Star Assessments™ Support Ohio’s
Reading Programs
Renaissance Star Early Literacy® and Renaissance Star Reading® are approved as Diagnostic Assessments, also
known as screeners, by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Ohio educators can use Star Assessments™ to
determine if K–3 students are on track or not on track for reading at grade level 1. The Star Reading Third Grade
Proficiency Assessment is approved by ODE as an alternative reading assessment, so students can “demonstrate an
acceptable level of reading performance for promotion to fourth grade 2.”
Screening using Star Reading and Star Early Literacy
Star Early Literacy and Star Reading can be used as Diagnostic
Assessments (aka screeners) to determine if students are not on track
for reading at grade level. Ohio educators can use the default
benchmarks on the Star Screening Reports which highlight students
whose percentile rank is less than 10 (shown in the red, “Urgent
Intervention” group) and students whose percentile rank is less than 25
(shown in the yellow, “Intervention” group). Students in either the
“Urgent Intervention” or “Intervention” groups are eligible for a Reading
Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP).
In addition, students whose score places them below the 40th
percentile (shown in the blue, “On Watch” group) are recommended for
monitoring because they may not be on track to meet Ohio’s Third
Grade Reading Guarantee cutscore.
Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment
The ODE has established that students must achieve a minimum score of 44 on the third grade reading subtest of the
Ohio State Tests (OST) to be promoted to fourth grade. According to Renaissance’s equating study, 3 a 44 on Ohio’s
OST reading subtest is equivalent to 959 (38th percentile rank) on the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency
Assessment’s Unified Scale. The Unified Scale is a new Star score scale that will be available when the Star Third Grade
Reading Proficiency Assessment is released.
The Star Reading and Star Early Literacy Screening Reports can be used to estimate which students are not likely to
score at/above a 959 on the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment by the end of third grade. Renaissance
recommends monitoring all students who score in the blue “On Watch” group in addition to supporting students in the
yellow “Intervention” and red “Urgent Intervention” groups. Students who are in the green (40th percentile rank and
higher) are likely to meet or exceed the third grade benchmark score of 959. The table on the following page lists Star
Reading and Star Early Literacy Classic scaled scores (the scores you use now) that correspond to the 40th percentile
at various points in the school year alongside the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment’s Unified Scale
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee-District-Resources/ReadingDiagnostic-Assessments
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http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee-District-Resources/Third-GradeAlternative-Reading-Assessments
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http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R60626.pdf
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©Copyright 2017 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. (800) 338-4204www.renaissance.com
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scores that also correspond to the 40th percentile. Students who meet or exceed these scores are performing at a level
that suggests they are likely to be able to reach or exceed the 959 cutscore on the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency
Assessment.
Star Reading/Star Early Literacy On-Track Scores for Ohio 3rd Grade Reading Screening
(2016–2017 School Year)
Fall
(November)
Grade
(Assessment)
Winter
(January)
Spring
(March)
Classic
Scale
Unified
Scale
Classic
Scale
Unified
Scale
Classic
Scale
Unified
Scale
K
(Star Early Literacy)
531
708
568
728
606
749
1
(Star Early Literacy)
643
768
678
787
712
807
1
(Star Reading)
80
783
87
802
101
823
2
(Star Reading)
214
884
239
897
266
911
3
(Star Reading)
338
945
357
953
373
959
Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment promotion score = 959
If a student reaches or exceeds a score of 959 on the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment during
the 2016–2017 school year, the student is allowed promotion.
©Copyright 2017 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. (800) 338-4204www.renaissance.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment?
The Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment has been approved by ODE as an Alternative Reading
Assessment for the Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This means that third grade students can take Star Reading
Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment to demonstrate an acceptable level of reading performance for
promotion to the fourth grade.
The Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment is a 50-item computer adaptive test (CAT) built specifically to
assess third grade reading proficiency. The assessment takes about 40-45 minutes to complete, on average. It can be
administered up to three times in one year (twice in the school year and once in the summer).
What is the cost of the Star Reading Third Grade Reading Proficiency?
The Star Reading Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment is included with purchase of Star Reading or Star 360.
When can the Star Reading Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment be administered?
According to the Ohio Department of Education, districts may administer the Ohio Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency
Assessment twice during the school year and once during the summer to mimic Ohio’s grade 3 English language arts
test administration. Districts and schools should set dates for the administration of these assessments.
For more information, please see page 10 of the Ohio DOE Guidance Manual.
http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Early-Learning/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee/TGRG-GuidanceManual.pdf.aspx.
How do I access the Star Reading Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment?
Students and educators access the Star Reading Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment through the
Renaissance Place home page.
What is the Unified scale? What is the Classic scale?
The “Classic Scale” is the scale Star Reading and Star Early Literacy have always used. Star Reading’s classic scale is
0-1400. Star Early Literacy’s classic scale is 300-900.
When the Star Reading Third Grade Proficiency Assessment becomes available in winter 2017, it will report scores on
the new Unified Scale. Starting in the 2017–2018 school year, Star Early Literacy and Star Reading will also report
scores on the unified scale, which has a 200 to 1400 point scale.
Where can I find more info about how Star Reading relates to the Grade 3 OST reading subtest?
Please see Relating Star Reading to Reading Scores on the Grade 3 Ohio State Test.
©Copyright 2017 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. (800) 338-4204www.renaissance.com
All logos, designs, and brand names for Renaissance’s products and services, including but not limited to Star 360, Star Assessments,
Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Renaissance are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered,
common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries.
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