How to Prepare for the STAR Math Test

Throughout the US, there is a variety of exams that improve kids’ overall personality, memory, and revision skills. Participating in these exams is essential for kids from grade level 1 to 12 as they also empower kids’ confidence in subjects such as math, English, and geometry.

The STAR Math Test is one of the most commonly administered exams in US schools to assess students’ math skills. Thus, in this blog, we’ve aimed to break down the essentials of the STAR Math Assessment and inform parents about how they can prepare their kids to get the highest STAR math scores.

In the following parts, you will learn about the STAR Math Assessment, its format, how it is scored, and useful tips to use while preparing your kid.

Would you like your kid to rock the STAR Math Test? If your answer is yes, keep reading!

What Is the STAR Math Assessment?

Let’s start with the basics and define what the STAR Math Assessment is all about. The STAR Math Assessment, also known as Renaissance STAR Math, is an online assessment program developed by Renaissance Learning for students from grades 1 to 12.

The STAR math program is designed by educators to assess a variety of math skills to show kids’ overall success in math subjects.

Contrary to other math exams and programs, the Renaissance STAR Math assessment uses sophisticated item calibration and psychometrics to adjust each kid's unique responses dynamically.

Thus, this computer adaptive test is commonly used by schools in the U.S. to quickly gauge the mathematical knowledge of students. In addition to that, a lot of schools in the U.S. use this assessment to determine if kids are fit for accelerated math programs.

Whether it's STAR Math, Mathematical Kangaroo, or the 11+ exam, all assessments require proficiency in school subjects and improved academic skills.

How Is the Renaissance STAR Math Test Administered?

The STAR Maths online test can be taken by individual computers or tablets anytime throughout the year as often as results are required. During the exam, the Renaissance STAR Assessment software delivers multiple choice questions one by one, and students select answers with a mouse, keyboard, or touch screen.

The interesting part about the STAR tests is that the software adjusts the difficulty level of every question depending on if they give the correct answer to the previous question.

Also, although there is no limit to the majority of questions, as some of the questions have time limits, the assessment takes 20 minutes to complete on average.

After the completion of the assessment, the software provides in-depth reports as well as the kids' scores. These results help teachers monitor students' progress and provide the most appropriate educational materials.

What Is the Format of the STAR Math Test?

The STAR math questions include multiple-choice questions with four answer choices that focus on measuring kids’ overall math performance and math skills. Typically, all of the STAR math questions consist of math subjects that fit the national curriculum.

As it is a highly comprehensive exam, the STAR math test questions assess different math skills according to grade level. The exam includes questions in two groups. The first group of questions assesses 49 math skills in 11 domains for grades 1 to 8. On the other hand, the second group of questions assesses 44 math skills in 21 domains for grades 9 to 12.

For all levels, STAR math questions include mathematical problems in subjects such as numbers and operations, math word problems, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, statistics, and probability.

Let’s check out what each subject covers and what kind of questions each of them includes:

1. Numbers and Operations include basic arithmetic questions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
2. Algebra includes questions for the application of algebraic concepts like solving equations and inequalities, identification, and simplification.
3. Geometry and Measurement includes questions that test the understanding of geometrical concepts like lines, angles, and calculation of geometric measures.
4. Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability include questions that require skills in methods of organizing data from charts and graphs.

It is clear that the STAR Math assessment requires math proficiency to get a good score and qualify for accelerated math programs. In this case, only practicing with a Renaissance STAR math practice test might not be enough.

How Are the STAR Math Assessment Scores Defined?

The Renaissance STAR math score definitions might seem hard to understand as the exam provides grade equivalent and percentile rank reports according to a scaled score. Let’s explain the STAR Math scoring process and test scores precisely.

Typically, for the STAR assessments, kids receive a scaled score based on the difficulty of the questions and the number of correct answers.

The STAR Math scores range from 0 to1400 and come with two other reports that compare the students with others on a national level. These reports include kids’ Grade Equivalent (GE) and Percentile Rank (PR) scores. While the GE score indicates the student's rank in the national grade placement level, the PR score indicates the kid’s performance relative to other students in the same grade.

5 Tips to Help Kids Prepare for the STAR Math Assessment

So far, we have learned about what the STAR Math test is, its format, and how it’s administered and scored. Now it's time to get prepared for the exam! By including these tips in your kid’s daily routine, you can make sure that they will succeed in the STAR Math Assessment.

Encourage Your Kids With MentalUP

When it comes to being successful in exams, everything depends on how kids perceive the subjects and how interested they are. This means to help kids get prepared for the STAR Math exam, it is essential to turn to study math from a challenge into a fun activity.

Even though it seems hard to believe, there are multiple ways to make kids enjoy math and foster their math skills. For example, you can read your kid some books that incorporate math, include math terms into your everyday language, or play math games at home.

Still, these activities might not be enough to foster your kid’s interest in math or encourage them to participate in the STAR Math Test.

This is where MentalUP steps in! MentalUP’s games and activities help kids improve their math skills along with other academic skills. After seeing successful results in MentalUP’s math games and exercises, your kids will enjoy learning mathematical concepts and get encouraged to compete with their peers!

Prepare a Study Plan for the STAR Math Test

As the STAR Math test is a highly extensive assessment, it requires a good amount of time and effort to fully prepare. Thus, parents need to support their kids with a study plan in advance. You can provide this comprehensive plan to your kids by including math STAR test practice papers, fun and educational MentalUP games, and exercises that enhance kids’ overall math skills.

The important point here is to not overwhelm kids with busy plans and make them stressed about the exam. Thus, along with the practices and exercises that improve kids’ math skills, you should also include activities that support their physical health.

Physically active kids tend to have better grades, higher school attendance, and improved cognitive performance. In addition, physical activity helps kids overcome stress and anxiety. So it is obvious that kids need to be supported with the right fitness sources.

Ensure Healthy Rest and Eating Habits

A healthy sleeping routine and balanced eating habits are essential for kids’ growth and development. Thus, in the process of preparing for the STAR Math test, you should ensure that your kids are getting enough sleep and nutrition from vegetables and fruits.

If you are not sure if your kids are sleeping enough, you can check their daily routines. Kids with a healthy sleep routine easily fall asleep every day at the same time. Also, they don't develop problems with their peers at school.

For the healthy eating part, you can encourage your kids to have smart eating habits by serving a variety of healthy foods and snacks, being a role model by eating healthy yourself and involving them in the meal preparation process.

Check Your Kid’s School Participation

The STAR assessments mainly consist of math subjects and topics that are aligned with the national curriculum. Thus, it is essential for parents to check if their kids are keeping up with homework assignments and participating enough during class activities.

To check your kid’s school participation, you can ask their teachers about how much they involve in classroom activities and how they are getting along with their friends. If you think your kids have a problem with participating in school activities and classes, try to figure out the reasons.

To understand why your kids are not participating in school activities, you can talk with them in an open and supportive way to ask what is bothering them. In addition to that, you can make lists with your kids and ask them to write down what they like and don’t like about the school activities.

This is a simple yet effective way to help kids organize their thoughts better and communicate with their parents more easily.

Be Supportive!

Being a supportive parent is the best way to help kids get prepared for exams and tests. Thus, during this long and dusty journey, you should support your kids by having their best interests at heart and show that you are present, involved, and helpful.

When it comes to parenting, everyone has their own styles and tactics. Yet, being a supportive parent might not always as easy as it seems. In this case, you can follow these suggestions to support your kids in the right way;

• Try to encourage your kids in their school tasks, hobbies, and interests.
• Listen without judgment and try to understand their concerns and challenges.
• Acknowledge their achievements and support them through challenges.
• Help them to feel secure and be able to predict the outcome of their actions.
• Treat them fairly and develop an honest, trusting relationship.