The 2023 4th Grade Math STAAR introduced statewide online testing and several new item types. Using a modified version of the statewide item analysis report, I examined the readiness standards that had less than 50% mastery. Each standard has both an analysis of the items themselves to infer what made them so difficult and instructional implications for educators to ensure a more successful 2024 STAAR test.
Standard | # of items | % mastery |
4.8C | 2 | 25.5 |
4.4H | 1 | 30 |
4.3E | 1 | 33 |
4.5A | 2 | 37 |
4.2G | 2 | 47.5 |
4.3D | 2 | 55 |
4.4A | 1 | 46 |
4.7C | 1 | 70 |
Access the slide deck here.
4.8C - 25.5% overall mastery
solve problems that deal with measurements of length, intervals of time, liquid volumes, mass, and money using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division as appropriate
#6 - 33% correct
#23 - 18% correct
Analysis
Instructional Implications
Draw representations using arrays
Practice subtracting and regrouping in non-base 10 systems
Convert all units into smallest measurement
4.4H - 30% overall mastery
solve with fluency one- and two-step problems involving multiplication and division, including interpreting remainders
#27 - 30% correct
Analysis
Students had to multiply first and then divide
Interpreting the remainder involved adding one extra unit
Most chosen answer (B - 45%) excluded the interpreted remainder
Instructional Implications
Practice drawing representations of the problem in multiple ways
Arrays
Strip diagrams
Pictures
Focus on explicitly looking for remainders and how they should be interpreted in real-world situations
Watch the full walkthrough of all 32 items on the 2023 4th Grade STAAR below.
4.3E - 33% overall mastery
represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions with equal denominators using objects and pictorial models that build to the number line and properties of operations
#29 - 33% correct
Analysis
Equation editor took away security of multiple choice
Creating a fraction is not intuitive with equation editor
Students had to add mystery and sports books for correct numerator
Instructional Implications
Practice with equation editor on the STAAR platform, asking students to generate
Mixed numbers
Improper fractions
Proper fractions
4.5A - 37% overall mastery
represent multi-step problems involving the four operations with whole numbers using strip diagrams and equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity
#5 - 42% correct
#18 - 32% correct
Analysis
Instructional Implications
Have students solve each problem and substitute in answer for variable
Draw pictures to represent each answer - either strip diagrams or pictorial representations
Double-check work with answer rather than simply trying to find correct sequence
4.2G - 47.5% overall mastery
relate decimals to fractions that name tenths and hundredths
#13 - 45% full credit, 26% partial credit, 29% no credit
#28 - 37% correct
Analysis
Inline choice had three fields to fill in, each with four choices
Students had to convert improper fraction to decimal
Correct answer for #28 showed place value only going to the tenths digit
Both questions involved a whole number and a decimal
Instructional Implications
Practice converting decimals to fractions that involve whole numbers (improper fractions)
Practice converting decimals to mixed numbers
Practice converting improper fractions to decimals that include dropping a zero
4.3D - 55% overall mastery
compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators and represent the comparison using the symbols >, =, or <
#8 - 52% full credit, 38% partial credit, 10% no credit
#26 - 39% correct
Analysis
Students had to convert mixed number into improper fraction
Fractions had to be converted to equivalent fractions to compare with no visual references (#26)
Instructional Implications
Practice the algorithm for finding least common denominator
Practice the algorithm for creating equivalent fractions using least common denominator
Help students discriminate when they can use visuals and when they need to use the algorithm to generate equivalent fractions
4.4A - 46% overall mastery
add and subtract whole numbers and decimals to the hundredths place using the standard algorithm
#14 - 46% correct
Analysis
Students had to identify correct operation from real-world context
Option C (43%) was chosen almost as much as the correct answer (A - 46%) but involved addition rather than subtraction
Instructional Implications
Have students create a strip diagram (comparison) to represent the problem
Give students opportunities to generate equations to represent the problem, using a letter to stand for an unknown quantity
Have students check their work by substituting their answer for the unknown quantity
4.7C - 70% overall mastery
determine the approximate measures of angles in degrees to the nearest whole number using a protractor
#25 - 50% full credit, 39% partial credit, 11% no credit
Analysis
Multiple select removed certainty of multiple choice
One correct selection involved neither ray on the 0/180 line or on the 20/160 line
Rays cover up the numbers on the protractor
Instructional Implications
Show students how to eliminate answers by classifying angles as acute, right, and obtuse
Have students identify angles that have one ray on the 0/180 line
Practice measuring angles with neither ray on the 0/180 line by subtracting
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