Star Assessments provide new norms and benchmarks, available back-to-school 2024

This school year, pre-K–12 teachers will gain deeper insight into their students’ performance with updated norms in the English language versions of Star Early Literacy (pre-K–3), Star Reading (K–12) and Star Math (K–12).

What are norm-referenced scores and why are they helpful?

Norm-referenced scores provide a relative measure of student achievement compared to the performance of groups of students at a given time. Educators use this data to gauge student ability, help determine instructional groups, and inform next steps based on student needs.

Why did Renaissance update norms?

Renaissance continually evaluates and updates norms to ensure they remain relevant, fair, and useful to evaluate student performance in an ever-changing educational landscape. The frequency of updating Star Assessment norms is typically 3 – 5 years, but can vary on several factors, including changes in educational standards, shifts in student demographics, and advancement in assessment methodologies. (Norms in Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Star Math were previously updated in 2017, due to disruptions caused by COVID-19).

What impact, if any, does the new norming have on benchmark categories?

The new norming analysis found that scores declined overall in Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Star Math. Therefore, educators using School and/or District benchmarks will likely see fewer students classified as needing intervention and more students at/above benchmark level. State benchmarks are not impacted by the new norms, as they are based on linking studies with state tests.

When will the new norms take effect?

The new norms, based on the 2022/2023 data, will be applied on the first day of the 2024/2025 school year as defined on your Renaissance hosted site.

To learn more about the new norm analysis please refer to the Updated Star Assessment National Norms FAQ.