The 2024 6th Grade Math STAAR continued 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 60% 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 2025 STAAR test.
Standard | # of items | % mastery |
6.2D | 1 | 26 |
6.8D | 2 | 35.5 |
6.7D | 3 | 36.7 |
6.12C | 1 | 37 |
6.4H | 1 | 45 |
6.3D | 1 | 48 |
6.6C | 1 | 49 |
6.5B | 2 | 50 |
6.11A | 2 | 50.5 |
6.4G | 2 | 51.5 |
6.4B | 1 | 56 |
Access the slide deck here.
6.2D - 26% overall mastery
order a set of rational numbers arising from mathematical and real-world contexts
#13 - 26% correct
Analysis
Students had to consider positive and negative numbers
Numbers were in fractional and decimal form
Some students still struggle to order negative numbers
Instructional Implications
Use number sense to sort almost all of the numbers
Practice open ended sorts using a number line
6.8D - 35.5% overall mastery
determine solutions for problems involving the area of rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and triangles and volume of right rectangular prisms where dimensions are positive rational numbers
#7 - 19% correct
#32 - 52% correct
Analysis
Instructional Implications
Build flexibility with both formulas (V = Bh and V = L x W x H)
Show students how V = Bh is used with all prisms and cylinders to build discrimination
Watch the full walkthrough of all 36 items on the 2024 6th Grade STAAR below.
6.7D - 36.7% overall mastery
generate equivalent expressions using the properties of operations: inverse, identity, commutative, associative, and distributive properties
#6 - 23% correct
#15 - 58% correct
#31 - 29% correct
Analysis
Instructional Implications
Study (and name) the properties in isolation and a variety of situations
Practice generating equivalent expressions in addition to simplifying
Spend time on the many ways to show division
6.12C - 37% overall mastery
summarize numeric data with numerical summaries, including the mean and median (measures of center) and the range and interquartile range (IQR) (measures of spread), and use these summaries to describe the center, spread, and shape of the data distribution
#19 - 37% correct
Analysis
Students had to differentiate between mean and median
Median is not in the data set
Choices for A, B, and C were a little less than 25% each
Instructional Implications
Normalize medians not being a part of the data set
Have students explain the similarities (measure of centrality) and differences (calculation) of median and mean
Calculate median and mean with extreme data sets {0, 1, 1, 2, 99}
6.4H - 45% overall mastery
convert units within a measurement system, including the use of proportions and unit rates
#12 - 45% correct
Analysis
Had to convert gallons → quarts → pints → cups
Initial conversion included a decimal
Equal distribution of other answer choices (around 18%)
Instructional Implications
Draw visual representations to keep track of conversions
Practice conversions with decimals and fractions
6.3D - 48% overall mastery
add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers fluently
#22 - 48% correct
Analysis
Students needed to apply order of operations to simplify the expression
25% of students chose A, which did not recognize ( ) as multiplication
Instructional Implications
Utilize all the different forms of showing multiplication
Have students use a number line to keep track of positive and negative integers
6.6C - 49% overall mastery
represent a given situation using verbal descriptions, tables, graphs, and equations in the form y = kx or y = x + b
#16 - 49% correct
Analysis
Simple representation using an equation of a real-word situation
24% of students chose B, not sure of how to represent - 6
Instructional Implications
Draw a diagram to represent the situation
Choose a value for Mr. Palmer’s trailer (e.g., 10) and use that to verify answers with substitution
6.5B - 56% overall mastery
solve real-world problems to find the whole given a part and the percent, to find the part given the whole and the percent, and to find the percent given the part and the whole, including the use of concrete and pictorial models
#11 - 40% full credit; 11% partial credit; 49% no credit
#26 - 54% correct
Analysis
Students to find the part given a percent and the whole for both problems
The “less/more than 100 pages” in #11 were distractors
Instructional Implications
Show students how to use reasonableness to estimate solutions
Visual representations will help (in addition to proportions)
6.11A - 50.5% overall mastery
graph points in all four quadrants using ordered pairs of rational numbers
#3 - 41% correct
#29 - 45% full credit; 29% partial credit; 26% no credit
Analysis
Instructional Implications
Graphing in all four quadrants is new for 6th grade - practice!
Start low tech (grid paper, floor tiles) before moving to digital graphing
6.4G - 51.5% overall mastery
generate equivalent forms of fractions, decimals, and percents using real-world problems, including problems that involve money
#21 - 48% correct
#34 - 47% full credit; 16% partial credit; 37% no credit
Analysis
For #34, students had to generate both an equivalent fraction and percent
Eighths are not considered benchmark fractions (6.4F)
Instructional Implications
Teach eighths in addition to the other benchmark fractions
Practice multiple ways to convert fractions to decimals
6.4B - 56% overall mastery
apply qualitative and quantitative reasoning to solve prediction and comparison of real-world problems involving ratios and rates
#33 - 56% correct
Analysis
Had to correctly find scale factor (9) to solve
Both 3 and 4 are factors of 36, making labeling very important
Most chosen incorrect answer (A - 22%) used scale factor of 12
Instructional Implications
Students could solve this with table of values and visual representation (in addition to using a proportion)
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