Dear Parent/Guardian:

All public school districts in California have a mandate to participate in the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program each spring. The tests assess all students in grades 2 through 11. Writing assessments for students in grades 4 and 7 will take place on March 6, 2012 (with make-ups on March 7 only), students in grade 11 will be offered Early Assessment Program (EAP) testing during the month of March and the  multiple choice testing window for grade 2-11 students in core curricular areas is April 16, 2012 – May 11, 2012. Your child’s school will notify you of site specific testing schedules.

It is anticipated that the STAR program, which is primarily based upon determining the extent to which students can demonstrate their knowledge of grade-level skills, will provide useful information for supporting individual student needs and for planning future educational programs. In late August or early September (EAP results will be available earlier); Parent/Guardians will receive a report that will explain how their child performed in each content area assessed during spring 2012 testing.

It is our hope that all students will take the STAR so that we are able to get an accurate assessment of student learning and program quality. Parent/guardians have the right to excuse their child or children from the STAR assessment. Such a request must be submitted in writing to your child’s school. If you intend to submit a request (known as a “parent waiver”, please do so prior to testing so that we can plan accordingly. Please note however that the US Department of Education monitors the number of waivers submitted at individual schools. Schools that show a high percentage of waivers (above 5%), may become a Program Improvement (PI) School under No Child Left Behind. If you would like additional information about the STAR program, I encourage you to access official STAR website: http://star.cde.ca.gov/

Additionally, California’s grade-level standards may be found within the core curriculum
frameworks at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/fr/

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the STAR
assessment process.

Sincerely yours,
Clark Bryant – Associate Superintendent

(view & download STAR letter to Parents & Guardians (English) STAR Letter to Parents & Guardians (Spanish)

2012 STAR Testing Schedule Da Vinci Senior High April 17-20 (view & download pdf here)