and do
measure somewhat different aspects of reading development. Therefore, Table 1 is meant only as a
general guide. It should not be used to make decisions about students’ early reading achievement
or to calculate actual GE scores.
Renaissance Learning™ | P.O. Box 8036 | Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 | (800) 338-4204 | www.renaissance.com
© 2014 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
R11464.141021
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STAR Early Literacy—Using STAR Early Literacy Enterprise™ Scores to Match Books to Early Readers
Table 1:
Relating STAR Early Literacy Enterprise Scores to STAR Reading Scores
STAR Early Literacy Enterprise
Scaled Score
Range
STAR Reading
Scaled Score
Range
GE
ZPD
Range
NA
NA
NA
383–393
0–6
0.0
0.0–1.0
394–396
7–8
0.1
0.1–1.1
397–418
9–15
0.2
0.2–1.2
419–422
16–21
0.3
0.3–1.3
423–439
22–28
0.4
0.4–1.4
440–456
29–35
0.5
0.5–1.5
457–475
36–42
0.6
0.6–1.6
476–495
43–49
0.7
0.7–1.7
496–513
50–55
0.8
0.8–1.8
514–555
56–62
0.9
0.9–1.9
556–594
63–68
1.0
1.0–2.0
595–628
69–73
1.1
1.1–2.1
629–674
74–81
1.2
1.2–2.2
82–92
1.3
1.3–2.3
93–105
1.4
1.4–2.4
744–756
106–120
1.5
1.5–2.5
757–766
121–137
1.6
1.6–2.6
138–153
1.7
1.7–2.7
154–171
1.8
1.8–2.8
788–797
172–188
1.9
1.9–2.9
798–806
189–206
2.0
2.0–3.0
807–815
207–223
2.1
2.1–3.1
816–823
224–240
2.2
2.1–3.1
824–830
241–257
2.3
2.2–3.2
831–836
258–273
2.4
2.2–3.2
300–382
675–720
721–743
767–776
777–787
Literacy Classification
Emergent Reader
Transitional Reader
SEL SS = 675
Probable Reader
SEL SS = 775
Renaissance Learning™ | P.O. Box 8036 | Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 | (800) 338-4204 | www.renaissance.com
© 2014 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recommended
Assessment(s)
STAR Early Literacy Enterprise
STAR Early Literacy Enterprise
and STAR Reading
STAR Reading
R11464.141021
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STAR Early Literacy—Using STAR Early Literacy Enterprise™ Scores to Match Books to Early Readers
Table 1:
Relating STAR Early Literacy Enterprise Scores to STAR Reading Scores (Continued)
STAR Early Literacy Enterprise
STAR Reading
Scaled Score
Range
Literacy Classification
Scaled Score
Range
GE
ZPD
Range
837–841
Probable Reader (continued)
274–288
2.5
2.3–3.3
842–846
289–303
2.6
2.4–3.4
847–849
304–317
2.7
2.4–3.4
850–853
318–330
2.8
2.5–3.5
854–856
331–343
2.9
2.5–3.5
857–858
344–355
3.0
2.6–3.6
859–861
356–367
3.1
2.6–3.7
862–864
368–378
3.2
2.7–3.8
865–865
379–389
3.3
2.7–3.8
865–867
390–399
3.4
2.8–3.9
868–868
400–409
3.5
2.8–4.0
869–869
410–419
3.6
2.8–4.1
870–870
420–428
3.7
2.9–4.2
870–872
429–437
3.8
2.9–4.3
873–873
438–446
3.9
3.0–4.4
874–874
447–455
4.0
3.0–4.5
876–876
456–465
4.1
3.0–4.6
876–877
466–474
4.2
3.1–4.7
877–878
475–483
4.3
3.1–4.8
878–878
484–492
4.4
3.2–4.9
878–879
493–502
4.5
3.2–5.0
879–880
503–511
4.6
3.2–5.1
880–881
512–521
4.7
3.3–5.2
881–882
522–531
4.8
3.3–5.2
882–882
532–542
4.9
3.4–5.3
882–883
543–552
5.0
3.4–5.4
883–884
553–563
5.1
3.5–5.5
Renaissance Learning™ | P.O. Box 8036 | Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 | (800) 338-4204 | www.renaissance.com
© 2014 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recommended
Assessment(s)
STAR Reading (continued)
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Page 3 of 4
STAR Early Literacy—Using STAR Early Literacy Enterprise™ Scores to Match Books to Early Readers
Table 1:
Relating STAR Early Literacy Enterprise Scores to STAR Reading Scores (Continued)
STAR Early Literacy Enterprise
STAR Reading
Scaled Score
Range
Literacy Classification
Scaled Score
Range
GE
ZPD
Range
Recommended
Assessment(s)
884–884
Probable Reader (continued)
564–574
5.2
3.5–5.5
STAR Reading (continued)
885–885
575–586
5.3
3.6–5.6
885–886
587–597
5.4
3.6–5.6
886–886
598–609
5.5
3.7–5.7
886–887
610–621
5.6
3.8–5.8
887–887
622–633
5.7
3.8–5.9
887–888
634–645
5.8
3.9–5.9
888–888
646–658
5.9
3.9–6.0
889+
659+
6.0
4.0–6.1
In addition to providing approximate GE scores and ZPDs, this table helps determine whether a
student previously tested with STAR Early Literacy Enterprise could complete a STAR Reading test.
The 2001 STAR Early Literacy Validation Study data indicate that a student with a STAR Early
Literacy Enterprise Scaled Score of 682 or higher is likely able to complete a STAR Reading test
without getting frustrated. However, teachers should consider both the Scaled Score and their
knowledge of the student’s reading proficiency when selecting a reading assessment. Moreover,
although a student may be capable of taking a STAR Reading assessment, teachers may want to
continue using STAR Early Literacy Enterprise with the student to diagnose strengths and
weaknesses in literacy skills and to plan reading instruction.
Renaissance Learning™ | P.O. Box 8036 | Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 | (800) 338-4204 | www.renaissance.com
All logos, designs, and brand names for Renaissance Learning’s products and services, including but not limited to Renaissance Learning, STAR, STAR
Early Literacy, STAR Early Literacy Enterprise, and STAR Reading are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common
law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries.
© 2014 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
R11464.141021
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