- Anchorage School District
- Assessment
- State Assessments
- AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment
-
Please review the Assessment and Survey Calendar for specific assessment information by grade level and dates of administration.
About AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment
The Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) and the Alaska Science Assessment are computer-based, state-required assessments administered to students in Grades 3-9 (English language arts and mathematics) and grades 5, 8 and 10 (science) each spring during the state-designated testing window. AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment are aligned to the Alaska State Standards and provide students with the opportunity to show their understanding of important skills in these content areas at their grade level. More information is provided on the Alaska Department of Education (DEED) websites for each assessment:
Test Administration
AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment are untimed with the estimated testing times varying by grade level and content area. A general assessment overview and approximate testing times and ASD's recommended minimum test session length are outlined here:
Student readiness resources are available to help prepare students for AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment. Practice Tests and Tutorials are designed to provide students with a hands-on opportunity to experience the test environment and are available to students, educators, parents and the community.
Results
Results for AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessments are generally reported each fall. Additional support resources for Parents and Guardians, including how to access their child's scores in ParentConnect, assessment Parent Guides and links to supplementary support documents are located on the Parent Connect Assessment Results & Interpretive Guides section of the ASD Assessment website. Please see the additional list of Frequently Asked Questions provided below.
ASD FAQs - AK STAR, Alaska Science Assessment and DLM Alternate Assessment Score Reporting
-
How/When will parents receive AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results?
Spring 2024 scores for AK STAR (ELA and mathematics), the Alaska Science Assessment and DLM Alternate Assessment will be provided to parents electronically through Q ParentConnect on Friday, September 27. Parents may work with their child’s school for support with accessing their Q accounts. All assessment results, including AK STAR, the Alaska Science Assessment and the Alternate Assessment, are provided electronically as the established pathway for score reporting through Parent Connect.
The spring 2024 MAP Growth benchmark scores were posted to Q ParentConnect last spring on May 17, 2024.
To view your child’s AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results:
- Log into Parent Connection, https://parentconnect.asdk12.org/
- Select “Assessment Results” from the list of items on the left side
- Parent Guides are available on the ASD Assessment Results website, https://www.asdk12.org/AssessmentResults
-
How are the School-Level results reported?
For math, English language arts and science, the school reporting information will show the number of students tested at the state level, district level and at each grade level. In addition, the Summary Reports display the mean and median school overall score and level by grade, along with providing comparisons to district and state results. The school summary by grade also shows the percentage of students in each achievement level. Information on groups of standards, called Instructional Areas (AK STAR) and Reporting Categories (Alaska Science Assessment), is also provided as part of the score reporting process using up arrows, down arrows and equal signs.
- AK STAR (ELA and math) Instructional Areas: Reported as the MAP Growth Benchmark component of AK STAR using RIT scores
- Alaska Science Assessment Reporting Categories: Reported as a more focused component of the summative science assessment
On August 30th, The Alaska Department of Education, DEED, will provide District and School results to the public, https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/results. The ASD Data Dashboard, https://www.asdk12.org/Page/18684 (State Proficiency Assessment tab) will also be updated with this information.
-
How are the Student-Level results reported and what do the scores mean?
For English language arts, mathematics and science, each student will receive an overall score that is aligned to one of four achievement levels: Proficient (P), Advanced (A), Approaching Proficient (AP) and Needs Support (NS) (see Table 1). In addition, for science, information on groups of standards, called reporting categories, are also provided as part of the score reporting process. Information on the star rating is provided in the next FAQ.
The spring 2024 MAP Growth benchmark scores (included as part of the combined AK STAR summative/benchmark assessment) were posted to Q ParentConnect last spring on May 17, 2024.
Table 1: Achievement Levels
Achievement Level
Description
Proficient
Advanced (A)
Student meets the standards and demonstrates mastery of the knowledge and skills on a range of complex grade level content.
Proficient (P)
Student meets the standards and demonstrates mastery of the knowledge and skills of most grade level content.
Non-Proficient
Approaching Proficient (AP)
Student partially meets the standards and may have gaps in knowledge and skills but is approaching mastery of some grade level content.
Needs Support (NS)
Student may partially meet the standards but needs support to master the knowledge and skills of current grade level content.
Detailed AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment score reporting information and support resources, including Family Guides, are provided by the State of Alaska Department of Education:
- AK STAR, ELA and math - https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/akstar/results
- Alaska Science Assessment, science - https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/science/results
-
What do the stars mean on the Alaska Science Assessment Student-Level results under Reporting Category Performance?
Student performance in Reporting Categories supports teachers, students and families in identifying instructional areas of strength and weakness. Student performance in each reporting category is displayed as one, two or three stars to show a comparison to students who performed at the proficient level. This provides relative information about the student’s performance in each reporting category.
Due to test length and timing constraints, there is not a sufficient number of items in each reporting category to enable a separate scale score or achievement level to be reported. Additional support with applying Reporting Category data is located in the Educator Guide to Assessment Reports: Alaska Science Assessment.
-
How do the AK STAR scores align to MAP Growth Benchmark Scores?
The AK STAR System connects MAP Growth interim assessments with the end-of-the-year AK STAR summative assessment. In the spring, students only take one assessment in ELA and one in mathematics and are provided both a benchmark score with growth from fall to spring and a summative assessment score. The fall and winter MAP Growth benchmark scores provide a proficiency projection to the spring AK STAR summative to predict a student’s performance levels on the state summative assessment.
The Alaska Science Assessment is a summative assessment designed to measure a student’s knowledge of the K-12 Science Standards for Alaska, adopted in June 2019. The science assessment is administered to students in grades 5, 8, and 10. The Alaska Science Assessment is not connected to MAP Growth and provides a summative score only.
-
What about proficiency? Are these pass/fail assessments?
AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment are not pass/fail tests. Proficiency means that a student meets the standards and demonstrates mastery of the knowledge and skills of most grade-level content. Scores are aligned to achievement level descriptors by grade level and content area to better understand what each score means.
The purpose and design of the spring summative assessments are to provide an overall picture of a student’s performance on grade-level standards. AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment provide an objective check of grade-level achievement, but they are not the only indicator of learning. AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment scores should be used in conjunction with formative and benchmark assessments, other classwork and grades.
-
Looking for additional AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment score reporting resources?
- ASD public AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment website: https://www.asdk12.org/AKSTAR
- DEED AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment website: https://education.alaska.gov/assessments
- To view your child’s AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results:
- Log into Parent Connection, https://parentconnect.asdk12.org/
- Select “Assessment Results” from the list of items on the left side
- Parent Guides for understanding results are available on the ASD Assessment Results website, https://www.asdk12.org/AssessmentResults
