Getting Started | About the Data | FAQ | Data Organization | Scoring
Getting Started
Follow these simple steps to request that your Renaissance® Star data be shared with WISEdash for Districts. Once the process is complete, test results will begin flowing into WISEdash every weekend.
Special note for new districts: DPI loads results from Renaissance every weekend. If your district has completed the data sharing process for WISEdash with Renaissance but are not seeing data after a weekend load, please ensure you have properly completed all the steps above.
About the Data
DPI has partnered with Renaissance to enable Wisconsin districts that administer Star assessments to share and view their Star data on WISEdash for Districts.
WISEdash currently supports Renaissance Star Reading®, Renaissance Star Math® and Renaissance Early Literacy ®. Star data available in the WISEdash dynamic reports include scaled score, national percentile rank, Student Growth Percentile, and RTI and Wisconsin Forward Exam benchmarks. Additional scores are available for individual students within the Student Profile—Star dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions about Star Data
1. My district administers Star assessments, but no results are available in WISEdash. Why is this?
The test vendor, Renaissance, only provides results to DPI for districts that have approved data sharing with DPI. To have your Star data included, complete steps outlined in the WISEdash-Star Data Sharing. Once approval has been given, DPI will automatically download your district’s historical and current results the following weekend. Current test results will then be refreshed every weekend.
2. I have a new student that transferred from another district that uses Star assessments. Will that student’s Star results be transferred as well?
That depends. If the student’s prior district has given DPI approval to load their Star results from Renaissance, then that student’s individual results will be available to WISEdash users where ever that student transfers. The student’s results from the prior district will not be included in aggregate results for your district. The student will not be included when drilling on your district’s results until the student completes a Star test while enrolled in your district. However, you can still see those prior results for the student by using Student Search and viewing the student’s Student Profile - Star.
Data Organization
Assessment results fall within one of three assessment periods—fall, winter, or spring. When students test more than once during an assessment period, DPI tags the latest result within the assessment period for summary reporting on the Star dashboards. However, results for each Star assessment a student takes are reported within the Student Profile.
Renaissance also classifies the type of test administered. Data is currently reported in WISEdash for six Star assessments. Note: Tests that are not considered a benchmark test (any test administered outside of a testing window) are considered progress monitoring tests, regardless of the number of test items.
As "Test Inclusion" filter was added in cases where districts want to exclude progress monitoring that was done within an test admin period.
Star Reading (Enterprise) |
Star Reading (Enterprise) is a standards-based, computer-adaptive assessment that tests a student’s overall performance across a broad range of different reading skills. The assessment is for students (K–12) with at least a 100-word sight vocabulary and can be administered as often as weekly. It consists of 34 items. See the Star Early Literacy Technical Manual for more information. |
Star Reading (Progress Monitoring)
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Star Reading (Progress Monitoring) is a shorter version of Star Reading (Enterprise) available for progress monitoring. Like Star Reading, it is for students (K–12) with at least a 100-word sight vocabulary and can be administered as often as weekly. This is a 27-item, computer-adaptive assessment focusing on reading comprehension. See the Star Reading Technical Manual for more information. |
Star Math (Enterprise) |
Star Math is a standards-based, computer-adaptive assessment that measures general achievement in math. The assessment is for students (K–12) with basic reading and math skills and can be administered as often as weekly. It consists of 34 items. See the Star Math Abridged Technical Manual for more information. |
Star Math (Progress Monitoring) |
Star Math (Progress Monitoring) is a shorter version of Star Math (Enterprise) available for progress monitoring. Like Star Math, it is for students (K–12) with basic reading and math skills and can be administered as often as weekly. This is a 24-item, computer-adaptive assessment. See the Star Math Technical Manual for more information. |
Star Math (Algebra strand) |
Star Math (Algebra) is a computer-adaptive assessment that measures student achievement within the Algebra domain. This assessment is designed for students (8–12) who follow the traditional path for math instruction (Grade 9: Algebra 1, Grade 10: Geometry, Grade 11: Algebra 2). This is a 34-item assessment. See Star Math Algebra and Geometry Assessments for more information. |
Star Math (Geometry strand) |
Star Math (Geometry) is a computer-adaptive assessment that measures student achievement within the Geometry domain. This assessment is designed for students (8–12) who follow the traditional path for math instruction (Grade 9: Algebra 1, Grade 10: Geometry, Grade 11: Algebra 2). This is a 34-item assessment. See Star Math Algebra and Geometry Assessments for more information. |
Star Early Literacy (Enterprise) | Star Early Literacy (Enterprise) is a computer-adaptive assessment for students in PreK-3 that measures alphabet principle, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension using auditory and visual prompts. The assessment has 27 items. See the Star Early Literacy Technical Manual for more information. |
Star Early Literacy (Progress Monitoring) | Because Star Early Literacy has 27 items, there is not a shorter version for progress monitoring. Educators may use the 27-item test for progress monitoring if they choose. |
Scoring
Scaled Score
The scaled score is a student’s overall score on a Star assessment. It is a raw score based on the difficulty of the questions that were presented to the student and whether or not the student answered them correctly. Star Reading and Star Math scaled scores range from 0-1400. All other Star scores are derived from a student’s scaled score.
Unified Scaled Score
In recent years, Renaissance has been moving to a Unified Scale Score which we now also display in both the student detail list and the various graphs in the student profile. Users will still be able to view Scaled Score for a student but this may change in future years depending on whether the vendor continues to provide this other measure.
Percentile Rank (PR)
PR is a norm-referenced score. It indicates the percentage of students nationwide who scored lower than a particular student in the same grade at the same time of year. PRs range from 1-99.
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE)
NCE is a norm-referenced score that express a student’s ability on an equal-interval scale. NCEs range from 1-99. A student’s NCE scores are available in the Student Profile.
Estimated Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
Est. ORF is an estimate of a student’s ability to read words quickly and accurately in order to comprehend text efficiently. Est. ORF is reported in correct words per minute and is reported only for grades 1-4. A student’s ORF scores are available in the Student Profile.
Forward Performance Levels
Star Reading and Star Math have been linked to the Wisconsin Forward exam. Star assessments can help educators identify students likely to fall short of meeting Wisconsin Forward proficiency in order to make meaningful adjustments to instruction and redirect resources as needed. See Relating Star Reading and Star Math to the Wisconsin Forward Exam for more information.
RtI Benchmark
DPI also displays Response to Intervention (RtI) categories that were calculated and determined on behalf of the vendor for display in WISEdash for each result based on the exam results national percentile ranking. DPI does not assign categories or provide calculations for levels of support within a Multi-Level System of Supports. For more information on Wisconsin’s vision for equitable Multi-Level Systems of Supports please visit the DPI's Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Support webpage.
National Percentile Rank |
RtI Category |
1 - 10 |
Urgent Intervention |
11 - 25 |
Intervention |
26 - 40 |
On Watch |
41 - 99 |
At/Above Benchmark |
Student Growth Percentile (SGP)
SGP is a norm-referenced growth metric that allows educators to understand how much students are growing compared to their academic peers—those students who are in the same grade and have a similar scaled score history. SGPs range from 1-99 and interpretation is similar to percentile rank (PR) scores: lower numbers indicate lower relative growth and higher numbers indicate higher relative growth. See Special Report—Student Growth Percentile in Star Assessments for more information.
SGPs are included in Star data sent to DPI for the current assessment period. DPI will retain SGP scores through assessment periods and school years in order to provide a historical picture of student growth. However, it may take time from the initial authorization to accumulate sufficient SGP scores for historical analysis.
Instructional Reading Level (IRL)
IRL is a criterion-referenced score that indicates the highest reading level at which students can recognize words and comprehend written instructional material with some assistance. IRLs are represented by either numbers or letters indicating a particular grade. Number codes represent IRLs for grades 1.0–12.9. IRL letter codes include PP (Pre-Primer), P (Primer, grades .1–.9), and PHS (Post-High School, grades 13+). A student's IRL scores are available in the Student Profile.
Lexile
A Rasch score is the raw score a student receives if a test is scored using the Rasch model. There are several IRT (item-response theory) models and the Rasch model is one of them. A student’s Lexile scores are available in the Student Profile.
Rasch Score
The final score a student receives if a test is scored using the Rasch model; there are several IRT (item response theory) models and the Rasch model is one of them. A student’s Rasch scores are available in the Student Profile.