STAAR Language Arts Store for teachers

Have you checked out the STAAR section of our store lately?

We have continued to create and add new classroom posters, student folders and other teaching aids to help teachers and students alike quickly gear learning towards the new criteria of the Texas STAAR standardized testing for Language Arts.

Visit The Write Prescription store and see what's new!

S.T.A.A.R. Questions & Answers

FAQ regarding the new Texas S.T.A.A.R. Standardized Testing

·        Are breaks allowed during STAAR assessments?

Breaks are allowed during STAAR assessments; however the following breaks must be included in the four-hour time limit.

§  Breaks for water or snacks

§  Bathroom breaks

§  Breaks for physical activity (e.g., standing up and stretching)

§  Routine medical breaks (e.g., to take medicine)

Breaks for lunch are not included in the four-hour time limit; however it is recommended that lunch be scheduled outside of the testing time.

·        How will reporting change when STAAR is implemented?

The implementation of STAAR will bring some key changes to the way information is reported.

For TAKS all reports were provided in hard-copy format with the option to receive online reports for a fee. With the new STAAR program, all reports will be provided online. One copy of each of the Confidential Student Reports (CSRs) and labels will be provided in hard-copy format.

·        What happens to students who arrive late or after testing has begun?

All students must be given the maximum of four hours to complete the tests. Districts will need to determine if the student can test on that day or on a make-up day.

·        For which assessments will make-up testing be available?

For the STAAR program, make-up testing opportunities for students who are absent will be available for all grades, subjects, and courses. Make-up testing opportunities will also be available for all administrations, including the summer administrations.

·        Will the dyslexia bundled accommodations continue to be offered to eligible students taking the STAAR reading assessments?

Two of the three bundled accommodations will be available for students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities on the STAAR reading assessments in grades 3 through high school—the oral reading of item stems/answer options only and extended testing time, if needed. These accommodations do not need to be offered as a bundle; the needs of the student should be considered when determining which accommodations to use. A proper-nouns list like the one used in the TAKS assessments will no longer be provided.

Texas STAAR Teacher Training

Language Arts teacher training seminars are available to your school.


Especially in Texas, your schools need to be learning how to adjust your teaching focus to help students score well given the new tougher S.T.A.A.R. standards.  That's exactly what Bill MacDonald of "May The Fours Be With You" fame can do for your entire language arts teaching staff.

You may view more information about our on-campus language arts staff development training but most importantly, contact us soon to get your dates book. 

One more thing: teachers who are responsible for getting a training day booked at your school will earn $100!

S.T.A.A.R. takes over from T.A.K.S. in Texas

Standardized testing for students in Texas is getting a makeover.

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is being replaced by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

Students in the graduating Class of 2015, who are currently in seventh grade, will be the first students who must meet the end-of-course testing requirements, as well as pass their classes, in order to earn a diploma.

The new tests will be significantly more rigorous than previous tests and will measure a child’s performance, as well as academic growth.

Be prepared and get your teaching staff up to speed on the new standards.

Language Arts Teacher Development: Helping students develop story ideas

Completely Developed Ideas

I came up with a little saying to remind students of the importance of developing their ideas sufficiently. It goes like this:  My age or more to get a good score.”   

Too many kids do what I call developing their ideas horizontally.  For example, they may go to the beach, which is fine, but have 5 to 10 different events instead of just one or two.  The problem with that is that most writing assignments have limited quantity of pages and lines, usually one or two at the most.   If they have too many events, odds are they will only be able to spend two or three sentences on each idea/event.  

 Try this visual idea on your students.  Go to an office supply store and purchase either a 12 fine point set of markers or a box of 16 crayons.  Start with any color by underlining an event that is written about…..usually a topic sentence.  Keep using the same color until the student switches to a new event.  Sometimes you will have used the entire box of crayons or markers by the time you finish the paper! 

I use colored trains as graphic organizers for my students, with yellow being assigned to the introduction, blue for the 1^st event or idea, green for the 2^nd event or idea, and red for the conclusion.  If the beginning middle and end are developed enough, all the space available would only have 3 or 4 colors.  I also use colored blocks, monkeys, plastic balls and anything else I can find at Walmart to show the students visually how much they are developing or NOT developing their essays.  That way, it’s not just theory but practical strategies happening right in front of you with your very own students!   

Allow me the opportunity to model development of ideas with YOUR school soon and see your scores skyrocket!  Contact "The Write Prescription" to request a teaching training seminar at your school. 

Low Composition Scores: Not enough writing training

The real reason our students are getting low composition scores each year....not enough writing training in the lower grades!!!

Trying to get our students to get higher than a zero, one, or two on their Writing compositions without the pre-requisites needed in the lower grades would be similar to flipping a pyramid up-side down and trying to make it balance on its point. It is nearly impossible! If we want our students to succeed, we must give Writing training to all grade levels, not just the testing grades. 

The training I offer models visual and auditory strategies at the bottom of the pyramid, then oral skills, next the reading, and finally the writing skills.  I can show teachers in all grade levels how to analyze the pyramid level of their students.  They can then give instruction at that level and move up when the students are ready.

Please allow me the honor of coming to your school and showing your teachers how to make the writing connection.

Earn $100 per day for booking Language Arts teacher training seminars

How would you like a little cash incentive?  Simply arrange for Bill MacDonald, 'The Writing Doctor', to come to your school for a language arts teacher training seminar and you'll receive $100 finders' fee for each day of training! 




Contact us to find out more information about what you can expect from The Writing Doctor's seminars and to obtain a custom quote based on your school's needs.

Look at our products at www.thewriteprescription.com or on TpT under The Write Prescription/Bill MacDonald!

Keys to preparing students for the new Texas standardized S.T.A.A.R. Test

Well Chosen Ideas

The first key to getting a four on the new S.T.A.A.R. Test is development.....the D in D.O.C.  (Development, Organization, and Conventions)  

 The scoring guide is written and designed for teachers, because of its difficulty level.  Think about these points as you train your students this coming year in writing.  The ideas they choose must be very well chosen.  Since the graders have to score anywhere from 100 to 200 papers per day per person, it is crucial the students put some thought into their main points and ideas.   

Let me prove my point by sharing an experience I had once as a consultant.  I was asked to analytically score a hundred compositions for a campus and the prompt was, Write about a time you were proud.  Over 75 students chose to respond with the same idea!  They had just taken the benchmark in Reading and Math on the two previous days.  The majority of them wrote about being proud because they passed their benchmark tests!  If that is happening that often in ONE school, imagine what is happening at the state level with over 300,000 students!   

Allow me the opportunity to work with your campus/district in providing high quality research based staff development on writing original well thought compositions! Contact "The Write Prescription" for more information about in-school trainings.
Look at our products at www.thewriteprescription.com or on TpT under The Write Prescription/Bill MacDonald!