What's New in STAR Reading 4.3

The primary focus for the STAR Reading™ Renaissance Place™ 4.3 version is to address your requests for better progress reporting and make several other product enhancements.

Reports
All of the STAR Reading reports were reviewed and updated to a format that is consistent across all Renaissance Place application reports.

Progress Monitoring Report
A new Progress Monitoring Report has been added to give you a report that shows student progress across multiple test administrations. This report provides a graphic display of a student's reading progress across a school year in comparison to a national norm reference. The report can also show class progress. You can share these reports with parents, other teachers, and administrators.

The report below displays the student's test scores in comparison to the national norm reference scores, as indicated by the report option comparison that was selected prior to running the report.

Supporting 2,000-Point Scale
To support customers who use Lexile data, we have converted our ATOS levels to a 2,000-point scale similar, but not identical to, the Lexile scale. Several of the STAR Reading reports display the converted scores, Alt. Score (alternate score) and Alt. ZPD (alternate ZPD). The report options page allows you to select if an alternate score should be displayed. The following reports contain the option of including an alternate score:

• Diagnostic Report
• Growth Report
• Parent Report - English
• Parent Report - Spanish
• Reading Range Report
• Snapshot Report
• Summary Report
• Test Record Report

Preferences
There is a new preference to allow personalized naming of the two additional columns that appear in some reports. To view the new preference, select the Preferences link on the STAR Reading home page. Then click the Name Alternate Scores link. The default names are set to Alt. Score and Alt. ZPD. Teachers can rename the Alt. SS and Alt. ZPD, which are displayed in the reports mentioned above.

Estimated Oral Reading Fluency score
An estimated oral reading fluency (Est. ORF) score has been added to STAR Reading. Est. ORF is an estimate of a student's ability to read words quickly and accurately in order to comprehend text efficiently. Students with high oral reading fluency demonstrate accurate decoding, automatic word recognition, and appropriate use of the rhythmic aspects of language (e.g., intonation, phrasing, pitch, and emphasis). Est. ORF is reported in correct words per minute, and is based on an equating study indicating the relationship between STAR Reading performance and oral reading fluency. The score has been added to the following reports:

• Diagnostic Report
• Growth Report
• Summary Report
• Test Record Report

Grade K testing ability
Kindergarteners who you know are early readers with at least a 100-word reading vocabulary can now test in STAR Reading. Previously, you had to change the grade of the student to grade 1 so that students who were already reading in grade K could test. Now, grade K is accepted. The following scores are now available for students testing in grade K:

• Scaled Score (SS)
• Instructional Reading Level (IRL)
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
• Grade Equivalent (GE)

Note: STAR Reading is not normed for kindergarten students and should be administered only to kindergarteners who are already reading.

Benefits of Renaissance Place
In addition to the new features that will only be available in STAR Reading Renaissance Place 4.3, if you use the Renaissance Place Edition, you'll also receive:

• Software updates and upgrades at no additional charge
  (except normative upgrades)
• Unlimited telephone support at no additional charge
• Centralized Renaissance Place program maintenance and data management
• Renaissance Learning hosting service option
• Multi-class enrollment and reporting
• District-wide consolidated reporting