FAQ: Answering Your Top STAAR Questions

by SMARTcookie Squad

STAAR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Packs & Pricing

Q. Why are single copies of the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books not sold?
A. We do not have a series that is sold as single copies. The STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books are sold in packs (Mini Packs of 10, Small Packs of 20, Class Packs of 30, and School Packs of 40+). The packs are usually purchased by schools, not by individuals. They are also non-reproducible books. They are value-priced to provide one book per student.


Q. How are STAAR MASTER Teacher Guides sold?
A. A FREE Teacher Guide is included with each pack. For School Packs, an extra Teacher Guide will be included free for each additional 30 copies ordered.


Q. Can I share the STAAR MASTER materials with a teacher from another class?
A. As long as you are not breaking/violating the Copyright law. Note, these are not reproducible materials. They are value-priced to provide one book or practice test per student, even if divided between teachers or classrooms.

The Copyright statement in STAAR MASTER materials reads:
Copyright infringement is a violation of Federal Law.
© by ECS Learning Systems, Inc., Bulverde, Texas. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from ECS Learning Systems, Inc.

Reproduction of any part of this publication for an entire school or for a school system, by for-profit institutions and tutoring centers, or for commercial sale is strictly prohibited.

Printed in the United States of America. STAAR MASTER is a registered trademark of ECS Learning Systems, Inc.

Content

Q. Are the STAAR MASTER books the same as the old TAKS MASTER books with new covers?
A. No. STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books have all-new content. Teachers tell us that competitors have simply changed the covers on old materials. Rest assured, as you have come to expect, we developed all-new, challenging content to prepare your students for the rigor of STAAR.


Q. Do the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books have the same passages and practice items as the TAKS MASTER books?
A. No. STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books have all-new content. Teachers tell us other publishers have repackaged old material. We developed new content.


Q. Do you have Figure 19 in the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books?
A. Yes.


Q. Do the Writing books have writing prompts?
A. The Teacher Guide for the Grade 4 Student Practice Book for Writing currently contains the writing prompts. The prompts will be included in the actual Grade 4 Student Practice Books in upcoming reprints. The Grade 7 Student Practice Book contains the writing prompts in the actual book, not in the Teacher Guide.


Q. How are the STAAR MASTER Practice Tests different from the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books?
A. The Practice Tests are meant for assessment and not for teaching the TEKS standards. They may be used for diagnostic and prescriptive purposes. The Practice Tests are 24 to 32 pages long and do not contain as many questions per TEKS standard, whereas the Student Practice Books contain multiple questions to teach each TEKS standard.


Q. We’ve seen the sample, but how do we know what the entire book is like without seeing it?
A. We do not sample the entire book. We are sure that teachers will like the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books, so we offer a hassle-free guarantee.


Q. Is there an assessment at the end of the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Book for Math?
A. No. STAAR MASTER Practice Tests are available for assessment.


Q. Is there a pretest or diagnostic test with the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books?
A. No. STAAR MASTER Practice Tests are available to use as a pre-test and/or a diagnostic test.


Q. Will the STAAR MASTER Practice Test be enough to prepare students for the STAAR test?
A. The STAAR MASTER Practice Tests cannot substitute for the Student Practice Books. The Practice Tests are meant for assessment.


STAAR Test

Q. How do you know what is on the STAAR test?
A. In developing the STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books, ECS relied on information and publications provided by the Texas Education Agency, including the following publications:

• Eligible Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for all subjects and grade levels
• STAAR Blueprints for all subjects and grade levels
• 2011 Released Test Questions for all subjects and grade levels
• Assessing Process Skills for Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics
• Test Design Schematics (Reading, Grades 3–8 and Writing, Grades 4 and 7)
• Griddable Item Format for Science and Mathematics

Q. How do your books match up with the released samples?
A. ECS has used TEA’s released samples as a guide, along with the other information and publications provided by TEA.


Q. Will revisions be made once we all see the full exam?
A. ECS constantly reviews and revises its products. Any major changes revealed in the full exam will be addressed in future editions of our books or through supplements to the books.


Availability

Q. When will the Grade 8 Social Studies book be available?
A. August 2012.


Q. Do you have practice items online (web-based)?
A. Not yet.


Q. When will STAAR MASTER products be in teacher supply stores?
A. We do not have a definite publication date.


Q. Do you have STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books in Spanish for Writing?
A. STAAR MASTER Student Practice Books in Spanish for writing are not yet available.

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