Know what your emergent bilinguals are ready to learn

K-12 bilingual assessments

Whether your students are enrolled in dual language or English-only classrooms, Star Assessments in English and Spanish helps educators move from assessment to targeted instruction in ways that best support emergent bilingual students’ learning and growth.

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The importance of assessing in both languages

The importance of assessing in both languages

The difference data makes in bilingual assessment

Imagine you have a new student, a Spanish-speaking English Learner. If you only test him in English, you won’t necessarily get a complete picture of the skills he has developed in his native language.

Now imagine that you also assess the student in Spanish. This will provide you with insight into what he knows and can do in both languages, so you can provide instruction and support to help him reach his full potential.

Understand the needs of your English Learners

Billingual assessment and instructional planning

Reading and Math

Three Star Assessments are available in both English and Spanish: Star Early Literacy for grades pre-K–3, Star Reading for grades K–12, and Star Math for grades K–12. With Star Assessments, you can get a consistent measure of achievement and growth, in English and in Spanish, across all grades!

Emergent Bilinguals

Star Assessments support an asset-based approach to learning, focused on what students know and can do in Spanish and English—and how you can build on this to support bilingualism and biliteracy. Get the details in our recent blog post.

Common Myths

Is there really a “critical period” for learning a second language? Is English immersion more or less effective than dual-language instruction? Get the answers as we explore 6 common myths about bilingual learners.

Skill Progression

Which skills are your students ready to learn in Spanish? The Progresión de la lectura de Renaissance describes the learning progression development process, including how it is authentic to the pedagogy for Spanish Reading. It also represents the set of skills a student needs to achieve reading success.

Star CBM Lectura

Star CBM Lectura for grades K–6. Assessments that truly reflect students’ literacy development in Spanish

See how Star Spanish works

Learn more about supporting emergent bilingual students with Star Assessments in English and Spanish

Star Spanish is included with Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Star Math

Please note: Star Early Literacy and Star Reading assessments in Spanish assess authentic Spanish literacy skills. English language skills that do not exist in Spanish are not included. Star Math assessments in English and Spanish assess the same skills.

Star Early Literacy

Foundational Skills
  • Print Concepts
  • Phonological Awareness
  • Phonics and Word Recognition
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Star Reading

Informational Text & Literature
  • Key Ideas and Details
  • Craft and Structure
  • Integration of Knowledge & Skills
  • Range of Reading & Text Complexity
Language
  • Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Star Math

  • Counting and Cardinality
  • Operations and Algebraic Thinking
  • Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
  • Measurement and Data
  • Geometry
  • Fraction Concepts and Operations
  • Ratios and Proportional Relationships
  • The Number System
Expressions and Equations
  • Statistics and Probability
  • Functions

Star Assessments give teachers a fast, clear picture of students’ abilities in both languages… We’re also able to identify problems early in the process, without requiring a lot of one-on-one teacher time for testing.

Anna Thomas • Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability, OSD

Star Spanish Focus Skills

Focus Skills are the building blocks of student learning. Based on extensive research on how learning progresses in reading and math, the Focus Skills provide a roadmap to lead each student to greater mastery.

Recorded webinar

Making a difference in the outcome of your dual-language learners: Tools that work

Presenters: Doris Chavez-Linville and Carol Johnson

Students in bilingual and dual-language programs graduate from high school headed to the career or college of their dreams. One of the main reasons for this success is the development of biliteracy. This session explores the ways in which Renaissance supports biliteracy in bilingual and dual-language programs.

Happy Hispanic girl

Discover the power of Renaissance Star Assessment

Explore features, review research, get funding resources, and more

FAQs about bilingual assessment

Understanding Star Spanish

How is Star Spanish administered?

The assessment can be administered online or in a paper-and-pencil format, depending on the preferences of the institution or organization conducting the test.

What skills does Star Spanish evaluate?

Star Spanish evaluates various language skills, including reading comprehension, listening comprehension, oral proficiency, and writing proficiency in Spanish.

How is Star Spanish different from other billingual assessments?

Star Spanish assessment stands out due to its computer-adaptive nature, which means that the difficulty level of the questions adjusts based on the student’s responses, providing a personalized assessment experience.

Can Star Spanish be administered online?

Yes, Star Spanish can be administered online, allowing students to take the test using computers or other compatible devices.

What grade levels is Star Spanish available for?

The assessment is available for students in grades 1 to 12, covering a wide range of age groups.

Want to learn more?

A Renaissance representative can provide you with a more detailed understanding of Star Spanish and other Renaissance student assessment tools

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