Just as families started to unwind from the stressful school year and settle into a normal summer filled with sleepovers, swim holes and summer camps – STAAR test results flooded in-boxes confirming Covid-slide concerns and leaving parents anxious about the school year ahead. Now with back-to-school season upon us, San Antonio Charter Moms is helping parents prepare for the pivotal year ahead by teaching them how to unlock personalized learning resources from STAAR report cards and decipher valuable data points for pandemic recovery. Virtual parent workshops are scheduled for August 12 and 26 and September 9 from 5:30p.m. to 7p.m. with registration available online. (San Antonio Charter Moms, 2021)

While many hold strong opinions about the STAAR test, too few are aware that the report cards provide personalized learning resources built into the results as explained in a recent Charter Moms Chat interview with Dr. Nathan Balasubramanian, Founder, CEO, and Superintendent of 7Cs Academy. Also known as “Dr. B,” Balasubramanian holds a background in psychometrics, is a trained curriculum auditor and a TEA Authorized Provider for evaluating and improving student outcomes. He argues that stakeholders may want to take another look at standardized test results to make them work to the student’s advantage.

“No matter how parents feel about the test, STAAR results offer a significant amount of personalized data which we so badly need after a year of educational upheaval. We encourage families to take a closer look at the results before the school year begins so they can identify problem areas and use the resources available to start the school year informed and ready. Waiting for parent-teacher conferences in the Fall will put students further behind in the race to catch up.”

Inga Cotton, Founder and Executive Director of San Antonio Charter Moms

San Antonio Charter Moms has created a user-friendly step-by-step set of instructions for interpreting the report cards and identifying personalized learning resources for your child. The first step for accessing your child’s report card is to visit TexasAssessment.gov. Once logged in, you can quickly review your child’s performance year to year. From this page, you can download your child’s report card into a printable PDF, a great resource to use during parent-teacher conferences. On the test results tab, the scale score tells us whether a student is in one of four categories: Masters Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, Approaches Grade Level, or Did Not Meet Grade Level. Scroll down a bit, and you will see information on performance and progress, showing where your child’s score falls on the continuum. In a latest information session with San Antonio Charter Moms, local parents, and educators, Balasubramanian stated, “Parents should monitor the child’s progress along the continuum. Even if the child is performing at the highest level, they should continue to show progress along this graph year after year or they are not being challenged to reach their full potential.”

In this section you can also review questions that your child missed; the goal is not to focus on any one question but to identify patterns of challenge. For example, parents can see firsthand whether their child struggled consistently on multiplication in math or metaphors in reading. Having this data allows parents to personalize learning for their child and seek additional resources to help them succeed.

Further down the page, the report card offers Lexile scores for reading and Quantile scores for math. The purpose of these scores is to help match students with reading and math materials that are at the right level of difficulty. Students learn best when they are doing work at their individualized level. If it is fast and easy, they get bored. If it is hard and slow, they get frustrated. If it is exactly right, they will have fun and feel challenged along the way.

The parent portal allows you to personalize learning resources, which is key to keeping students engaged and growing. Within the portal, parents will find a link to literacy and Lexile tools, including a Find a Book Tool that allows you to enter a Lexile score and an area of interest to search for book recommendations on just about any topic imaginable. From there, why not head to your local public library to tap into the endless resources available for free. The parent portal also includes math and Quantile tools. Dr. B recommends using Math@Home to find materials, including videos and problem sets, that will be at the right challenge level and on the right topics to help students get the help they need to advance to the next level. Should parents need guidance with the process, they can join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook for support from parents and caregivers who are walking the same journey to prepare for the challenging year ahead.

In summary, STAAR scores can be an extremely useful tool for setting a path for progress. As parents and educators brace for the pivotal year ahead, communication and engagement between parents and educators is paramount to success. Reviewing previous test results with teachers early in the school year and asking for guidance in problem areas can put students on the right path. More specifically, parents can ask for tutoring recommendations, school library resources, additional books or online games. The important thing is to be engaged and work together to set a course for success. If parents do not receive the feedback they are looking for, Cotton recommends going up the chain of command to see who at the school can help. If no help is available, it may be time to exercise the right to school choice.

San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM) began as a blog in 2012 when Founder Inga Cotton was inspired to help San Antonio families more easily find useful information about high-quality school options. Starting with a focus on the growing local charter school offerings, the blog has evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that shares fair information about all types of schools. Established in 2018 as a nonprofit, SACM can accept funding that enables it to grow in ways that support accomplishing its mission of being the most trusted information source on education in the region. This growth includes Spanish-language blog post translations, surveying target publics, holding meetings with decisionmakers, supporting public speaking, community outreach and enhancing mobile technology.