New ITEM Types for ELAR STAAR

As most of you know, HB 3 states that there can only be 75% of test questions on STAAR that will be multiple choice. What will that mean for ELAR? 

I attended a webinar with TEA and other Regional Service Centers to learn what this may look like for us. Then, I wrote some of the sample items for a text set that my local folks are using.  

We are reading Marigolds by Eugenia Collier and a drama Shad Tyra and I developed from Thank-You Ma'am by Langston Hughes. (It's hard to find dramas, y'all. I don't have any trouble finding drama itself, but, one to read with my kids? Different kind of drama.) 

Don't panic. You will see sample items this year. They won't be on the 2020-2021 test at all. All item types are in development. In 2021-2022, you will see them on the field test. In 2022-2023, we expect the items to be operational. And no, we don't have any rubrics yet. Still lots of time for that.

These types of items are in development: 

• Multi-Select - Basically multiple choice, but you pick more than one. 
• Multi-Part - Questions that have two parts. For example, you choose a multiple choice answer for the first part. Then a second part asks you to highlight the evidence that you used to select the answer in the first part. 
• Text Entry - You type stuff in a box. A root, affix, word, phrase. 
• Short Answer - You know what this is, folks. "Read the question carefully. Then enter your answer in the space provided. (1000 characters)"
• Grid Completion - The example I saw was for a paired text or sections of a text. Has three columns with text evidence.  You make an x in the next two columns where the ideas apply. 
• Long Response - You know what this is. It's the essay. No word about length or rubrics yet. Still time for that. Right now everything stays the same. 

Below are the documents I created to play with how we could start thinking like this. It was hard to do, and none of what I have done is for sure what things will look like, nor psychometrically sound. But I thought it was important to start thinking this way. As I reviewed the questions, I think these are good ways to assess critical thought and will be good practices for instruction. I like it! 

Assessing Marigolds

Assessing Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones 

Assessing both Marigolds and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones 

What are you thinking and creating along these lines?