- Anchorage School District
- Overview & Services
- State Assessments
- AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment
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Please review the Assessment and Survey Calendar for specific assessment information by grade level and dates of administration.
About AK STAR
The Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) and the Alaska Science Assessment are computer-based 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 state-required assessments that provide students with the opportunity to show their understanding of important skills in these content areas at their grade level.
Results
Results for AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessments are 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.
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AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Overview and State Resources
The State of Alaska Department of Education (DEED) provides resources to help better understand AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment and connect to curriculum, instruction and student learning.
Examples: Test Design and Blueprints, Item Types, Alaska Standards information, FAQs and Accommodations and Student Supports.
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AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Content Areas & Testing Times
While the AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessments are untimed, approximate testing times, along with an ASD recommended minimum test session length, are included in the table linked above.
The estimated testing times vary by grade level and content area.
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AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Student Readiness Resources
Student readiness resources are available to help prepare students for AK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment.
The AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment Practice Tests and Tutorials are designed to provide students a hands-on opportunity to experience the test environment and are available to students, educators, parents and the community.
ASD FAQs - AK STAR and AK Science Score Reporting
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How and when will parents receive AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results?
Scores will be provided to parents electronically through Q Parent Connect on Friday, December 2. Parents may work with their child’s school for support with accessing their Q accounts. All assessment results, including AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment or the Alternate Assessment, are provided electronically as the established pathway for score reporting through Parent Connect.
To view your child’s AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results:
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Log into Parent Connection, https://parentconnect.asdk12.org/
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Select “Assessment Results” from the list of items on the left side
Parent Guides for understanding results will be available on the ASD Assessment Results website in conjunction with the score posting on December 2, https://www.asdk12.org/AssessmentResults
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How are the School-Level results reported?
AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment school-level results will be available starting November 10 on the Anchorage School District Data Dashboard, https://www.asdk12.org/Page/18684 by selecting the State Proficiency Assessment tab. In addition, the State of Alaska Department of Education (DEED) Assessments Results website, https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/results provides statewide results by year for all Alaskan districts and schools.
The school and district reporting information shows the number of students tested and the overall percentage of students in each achievement level.
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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, information on groups of standards, called reporting categories, will also be provided as part of the score reporting process. Information on the star rating is provided in the next FAQ.
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:
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AK STAR, ELA and math - https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/akstar/results
Alaska Science Assessment, science - https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/science/results
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What do the stars mean on the Student-Level results under Reporting Category Performance?
Student performance in Reporting Categories support 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. Please reference the AK STAR ELA and Mathematics - Educator Guide to Assessment Reports Spring 2022.
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 AK STAR Reporting Category Performance for English Language Arts and Mathematics Assessments.
Similar information is provided for the Alaska Science Assessment results and details about the content reporting categories are found in the Educator Guide to Assessment Reports: Alaska Science Assessment.
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How do the AK STAR scores align to MAP Growth Benchmark Scores?
For Spring 2022, these two assessments were NOT connected. Starting this year, 2022-2023, the AK STAR System will connect MAP Growth interim assessments with the end-of-the-year AK STAR summative assessment. In the spring, students will only take one assessment in ELA and one in mathematics and be provided both a benchmark score with growth from fall to spring and a summative assessment score. The 2022-2023 fall and winter MAP Growth benchmark scores provide a proficiency projection to the spring 2023 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.
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What about proficiency? Is this a pass/fail assessment?
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 (Educator Guide, p.40). Scores are aligned to achievement level descriptors by grade level and content area to better understand what each score means.
The State of Alaska states that 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.
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AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment score reporting resources:
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ASD public AK STAR and Alaska Science Assessment website: https://www.asdk12.org/AKSTAR
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DEED AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment website: https://education.alaska.gov/assessments
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To view your child’s AK STAR/Alaska Science Assessment or Alternate Assessment results:
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Log into Parent Connection, https://parentconnect.asdk12.org/
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Select “Assessment Results” from the list of items on the left side
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Parent Guides for understanding results will be available on the ASD Assessment Results website in conjunction with the score posting on December 2, https://www.asdk12.org/AssessmentResults
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