results for pre-K through third grade students. The company claims that students can complete the assessment in less than 10 minutes. STAR Math The purpose of STAR Math is to assess students' mathematics skills. The assessment provides an approximate measure of each students' math level. The company claims that students can complete the assessment in less than 12 minutes. STAR Spanish The purpose of STAR Spanish is to assess students' Spanish skills. The assessment consists of reading comprehension for independent readers from grade levels 1–5. However, it can be administered to Spanish speaking students at grade levels 1–12. STAR Spanish tracks students' Spanish reading level, ZPD for independent reading practice of Spanish literature, and Spanish reading growth and overall progress. Reliability and validity The reliability of an assessment is the extent to which scores from the assessment will remain the same between two administrations within a short period. The validity of an assessment is the extent to which the assessment measures what it claims to measure. A number of other studies have demonstrated the reliability and validity of STAR Reading, STAR Math, and STAR Early Literacy. Additionally, a number of studies have demonstrated the correlation between STAR assessments and other tests of similar skills. As with any assessment or test, however, student scores will vary each time the assessment or test is administered. This concept is called the statistical error of a measurement. External agencies, like the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring (NCSPM), have assessed the STAR products and found them to be technically sound. Additionally, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) has categorized STAR Reading and STAR Early Literacy as criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments. In this latter case, the STAR Early Literacy package is said to evaluate eight cognitive elements. STAR Early Literacy was mentioned in the 2006 Readers' Choice Awards: Best Reading Software, a survey by eSchool News. Criticism The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) stated in a Summer 2005 letter that it would no longer accept STAR Reading scores for measuring reading "performance progress" for the Reading Improvement Block Grant. However, STAR reading was still permitted for instructional decision making. Since the ISBE issued this letter in 2005, the SEDL has updated its database, and ISBE has now re-categorized STAR Reading as an assessment of reading comprehension. See also Accelerated Reader Accelerated Math References External links Software for children Renaissance Learning software Standardized tests